やっほ〜
This week we go back to Tokyo, and the pinnacle of its nightlife: Shibuya. My general advice is to avoid (or not) walking through Shibuya in the morning as you will see the remnants of a night out (look up ‘shibuyameltdown’ on Instagram). Shibuya also has some sketchy alleys, especially around the love-hotel area; so do be careful while you are there.
Shibuya crossing (スクランブル交差点): one of the most famous intersections in the world, just be careful of becoming that one person who ends up holding up all the cars by taking too many photos.
Hachiko(ハチ公): a classic meet-up spot in Shibuya and right next to the crossing, you will find a massive queue around Hachiko of people trying to take a photo with it. Use your common sense, do not be that person riding Hachiko (especially when sober). Try reading the story of Hachiko before you go.
Shibuya Sky: an open deck observation deck, it has the famous escalator you can find all over the internet. The views are great, and just chilling there on the grass or hammocks is sublime.
Shibuya is not somewhere you would go to find good food. It is where you go for good drinking vibes and cheap bites that can sustain you through heavy night of drinking and ramen at 4:00 am after a night out.
Shibuya is one of the most well-connected stations in Tokyo, except if you are traveling from Azabu/Roppongi with public transport. Yes, Shibuya does have 30+ exits that are connected underground, but it is much much easier to navigate than Shinjuku as it is all connected to just one station.
Driving through Shibuya is fine (I do it everyday), especially on the main roads. The problem is these alleys that are either packed with tourists, very narrow, or sketchy.
There are a bunch of boutiques and hostels, although Shibuya does not have a congregation of hotels. As mentioned above, Shibuya is very convenient for getting around Tokyo, I would just be careful that your hotel is not located in the sketchy parts of Shibuya (be careful not to accidentally book a love hotel, that would only be funny for people you tell, not yourself).
行ってらっしゃ〜い,
Shin