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La dinamica Shibuya

Photo credit: Google

Shibuya (渋谷区 Shibuya-ku), conosciuta come la zona più dinamica della città, è uno dei 23 quartieri speciali di Tokyo. Si sviluppa attorno all’area della stazione omonima, tra le più trafficate della capitale, che si apre sullo Shibuya Crossing, l’attraversamento pedonale più affollato del mondo.
Tutti i palazzi della zona sono corredati da mega schermi che illuminano l’intero quartiere al calare della sera. Le strade sono ricche di negozi, come lo 109 (Ichi-maru-kyū) iconico centro commerciale, e in particolare si possono trovare negozi di musica, ristoranti e i famosi “love hotel”. Questi sono concentrati soprattutto nella cosiddetta Shibuya’s Love Hotel Hill . A rendere il tutto ancora più caratteristico sono i giovani tra i quali impazza l’arte del cosplay e….. beh, Shibuya è anche uno dei quartieri dove la Yakuza è più presente!
Se non sapete cosa sia la Yakuza, il mistero è presto svelato. È la famosa organizzazione criminale giapponese suddivisa in numerose bande chiamate kumi o bōryokudan (letteralmente ‘gruppo violento) secondo la terminologia legale. Le sue radici provengono addirittura dal periodo Edo.

Photo credit: fotopedia.com

Uno dei simboli di Shibuya però è il celebre monumento dedicato ad Hachiko, il cane divenuto famoso per la fedeltà nei confronti del suo padrone Hidesaburō Ueno. Purtroppo la statua è semplicemente una riproduzione di quella andata perduta durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale.

Un quartiere, tante curiosità

Photocredit: AndreBenz

Sicuramente il nome “Shibuya” non è sconosciuto alle orecchie di nessuno. Gli amanti degli anime si saranno accorti che, ad esempio, in Super Gals! i riferimenti a questa zona sono innumerevoli. Senza contare che la protagonista ha l’abitudine di salire sulla statua mettendosi in sella ad Hachikō per liberarsi da tutti i suoi pensieri! Nei Digimon il treno per “Digiworld” parte proprio dalla stazione di Shibuya, ma non è solo negli anime che troviamo questo tipo di riferimenti. Nel videogioco per Nintendo DS The World Ends with You, è possibile aggirarsi nel quartiere fedelmente riprodotto in tutti i suoi luoghi-simbolo.
Ultima, ma non per questo meno importante, è proprio qui che nasce il genere musicale Shibuya-kei, fusione tra musica elettronica e pop, appartenente alla categoria del J-pop.

Il distratto di Harajuku

Photo credit: JAPAN ITALY BRIDGE

Harajuku (原宿 letteralmente “alloggio nel prato”) è la zona più conosciuta per essere una miniera di tendenze giovanili estremamente innovative. Due sono le principali strade dello shopping Takeshita e Omotesandō. La prima è dedicata alle mode giovanili in cui abbondano negozi di articoli in stile lolita, visual kei, rockabilly, punk, e cyberpunk. Omotesandō invece, gli “Champs-Élysées di Tokyo” è dedicata a negozi come Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Tod’s, solo per citarne alcuni. Le giovani che popolano le strade di Harajuku vengono identificate con il termine Harajuku girls. Sono adolescenti abbigliate secondo svariati stili anche molto diversi fra loro, ma accomunati da una generale eccentricità e colori che non passano inosservati. Queste ragazze possono essere esponenti di varie subculture, fra le quali le più importanti sono lolita, ganguro e kogal.

Photo credit: Google

Il Visual Kei nasce qui

Photo credit: Alex Knigh

La corrente musicale Visual Kei – dall’inglese visual (“visivo”) e dal giapponese kei (系, “stile”)- nata attorno alla fine degli anni Ottanta, si è sviluppata proprio attorno a questo quartiere. Il principio di questo movimento musicale è la dimensione estetica. Infatti, i gruppi musicali ad esso appartenenti si distinguono per la grande teatralità ed attenzione all’aspetto visivo e scenografico. Uno degli elementi più caratterizzanti è sicuramente la presenza esclusiva di musicisti uomini. Essi affondano le loro radici nello storico e raffinato Teatro Nō in cui gli uomini recitano anche i ruoli femminili. Il canone è quello di una bellezza virile che esalta la figura della donna come riferimento unico di bellezza anche per il sesso maschile.
Curiosamente si pensa che “Visual Kei” derivi da uno degli slogan della band X Japan, pioniera del genere: “Psychedelic violence crime of visual shock”.
Harajuku è il luogo perfetto per immergersi in questa subcultura, in particolare sul Jingu Bashi (“ponte del santuario”), ponte pedonale che collega il centro di Harajuku con il Santuario Meiji.

Photo credit: @camknows

Photo credit: tokyofashion.com

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The Dynamic Shibuya

Photo credit: Google

Shibuya (渋谷区 Shibuya-ku), known as the most dynamic area of the city, is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. It develops around the area of the Shibuya Station, one of the busiest stations of the capital, that opens to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the most crowded street-crossing in the world.
All the buildings are covered by big screens that illuminate the whole ward as the sun sets. Streets are full of stores like the 109 (Ichi-maru-kyū), the iconic department store, and in particular music stores, restaurants and the famous “love hotels”. These can be found mainly in the so called Shibuya’s Love Hotel Hill. To make it all the more distinctive there are the young people leading the art of cosplay and….. well, Shibuya in one of the wards in which the Yakuza is more active!
If you don’t know what the Yakuza is, well the mystery is soon solved. It is the famous Japanese criminal organization divided in many different groups called ‘kumi’ or ‘bōryokudan’ (literally ‘violent group’) according to the legal terminology. It has its roots back to the Edo Period.

Photo credit: fotopedia.com

Yet, one of the main symbol of Shibuya is the monument dedicated to Hachiko, the dog that became famous for his loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno. Unfortunately, the statue is just a reproduction of that original one that was lost in the Second World War.

One ward, many curiosities

Photocredit: AndreBenz

Surely the name “Shibuya” is known to everyone. Those who love animes must have noticed that, for example, in Super Gals! there are many references to it. Not to mention that the protagonist has the habit of sitting on the statue of Hachikō to free her mind from all her thoughts! In the Digimon series the train for the “Digiworld” departs right from the Shibuya station. But its not only in animes that these kind of references can be found. In the Nintendo DS video game The World Ends with You, you have the chance to walk Shibuya’s streets faithfully reproduced in all their symbol places.
Last but not least, its right here that the musical genre of the Shibuya-kei was born as a fusion between electronic and pop music, and part of the J-pop genre.

Harajuku District

Photo credit: JAPAN ITALY BRIDGE

Harajuku (原宿 “meadow lodging” literally) is best known as the center of the Japanese extremely innovative youth trends. Two are the main shopping streets of the area, Takeshita and Omotesandō. The first one is dedicated to youth trends and is full of stores with many lolita, visual kei, rockabilly, punk and cyberpunk style items. Omotesandō, on the other hand, “Tokyo’s Champs-Élysées”, is dedicated to stores like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada and Tod’s, just to name a few. The young girls that crowd Harajuku’s streets are identified as Harajuku girls. They are teens dressed according to many different styles, often very different from each other, but all with a distinguished eccentricity and very colorful. They are expressions of various subcultures, lolita, ganguro and kogal among the others

Photo credit: Google

Visual Kei was born here

Photo credit: Alex Knigh

The musical genre of Visual Kei – from the English word visual and the Japanese word kei (系, “style”) – that was born around the end of the 80s, developed around this ward. The core of this genre is its aesthetic dimension. In fact, its various music bands distinguish themselves with the great theatricality and attention for the visual and scenographic aspect. One of the most distinctive elements is the exclusive presence of male musicians. This has its roots in the traditional Noh Theater where men play female roles as well.
Curiously, many think that the word “Visual Kei” derives from “Psychedelic violence crime of visual shock”, one of X Japan slogans, a band pioneer of the genre.
Harajuku is the perfect place to immerse yourself in this subculture, in particular on the Jingu Bashi (the sanctuary bridge), a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku’s center to the Meiji Shrine.

Photo credit: @camknows

Photo credit: tokyofashion.com

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The Dynamic Shibuya

Photo credit: Google

Shibuya (渋谷区 Shibuya-ku), known as the most dynamic area of the city, is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. It develops around the area of the Shibuya Station, one of the busiest stations of the capital, that opens to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the most crowded street-crossing in the world.
All the buildings are covered by big screens that illuminate the whole ward as the sun sets. Streets are full of stores like the 109 (Ichi-maru-kyū), the iconic department store, and in particular music stores, restaurants and the famous “love hotels”. These can be found mainly in the so called Shibuya’s Love Hotel Hill. To make it all the more distinctive there are the young people leading the art of cosplay and….. well, Shibuya in one of the wards in which the Yakuza is more active!
If you don’t know what the Yakuza is, well the mystery is soon solved. It is the famous Japanese criminal organization divided in many different groups called ‘kumi’ or ‘bōryokudan’ (literally ‘violent group’) according to the legal terminology. It has its roots back to the Edo Period.

Photo credit: fotopedia.com

Yet, one of the main symbol of Shibuya is the monument dedicated to Hachiko, the dog that became famous for his loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno. Unfortunately, the statue is just a reproduction of that original one that was lost in the Second World War.

One ward, many curiosities

Photocredit: AndreBenz

Surely the name “Shibuya” is known to everyone. Those who love animes must have noticed that, for example, in Super Gals! there are many references to it. Not to mention that the protagonist has the habit of sitting on the statue of Hachikō to free her mind from all her thoughts! In the Digimon series the train for the “Digiworld” departs right from the Shibuya station. But its not only in animes that these kind of references can be found. In the Nintendo DS video game The World Ends with You, you have the chance to walk Shibuya’s streets faithfully reproduced in all their symbol places.
Last but not least, its right here that the musical genre of the Shibuya-kei was born as a fusion between electronic and pop music, and part of the J-pop genre.

Harajuku District

Photo credit: JAPAN ITALY BRIDGE

Harajuku (原宿 “meadow lodging” literally) is best known as the center of the Japanese extremely innovative youth trends. Two are the main shopping streets of the area, Takeshita and Omotesandō. The first one is dedicated to youth trends and is full of stores with many lolita, visual kei, rockabilly, punk and cyberpunk style items. Omotesandō, on the other hand, “Tokyo’s Champs-Élysées”, is dedicated to stores like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada and Tod’s, just to name a few. The young girls that crowd Harajuku’s streets are identified as Harajuku girls. They are teens dressed according to many different styles, often very different from each other, but all with a distinguished eccentricity and very colorful. They are expressions of various subcultures, lolita, ganguro and kogal among the others

Photo credit: Google

Visual Kei was born here

Photo credit: Alex Knigh

The musical genre of Visual Kei – from the English word visual and the Japanese word kei (系, “style”) – that was born around the end of the 80s, developed around this ward. The core of this genre is its aesthetic dimension. In fact, its various music bands distinguish themselves with the great theatricality and attention for the visual and scenographic aspect. One of the most distinctive elements is the exclusive presence of male musicians. This has its roots in the traditional Noh Theater where men play female roles as well.
Curiously, many think that the word “Visual Kei” derives from “Psychedelic violence crime of visual shock”, one of X Japan slogans, a band pioneer of the genre.
Harajuku is the perfect place to immerse yourself in this subculture, in particular on the Jingu Bashi (the sanctuary bridge), a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku’s center to the Meiji Shrine.

Photo credit: @camknows

Photo credit: tokyofashion.com

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