Welcome the HACHIKO's scramble square in front of SHIBUYA station
The busiest ,craziest most colorful, the loudest place in all of Tokyo
"The scramble" just in front of SHIBUYA station has been featured in many
international movies and TV broadcasts
It's pulse of the city...
Wait Wait Wait Wait Before you get ahead of yourself,
Let me explain what we're doing here!
We're gonna spend 24 hours on HACHIKO square & crossing
to get a great understanding of what this place is all about!
let's start in the morning
The busiest scramble in the world isn't always busy
between 3 and 4 a.m. the only people out are taxi drivers and maintenance staff
As the nightclubs and bars shutdown people stagger along
There's often a long hug with a new love, say goodbye
The crow signal the coming dawn
it starts getting lighter on 4 a.m. in Japan during the summer
SHIBUYA wakes up slowly
The first rain of the day is at 4:38 on the JR Yamanote Line
toward Shinjuku
Bread trucks make their daily morning runs by 5 a.m.
by 5:30 a.m. cleanup crews many of whomare volunteers
start sweeping way evidence of the night before
There aren't any public trash cans in the area
People are expected to take away what they bring in
Japan is one of the cleanest countries in the world for a reason
By 6am
All evidence of party goers from the night before is gone
At 6am
the sun crests the buildings
the workday begins
workers make their way to their offices
SHIBUYA is a hub for tech and marketing companies
although retail shops don't open until 10 or 11 a.m.
the crossing is quite busy from 7 in the morning
this is HACHIKO scramble. You have 45 seconds from all the pedestrians to cross
and it's wild!
People are coming from four different directions
All colliding right here in the middle! It' like the perfect storm!
This is SHIBUYA just a crowded exciting place to be
You bump into a lot of people some time
When that green light starts to blink like right now, you better cross the street because
These cars come fast!
SHIBUYA's HACHIKO is one of the most famous places to meet because
the "statue"
I'm supposed to be meeting my friend YUKI here but seems to be a little late
YUKI!
How are you?
I was just telling everybody how HACHIKO, this area is
one of the famous places to meet
in all Tokyo right but why?
it's lunch time so why don't we grab a bite to eat? I know a great restaurant nearby
I'm sorry John, I have another appointment
I'll give you a call later. I'm sorry. BYE!
Well there goes my lunch date.
By noon HACHIKO crossing is packed with people waiting around
This is one of the mostfamous meeting point in all of Japan
The square is popular with tourists because at the statue of the famous dog,
HACHIKO
He was a real dog and he's part of the history of SHIBUYA
There's a ceramic relief called HACHIKO family on the wall of SHIBUYA station
near HACHIKO exit
Created in 1990 the family of Akita dog symbolizes the spirit of the square
a place to meet those close to you and have fun
HACHIKO met his owner at SHIBUYA station every day after work
it was a routine
After his owner died,
He continued to show his loyalty by coming to the station for 9 years
until his own death in 1935
now you can see HACHIKO
stuffed at a museum in nearby UENO
To get a bird's eye view of the square
check into the SHIBUYA Excel Hotel Tokyu
From the fifth floor, you get a nice view of the crossing
it's a battle down there
if you're a hotel guest go even higher
Above it all, the view of the crossing is impressive
Everyone's got somewhere to go down there
As many as 10,000 people cross the scramble during a traffic light cycle
and about a million people a day
Up here you can also see things you wouldn't see at street-level.
like the Adidas futsal Park constructed just before
the 2002 JapanKorea World Cup
Bright neon signs.
a symbol of this part of Asia
flash down onto the square and crossing.
It's busier than ever
Many indie bands play around the crossing
and the vibe is young and electric
SHIBUYA is a center for japan's youths and
there's always something fun and exciting going on here
These college students gave me their point of view
SHIBUYA's HACHIKO scramble is the pulse of Tokyo
It beats 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
so when you come to Japan's capital don't miss a chance to join the crowds
and simply,
Cross the street