Ah, that first night of sleep in a bed again after an overnight international flight does wonders! We woke up at 9am, and we went for a run around the perimeter of the Imperial Palace, a popular 5k loop for local runners (always run with the Palace on your left). I was surprised by just how many runners were out at that hour, given that it was mid-morning on a workday. It was a cool experience to share with the locals. Running unites us!
We left our hotel shortly after noon, and we headed to Shibuya. Upon arrival, we quickly discovered that the Station and connected Shibuya Scramble Square were a maze of escalators, elevators, and shops. As a result, we had difficulty navigating our way out to the nearby lunch spot that I had identified for us. Since it was nearly 1pm at that point, we gave up and ended up at 7-11 for a grab-and-go lunch (two salmon onigiri for me). All was not lost though as we got to experience the famous fruit smoothies from 7-11 that you can blend yourself after purchasing the pre-made fruit cup in the store. It was so cheap and yummy (and small) that I went back to get a second one!
We had a little time to spare so we went searching for the Shibuya eki stamp. We eventually stumbled upon it (outside of the JR East counter) after several ill-fated attempts to locate it.
Then, it was time to head up the elevator to Shibuya Sky for our 2:20pm timed entry (purchased in advance when ticket sales opened – admission times prior to sunset are highly sought after and sell out quickly). This is definitely an attraction to pre-purchase tickets for because there were no tickets left to purchase on site for the rest of the day. We took the elevator up to the 45th floor where we had to store our belongings in a (free) locker before going outside onto the observation deck. Due to the strong winds, we could not take anything outside with us that could blow away.
Not knowing any better, I spent too much time on the lower level when better 360-degree views were available up the escalator to the rooftop (this area had much more space, so it was less crowded). It was very windy and cold though, so we cut our visit outside short and headed back inside to get warm. There we were treated to essentially the same views as we had outside, and arguably a better spot to take photos of the famous scramble crossing itself. Unfortunately, Mount Fuji was clouded in and not visible, just like yesterday afternoon at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
If you are looking for panoramic views of Tokyo, there are three paid options (Shibuya Sky, Tokyo Skytree, and Tokyo Tower) and a free one at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. I specifically chose Shibuya Sky because I wanted to have an overview of the scramble street crossing. If we were going to do another paid observation tower, I would definitely recommend going in the evening to see the lights of the city! Otherwise, I think visiting one observation point is probably sufficient.
Having accomplished viewing the Shibuya Scramble from above, it was finally time for us to make our way through the famous 6-way street crossing itself and into the Starbucks that overlooks the intersection for a different perspective than high above at Shibuya Sky. We purchased a snack then snagged a spot by the second-floor windows to watch as the number of pedestrians increased closer to 5pm. We even saw the go-karts coming through the intersection with the riders dressed in various character onesies (an international driver’s license is required, so plan ahead if you want to do this).
Now that we had experienced the scramble in multiple ways, it was time for dinner. We walked down the street to Hokkaido Sapporo Ramen for another delicious meal of gluten-free ramen (for me) and gyoza. Just like yesterday, we placed our order at the kiosk before we were seated inside the small restaurant (no credit cards-cash or IC only). Due to the limited available seating, your stay is limited to 40 minutes – plenty of time to slurp down your ramen!
The whole area takes on a different atmosphere with the rush hour and under the bright neon lights after sunset, so Kurt wanted to walk through one last time before we headed back to Ginza by metro. As is customary for the first few days in Asia (and really anywhere we go unless we have a specific reason to stay out “late”), we got back to our hotel by 7pm to get ready for an early start tomorrow.