Hey there! It's been a while. As some of you might have already noticed we’ve started a new series called Tokyo Stamp Rally! This series will focus on us collecting over 70 stamps one can get at JR train stations all over Tokyo while introducing the neighborhoods around them. Currently we can't travel outside of Tokyo as freely as we want to due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic so this series will allow us to deliver more video content to you.
Please check out the Tokyo Stamp Rally introduction video for more information about the series:
Let’s Get the Shibuya Stamp Challenge Started!
We’ve been quite exhausted from work lately, so we decided to take a Friday off and enjoy some BROs IN JAPAN quality time by shooting the first entry of our Tokyo Stamp Challenge series lol
After meeting up around 11AM at Shibuya Station we directly made our way to the Starbucks overlooking the world-famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing to get some of that delicious アイスコーヒー (aisu koohii, iced coffee) we can’t live without. Fetching our cup of caffeine, we climbed the stairs to the upper floors to get seats with a view over the crossing. Unfortunately, we were met with a wall of people social distancing... There was still plenty of spots open but due to the new social rules at least one seat had to be left empty.
A 5-minute wait later we finally secured seats overlooking the scramble crossing and decided to shoot some time-lapse sequences while we were concentrating on what was left of our drinks. Having finished some last-minute schedule checks we set out to find a fitting location for the introduction sequence of our Shibuya Stamp Challenge video.
One location that many people instantly associate with Shibuya is the famous Hachiko Statue. Luckily there weren't many people around, so we made preparations to shoot the first scene only to be interrupted by shouting coming from the station. At the time of taking the video Tokyo was in the middle of its 東京都知事選挙 (toukyouto chiji senkyo, Tokyo Governor Election) with candidates shouting their program through mega phones non-stop. Because that's how you get the most votes...
As our current audio equipment couldn't quite stand up to the noise, we've decided to just take a selfie and continue our search for a better location.
After some searching, we finally found a nice spot at the elevated passageway connecting Shibuya's JR and Keio stations. But as you will see in the outtake section of our video at the end of this blog post, even there we weren't safe from the noise.
Being able to take a somewhat decent intro our real challenge could finally begin. To be honest, we thought it would be easy to find the みどりの窓口 (midori no madoguchi, JR Ticket Office) at which the stamp is located, but even with the help of Google Maps Sensei a walk that should only take about 3 minutes turned into a 10-minute long journey around the station. Big stations can get quite confusing so be sure to look up where you want to go in advance!
That took longer than we intended it to take lol We'll try our best to make use of the experience we made during our Shibuya Stamp Challenge for future entries in the series.
Now that we have collected our first stamp it was time for the second part of the challenge: finding the location depicted on it.
According to our friend and helper Google Maps the shrine depicted on the stamp is only about 5 minutes from Shibuya Scramble Square, which is right at the station. But we were reminded yet again that taking the right station exit is key when trying to get to your destination in Tokyo. If you do happen to take the wrong exit a trip that usually takes 5 minutes can easily take up to 15 minutes even with navigation lol
Having spent most of our time in Shibuya running around and searching for stuff we were quite surprised when we finally arrived at our destination: Konno Hachimangu.
Who would have thought that we could one day associate any of the following keywords to a place so close to the center of Shibuya: silence, nature, no crowds. But that's exactly what we found! This might be the best spot to take a rest from the bustling area around Shibuya Station. The rain was probably also a factor, but we were almost the only people on the shrine grounds enabling us to fully enjoy the moment.
It's quite fascinating how much history you can find even in modern districts like Shibuya. The Konno Hachimangu, which is the perfect example, is almost 1,000 years old and survived the WII. It's discoveries like this that we want to share with you through our Tokyo Stamp Rally project. There is still much to discover even in Tokyo. Below some more shots of the shrine grounds!
Exploring the Neighborhood: From Shibuya Scramble Square to Spain Slope
All that walking made us quite hungry, so we walked back towards Shibuya Station in hopes of finding some delicious food. And what's better than delicious food? Eating delicious food while having a great view!
After arriving at Shibuya Scramble Square, Shibuya's newest attraction with one of the best views over Tokyo, we were unable to find any open seats left. We had to give up on the great view and settled for some delicious 天ぷら (tenpura, battered and deep fried sea food, vegetables, etc.). You can never go wrong with that!
As we've already entered the rainy season at the time of shooting the Shibuya Stamp Challenge video the observation platform on top of the Shibuya Scramble Square building was closed for the day. We'll probably have to come back for another video... Instead we found a resting area on the restaurant floor where we could relax and take a few shots from above.
The next stop on our list was MAGNET by Shibuya 109, which is highly recommended by Nikki. It's a department store right across the street from Shibuya's famous Starbucks. Inside you'll find floors filled with fashion and character goods as well as anime collaboration items.
It's the perfect spot to find shelter from a sudden downpour as you can lose track of time exploring all the floors have to offer. There is an escalator you could use to move between floors, but we'd recommend taking the stairs as each floor showcases amazing wall art. Not only will you find urban and underground fashion but also a paradise for all One Piece fans: the Mugiwara Store! It's not really advertised that big out on the front so some of you might miss this. Once you reach the upper floor you are greeted by a treasure trove full of One Piece merchandise.
Due to the rain we've decided to make Spain Slope the last destination on our list. It's a narrow street with restaurants and shops that not unlike Konno Hachimangu will help you escape the busy area around Shibuya Station. It got its nickname from resembling a slope in Spain but to our surprise we weren't able to find any Spanish restaurants nor any resemblance to Spain lol Some of the shops and restaurants looked pretty good though.
Hopefully you enjoyed this article. There is more to come! If you haven't watched the Shibuya entry of our Tokyo Stamp Rally video series yet you can do so from below. See you next time!
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