Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Hachiko and SHIBUYA SKY: free English audio guide

The crossing outside Shibuya Station, where up to about 3,000 people cross from every direction on a single green light, with the statue of the faithful dog Hachi beside it and SHIBUYA SKY 229 m above. See the same crossing from three heights, the street, a station walkway and the rooftop, with this free audio guide in your earphones.

Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Hachiko and SHIBUYA SKY audio guideFor earphones, as you walk (10 tracks)

PochikaYour guide around Tokyo

Sagi-senseiTemples, gardens and history

KasukeHidden spots and surprises

ChunOld town, shops and festivals

▶ Play from the startNext ▶▶

1. WelcomePochika
2. The story of HachiSagi-sensei
3. The second HachikoKasuke
4. How the crossing grewSagi-sensei
5. Walk the scrambleChun
6. A star of screensChun
7. The Mark City walkwayKasuke
8. SHIBUYA SKY and SKY EDGEKasuke
9. Sunset and the night showChun
10. GoodbyePochika

Keeps playing with the screen off. It stops after each spot: when you arrive at the next one, tap “Next” or ▶▶ on your lock screen. Voices: Kokoro (open-source text-to-speech)

Visiting info

Checked on 2026-10-27 against the official pages. Hours can change; please check the official page before you go.

Transcript

1. Welcome (Pochika)

Welcome to Shibuya! I'm Pochika, your guide. Today we'll see one famous crossing from three heights: the street, a station walkway, and a rooftop high above. The crossing and the Hachiko statue are free and open at all times. SHIBUYA SKY, the rooftop deck, is open from ten in the morning to ten thirty at night, with last entry at nine twenty, and it needs a ticket. Let's start right here, at the statue of the faithful dog Hachi.

2. The story of Hachi (Sagi-sensei)

I'm Sagi-sensei. Hachi was an Akita dog, born in November 1923 in Odate, in Akita Prefecture. As a puppy, he went to live with Ueno Eizaburo, a professor at Tokyo Imperial University, and walked him to and from this station every day. But on May 21, 1925, the professor collapsed at the university and died. Hachi kept waiting here for about ten years. In 1932 a newspaper told his story, and donations paid for a bronze statue. About three hundred people came to the unveiling in April 1934, and Hachi is said to have watched it with the station master! Step back to fit the whole statue in your photo.

3. The second Hachiko (Kasuke)

Hey, I'm Kasuke. Here's a secret. The Hachiko in front of you is the second one. The first statue was taken away and melted down under a wartime metal collection order. Its sculptor, Ando Teru, was killed in an air raid in May 1945, at his home and studio in Yoyogi, here in Shibuya. In the ruins, a small clay Hachi was found, probably a thank-you gift for donors. The statue you see now was made in 1948 by his son, Ando Takeshi. Father and son, one dog.

4. How the crossing grew (Sagi-sensei)

Now look out at the crossing. In 1920, the Yamanote Line was raised onto an elevated track, giving the station the basis of its shape today. In 1923, a city tram line passed under the tracks and ran right into the square in front of Hachiko. After the war, department stores opened, Shibuya became a young people's town, and the crowds grew. In 1973, this intersection became a scramble crossing. Today about four hundred thousand people are said to pass through each day.

5. Walk the scramble (Chun)

Hi, I'm Chun! Time to cross! When the light turns green, people walk from every direction at once. Up to about three thousand people can cross on a single green light. The wait for the signal is about two minutes. Fun fact: Shibuya wasn't Japan's first! That was the Kokai intersection in Kumamoto, in 1968. And look closely. There's only one diagonal crosswalk here, the one from Hachiko Square. Take it!

6. A star of screens (Chun)

Chun again! Now look up at the big screens on the buildings around you. Since the 2000s, four large screens have been fitted here, and the crossing became the face of Shibuya in advertising. It's a movie star too. It appears in Sofia Coppola's film Lost in Translation, and in a One Direction music video. Just ahead, in front of SHIBUYA109, the Dogenzaka-shita crossing has two diagonal crosswalks, forming an X. Can you spot it?

7. The Mark City walkway (Kasuke)

Kasuke here. Want a free view from above? Head back into the station to the glass-walled passage in Mark City, between the JR Yamanote Line's Tamagawa gate and the Keio Inokashira Line gate. From here, you look down on the crossing at an angle. You can see faces in the crowd. On rainy days, you see umbrellas weaving past each other. Everything up to this walkway is free.

8. SHIBUYA SKY and SKY EDGE (Kasuke)

Now for the top. Shibuya Scramble Square opened in November 2019, and its rooftop is two hundred and twenty-nine meters above the ground. You board on the fourteenth floor. Up top, find SKY EDGE, a glass-enclosed corner, and look straight down on the crossing. The crowd moves like one swarm! On the forty-sixth floor, SKY GALLERY has a video work showing how many people are crossing at that very moment. Remember, no bags or hats on the rooftop. Use the lockers on the forty-sixth floor.

9. Sunset and the night show (Chun)

On a clear day, Mount Fuji may be visible from the rooftop, along with the National Stadium, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Bay. Around sunset is the busiest time, but it's said to offer the most beautiful views. From seven in the evening, there's a light and sound show every thirty minutes. Stay and watch the city lights come on!

10. Goodbye (Pochika)

That's the end of the Shibuya guide. Thanks for walking with us! Here's one last surprise. The real Hachi was preserved soon after his death, and you can meet him at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno. After the statue, why not make the trip? Check Kyochika for events near your next stop. See you again!

FAQ

Is the audio guide free?

Yes, completely free. No app and no sign-up: just open this page in your phone browser and press play.

Where does the tour start?

At the Hachiko statue, right outside the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station. The tracks follow the walk across the scramble, up to the Mark City walkway and into SHIBUYA SKY. Each track stops at the end, so tap “Next” when you reach the next spot.

Sources

• LIVE JAPAN「忠犬ハチ公像」 (Japanese)
• タイムアウト東京「ハチ公生誕100年」 (Japanese)
• HugKum「忠犬ハチ公」 (Japanese)
• 渋谷区立松濤美術館「黙然たる反骨 安藤照」 (Japanese)
• 文春オンライン「渋谷駅前の都電」 (Japanese)
• 乗りものニュース「渋谷スクランブル交差点に斜め横断歩道が1本しかないワケ」 (Japanese)
• AdverTimes「渋谷スクランブル交差点」 (Japanese)
• アソビュー「渋谷スクランブル交差点」 (Japanese)
• MATCHA「渋谷スクランブル交差点の見える場所」 (Japanese)
• 博報堂生活総合研究所「渋谷」（2012年） (Japanese)
• GLTJP「渋谷スクランブル交差点」 (Japanese)
• MATCHA「SHIBUYA SKY」 (Japanese)
• タイムアウト東京「SHIBUYA SKY」 (Japanese)
• バンゾク「SHIBUYA SKY」 (Japanese)
• ウォーカープラス「SHIBUYA SKY」 (Japanese)

This page in Japanese