Daikanyama

Daikanyama

I unwittingly stumbled upon this great little area just after arriving in Shibuya. I got into Shibuya around 4pm but wasn't meeting Frank, Nicola and Rachel till nine, so I stuffed my backpack and jacket into a locker and began to walk a little aimlessly while working out how to spend the next few hours. I had a vague idea about walking to Harajuku, one stop away (more about Harajuku later) but not knowing exactly how to go about it set about following the train line. Shortly after setting off, I got a message from Yoshi, a Japanese guy I know from when he spent a year living in Glasgow. He told me he could meet me in Shibuya, at 5.30 pm, leaving me 45 mins to explore...


After half an hour of strolling, I turned back to meet Yoshi back at Shibuya Station. When he suggested a coffee, I had just the place in mind....a long, squat cafe, with classy leather sofas and armchairs, and at the far end floor to ceiling windows looked out over the railway track and the trains whizzing by every few minutes...





Over the next few days, I visited Daikanyama several times, making new discoveries each time. On Saturday I found myself once again with time to kill while waiting for Chika to arrive in Shibuya from Sapporo. She had been due to land at 2.30pm but due to snow in Sapporo, first her bus and then the flight were delayed. I came back to Shibuya from a day trip to Kamakura with no idea how long I would have to wait, and her phone turned off. From Kamakura, I exited Shibuya via the "New South exit" and set off blindly on foot. I again stayed close to the railway, coming across more graffiti art adorning tunnels and underpasses. Next to a slightly shady underpass, a bank of vending machines caught my eyes - for the first time, I saw among the soft drinks and beer machines, a unit selling full bottles of whisky and shouchu (Japanese spirit)....

2nd from the left - check out the attempt at trying to smash it in!

I foubnd myself in what I figured to be the centre of town via a maze of alleys dotted with designer boutiques and packed with character. Emerging onto a main street, it was a lot posher but still pretty cool. I didn't see the Starbucks or the Gaultier flagship store though I have since read of their existence. Guess I only grazed the surface...