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  • Welcome the HACHIKO's scramble square in front of SHIBUYA station

  • The busiest ,craziest most colorful, the loudest place in all of Tokyo

  • "The scramble" just in front of SHIBUYA station has been featured in many

  • international movies and TV broadcasts

  • It's pulse of the city...

  • Wait Wait Wait Wait Before you get ahead of yourself,

  • Let me explain what we're doing here!

  • We're gonna spend 24 hours on HACHIKO square & crossing

  • to get a great understanding of what this place is all about!

  • let's start in the morning

  • The busiest scramble in the world isn't always busy

  • between 3 and 4 a.m. the only people out are taxi drivers and maintenance staff

  • As the nightclubs and bars shutdown people stagger along

  • There's often a long hug with a new love, say goodbye

  • The crow signal the coming dawn

  • it starts getting lighter on 4 a.m. in Japan during the summer

  • SHIBUYA wakes up slowly

  • The first rain of the day is at 4:38 on the JR Yamanote Line

  • toward Shinjuku

  • Bread trucks make their daily morning runs by 5 a.m.

  • by 5:30 a.m. cleanup crews many of whomare volunteers

  • start sweeping way evidence of the night before

  • There aren't any public trash cans in the area

  • People are expected to take away what they bring in

  • Japan is one of the cleanest countries in the world for a reason

  • By 6am

  • All evidence of party goers from the night before is gone

  • At 6am

  • the sun crests the buildings

  • the workday begins

  • workers make their way to their offices

  • SHIBUYA is a hub for tech and marketing companies

  • although retail shops don't open until 10 or 11 a.m.

  • the crossing is quite busy from 7 in the morning

  • this is HACHIKO scramble. You have 45 seconds from all the pedestrians to cross

  • and it's wild!

  • People are coming from four different directions

  • All colliding right here in the middle! It' like the perfect storm!

  • This is SHIBUYA just a crowded exciting place to be

  • You bump into a lot of people some time

  • When that green light starts to blink like right now, you better cross the street because

  • These cars come fast!

  • SHIBUYA's HACHIKO is one of the most famous places to meet because

  • the "statue"

  • I'm supposed to be meeting my friend YUKI here but seems to be a little late

  • YUKI!

  • How are you?

  • I was just telling everybody how HACHIKO, this area is

  • one of the famous places to meet

  • in all Tokyo right but why?

  • it's lunch time so why don't we grab a bite to eat? I know a great restaurant nearby

  • I'm sorry John, I have another appointment

  • I'll give you a call later. I'm sorry. BYE!

  • Well there goes my lunch date.

  • By noon HACHIKO crossing is packed with people waiting around

  • This is one of the mostfamous meeting point in all of Japan

  • The square is popular with tourists because at the statue of the famous dog,

  • HACHIKO

  • He was a real dog and he's part of the history of SHIBUYA

  • There's a ceramic relief called HACHIKO family on the wall of SHIBUYA station

  • near HACHIKO exit

  • Created in 1990 the family of Akita dog symbolizes the spirit of the square

  • a place to meet those close to you and have fun

  • HACHIKO met his owner at SHIBUYA station every day after work

  • it was a routine

  • After his owner died,

  • He continued to show his loyalty by coming to the station for 9 years

  • until his own death in 1935

  • now you can see HACHIKO

  • stuffed at a museum in nearby UENO

  • To get a bird's eye view of the square

  • check into the SHIBUYA Excel Hotel Tokyu

  • From the fifth floor, you get a nice view of the crossing

  • it's a battle down there

  • if you're a hotel guest go even higher

  • Above it all, the view of the crossing is impressive

  • Everyone's got somewhere to go down there

  • As many as 10,000 people cross the scramble during a traffic light cycle

  • and about a million people a day

  • Up here you can also see things you wouldn't see at street-level.

  • like the Adidas futsal Park constructed just before

  • the 2002 JapanKorea World Cup

  • Bright neon signs.

  • a symbol of this part of Asia

  • flash down onto the square and crossing.

  • It's busier than ever

  • Many indie bands play around the crossing

  • and the vibe is young and electric

  • SHIBUYA is a center for japan's youths and

  • there's always something fun and exciting going on here

  • These college students gave me their point of view

  • SHIBUYA's HACHIKO scramble is the pulse of Tokyo

  • It beats 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

  • so when you come to Japan's capital don't miss a chance to join the crowds

  • and simply,

  • Cross the street

Welcome the HACHIKO's scramble square in front of SHIBUYA station

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