Has Shibuya Gotten Boring? Why Tokyo’s Youth Have Fled
It used to be a centerpiece of Tokyo’s youth culture. Have tourism, global retail, and old men conspired to make Shibuya dull?
By Jay Andrew Allen
It used to be a thriving gathering place for Tokyo’s youth. However, thanks to tourism and constant development, Shibuya has changed drastically. Has Tokyo’s former centerpiece gotten boring? And where are the city’s young going now?
“Old man’s town”
Earlier this year, in a comment that garnered around 11K likes, jazz musician Minami Hiroshi lit into what he sees as the boring globalization of Shibuya. “It’s nothing but blocks of global businesses,” he complained. “Realtors have completely destroyed the town’s character.”
Other users echoed Minami’s sentiments. “When I was a kid, I was excited when my parents took me to this town for grown-ups,” one user said. “In my 20s, there were plenty of mini-theaters and bookstores. Now, it’s a vulgar city. Sad.”
Minami and others aren’t the only ones saying this. Social media conversation in recent years has christened Shibuya an “old man’s town” (おじさんの街化; ojisan…
