Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Takeshita-dori
Center
Shibuya Beam
Right
Tokyo Anime Center
Pop Culture Venues
!
Tokyo Big Sight
$
Pokémon Center
Arguably Asia's largest art
festival, the biannual, two-day
Design Festa
(see p56)
is held
at the Tokyo Big Sight.
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Map D2
• Tokyo International Exhibition Centre, 3-
21-2 Ariake, Koto-key • 5530-1111 • Ad m
Children can follow the
adventures of familiar TV anime
and film characters, such as
Pikachu and Ash Ketchum, as
they travel to Cerulean City or
the Orange Islands.
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Map E6
• 2F, Shiba-Rikyu Bldg, 1-2-3 Shiodome,
Minato-ku • 6430-7733 •
Open noon-8pm
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Manga no Mori
@
Takeshita-dori
Packed with garish
boutiques, subculture junk,
cutesy accessories, lurid kitsch,
and fetish costumery, this loud,
abrasive, fun street is preferred
by Japanese extreme youth.
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Map B5 • Takeshita-dori, Shibuya-ku
This store boasts a terrific
range of Japanese manga and
anime, with a small showing
of imported comics featuring
superheroes, cute characters,
and bondage.
Doujinsha
, a
subculture level of manga, is
produced by gifted fans and
amateurs.
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Map R5 • 12-10
Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku • 5489-0257
• Open 10am-10pm
#
Center Gai
A bustling pedestrian street
crammed with inexpensive bars,
cafés, and restaurants, as well
as stores selling a wide range
of music records, cell phones,
clothes, and jewelry, Center
Gai is the epicenter of Japanese
youth culture. Full of teens
and early-20s.
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Map R5 • Shibuya,
Shibuya-ku
^
Shibuya Beam
Beam hosts live game spots,
comedy duos, interviews, and
anime-inspired
cosplay
shows.
The first floor has a Namco game
arcade. Repair upstairs
to the J-Pop Café for
coffee and music.
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Map
Q5 • B2F, 31-2 Udagawa,
Shibuya-ku • 3477-0777
&
Sunday in the Park
Tokyo's theater of
dress spills over from
busy Harajuku into Yoyogi
Park every Sunday,
where you may chance
upon costumes reflecting
every trend since the
1950s. Live bands set up
Shoppers thronging neon-lit Center Gai
44
The Hachiko Dog statue outside Shibuya station is the ideal spot
to take in the upbeat vibe of the area.
