Shibuya, the trendy city for teenagers and young adults for their shopping needs.
And since 1979, Shibuya 109 (Ichi-maru-kyu) and 109Men’s department stores have stood tall in Shibuya. It’s name is a word play on the owner, Tokyu Mall Development. In Japan, 10=to, 9=kyu and what originally was intended as a shopping outlet for women in their early ’30s has become haven for teens and the gyaru culture.
While there are 109 stores in Ishikawa, Machida, Shizuoka, Yokohama and Osaka, many will see the cylindrical building featured in video games and anime, and it’s one of the first buildings people will see when coming out of Shibuya station and arrive at the intersection, Shibuya Crossing/Scramble.
To the left is Shibuya 109 and on the right is 109Men’s.
For those wondering how the department stores work, think of a building with multiple stores inside, a mall that is all contained in a tall building and you can take the escalator/elevator to each of these floors.
For example, Shibuya 109, you can venture to around 50 shops such as Barak, Peach John’s, Samantha Vega, Plaza, Moussy, Fig&Viper, Adidas, Delyle Noir, SBY, Navana Wig, Duras and dozen upon dozens of stores.
Both stores open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m., with restaurants closing at 11:00 p.m.
The stores do take Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and Diners Club International.
You can also visit Shibuya 109 on Facebook, Instagram, google+ and Twitter and Men’s109 on Facebook.
