Page 83 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

Mirror-encased escalator at Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku mall

WESTERN TOKYO

Shinjuku and Shibuya, the dual centers of Western
Tokyo, three stops apart on the Yamanote line,
began to boom only after the 1923 earthquake
and the opening of the Tokyu Toyoko line, linking
the capital and Yokohama, in 1932. Despite its short
history, the area still has stories to tell, from
Hachiko – the dog who faithfully waited for his
owner outside Shibuya Station everyday from
1923 to 1935 – to the US occupation of Yoyogi
Park, or Washington Heights as it became known,
between 1945 and 1964. The park remained on the
world stage for the 1964 Summer Olympic Games.
This part of the city is new Tokyo – all vitality
and energy, fast-paced, constantly changing, and
challenging the more traditional pleasures of
Central and Northern Tokyo. When the Imperial
Japanese Army moved to Roppongi in 1890, the
area became a nightlife hot spot, and this reputation
was only reinforced with the influx of expatriates
after World War II. Although no longer burdened
with a sleazy reputation, people still flock here
after dark for Rop pongi’s cosmopolitan clubs,
bars, and music venues, and the neon lights and
pachinko par lors of East Shinjuku. On top of this,
Shibuya, along with neighboring Harajuku and
Minami-Aoyama, have been the epicenters of
both young and haute-couture Japanese fashion
since the 1980s.
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