Day 3 - Tokyo - Shibuya

Shibuya - the fashion aware subculture kingdom of the world, where huge lines of people line up and wait for hours for the latest must haves.  From the large and insanely crowded 109 department store to the thousands of small meandering streets filled with shops, cafes and cool tiny apartments.

Shibuya also provided a humble example of faithfulness to the world in Hachiko - an Akita who followed his professor owner every day on his journey from a local farm to the Shibuya station, and returned to the station every day just before the train would arrive to meet him.  In 1925, the professor suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died while at the university, never returning to the train station where Hachkio was waiting. Every day for the next nine years, until his own health failed, the dog came to the station just before the train would arrive and waited.

 The statue of Hachiko, just outside of the "Hachiko Entrance" to Shibuya Station,

 



A view of the streets around the main shopping area

 

Scramble Crossing - not possible to describe with photos... 24 hours a day, like ocean waves, throngs of people wait until all signals of the intersection turn red at the same time, and then surge onto the streets.

Just as many people sit in the local cafes watching. 

 

And two of the helpfull sales people in the hipster 109 shopping mall (you just got to have those socks, don't you)