Shibuya: Magnet For Youths

Above, the Shibuya 109 department store was blasted by Gamera and Megaguirus. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Kaiju fans are familiar with the Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo from Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla x Megaguirus (2000).

The area was blasted during a battle between Gamera and Gyaos birds in the first movie and it was flooded in the second and later sonically blasted by Megaguirus in the second.

Shibuya is also the favorite area for the youths of Tokyo.

The Japan Times has posted a "snapshot" article on Shibuya. The Times will be posting articles on different areas they feel will interest tourists.

On Shibuya, they wrote:

Known as the town for young people, Tokyo’s Shibuya district is the capital’s center of youth fashion and culture. It also attracts crowds of tourists from home and abroad. 

Shibuya is best known for its “scramble crossing” near the north exit of JR Shibuya Station, where as many as 3,000 pedestrians coming from mainly four different directions calmly dodge each other in the large intersection when the crossing lights turn green. Around 500,000 people cross the intersection every day. 

Nearby stands the statue of Hachiko, the faithful dog praised for its loyalty to its master. The plaza around the statue is a popular meeting point and photo spot for tourists.

Shibuya is spotlighted in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan on page 27.

To read more on Shibuya, go here.