Shibuya 109

Shibuya 109

Shibuya is one of the twenty-three city wards of Tokyo, but often refers to as the popular shopping and entertainment area around Shibuya Station. Shibuya is one of Tokyo's most colorful and busy districts and birthplace to many of Japan's fashion and entertainment trends.
The Shibuya-Ekimae Intersection in front of the Shibuya Station is always bustling with pedestrians throughout the year.

Shibuya 109 is located at what used to be called Koibumi Yokocho (Love letter lane), and the traditional Japanese drinking establishments that covered the area lent it an atmosphere reminiscent of the immediate postwar years. As part of a redevelopment effort in 1979, the cylindrical 10-story building (8 above ground and 2 below) that is Shibuya 109 was erected.
Shibuya 109 is a trend setting fashion complex for young women with more than one hundred boutiques on ten floors. Usually pronounced "Shibuya ichi maru kyu", the complex's name can also be read as "Shibuya to kyu", identifying the complex as part of the Tokyu Group.

Wander around inside to see all the odd Tokyo fashion trends come to life...
especially the shop clerks who wear some of the wildest clothes imaginable.
Half of one of the floors is devoted to selling knick-knacks, and an effort was made to discover new brands by bringing in promising entrepreneurs short of money. With tastes and fashions changing at such a rapid pace, many large corporations are unable to keep up. Adept small businesses, though, can grasp customers' needs and turn out a product in as little as two weeks. Because this fashion center has been attracting customers from all over Japan

Shibuya 109 Building (ichimaruky?) shopping centre is filled with many very trendy clothing boutiques. It is very popular among young people, especially women aged 15 to 20, and it is famous as the origin of the kogal subculture. Kogals are known for wearing platform boots, a miniskirt, copious amounts of makeup, hair coloring (usually blond), artificial suntans, and designer accessories.
On the Shibuya 109 Building site you can see pictures of all the stores in the shopping complex. Many new brands have gotten their start here.

Shibuya 109 has almost become a brand in and of itself, and its popularity among Japan's teens shows no signs of fading.

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