Travel: Shibuya Crossing

The Shibuya Crossing is the busiest crosswalk in the world and it located in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The scramble crossing is west of the city centre in the area of Shibuya. Many different sources say that at peak times, more than 3000 people cross at one time. That’s 2.4 million people a day – a day! Wild!

When we visited, around 8:00pm, it wasn’t that busy. Don’t get me wrong, it was busy, just not 3000 people busy. Okay, let’s check out some photos of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing.

Shibuya Crossing

We’re ready to make our first cross – we crossed three times. Twice side to side, and the last one right across. It was fun!

Most people knew exactly where they were going, so it didn’t feel like a chaotic scenario, but more like movement with purpose. I was probably the one creating any chaos, since I stopped to take a few photos.

Well, there you have it. A must if you’re visiting Tokyo, Japan. If you’re looking for the peak hour, it’s between 3:00pm – 7:00pm on a weekday. The reason is the overlapping time between students being out of school and office workers heading home.

The only other place I’ve experienced such business with people is waiting for the California Adventure Park to open – and walk to the Cars World. Here, in Tokyo, people aren’t all headed to the same place, so it feels more chaotic, more real, more fun!

We arrived in Tokyo around 4pm on a weekday and after we checked into our hotel, had a bite to eat, the Shibuya Crossing was the first place we checked out. It’s the essence of urban life in Japan – be sure to check it out if you get the chance. It’s a great ‘welcome’ activity. Plus, there are great restaurants and shops near by, too. Oh, and the Shibuya Station is right there, so it’s very easy to get to.