A Comparison of Akihabara and Shibuya: Surprising Similarities

Updated September 07, 2021(Published August 24, 2021)

Akihabara and Shibuya,

both are famous towns, but they are completely different in color.

But I found out something interesting when I compared them.

AKIBA and SHIBUYA… they’re totally different!

地理オタくん

Well, well…

They are completely different, but they also have some unexpected things in common!

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Both Akihabara station and Shibuya station are huge terminal stations!

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They both have huge terminal stations!

Top ranking in terms of number of passengers by station!

Looking at the number of passengers by station in 2019,

JR Akihabara Station averaged 248,033 passengers per day (the 9th largest station in JR East area).
JR Shibuya Station averaged 366,128 passengers per day (the 6th largest station in JR East area).

Both of the stations have a lot of users, and they’re right up there in the rankings!

Shibuya station is amazing, but Akihabara station has so many people using it too!

Number of Passengers at each Station in 2019, JR East Official Website https://www.jreast.co.jp/passenger/index.html

How many transit lines are there?

Let’s take a look at the transit lines at each station.

Below are the 5 lines in Akihabara station.

JR Yamanote Line
JR Keihin Tohoku Line
JR Sobu Line
Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
Tsukuba Express

Below are the 10 lines in Shibuya station.

JR Yamanote Line
JR Saikyo Line
JR Shonan Shinjuku Line (2 lines)
Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line
Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line
Keio Inokashira Line
Tokyu Toyoko Line
Tokyu Denentoshi Line

Both of the stations are served by famous JR, subway, and private rail lines!

Look at it this way then you will find that

Akihabara Station is from Ibaraki and Chiba.

Shibuya Station is from Tokyo and Kanagawa.

Both stations serve as GATEWAY TO THE CITY CENTER from various areas.

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Actually, Akihabara station is as big a terminal station as Shibuya station!

Town of UNIQUE PEOPLE!

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Akihabara has OTAKUs and Shibuya has GALs.

They’re both towns full of unique people!

OTAKU in Akihabara

After the war, Akihabara developed as an electric town, attracting OTAKU who like electronic parts and computers.

Derived from this, it is now also home to OTAKU who love anime and games.

The unique fashion has become famous as Otaku fashion (Akiba series).

GAL in Shibuya

Shibuya opened its doors to the public in 1973 with the opening of Shibuya PARCO, and has since developed into a TOWN for YOUNG PEOPLE that is at the forefront of fashion.

Young women, especially those sensitive to fashion trends, flocked to the area.

From the 1990s, people called GAL characterized by heavy make-up and flamboyant fashion, gathered in Shibuya,

and people called KOGAL and YAMANBA GAL were born there too.

Even today, it has become a town where young people who are sensitive to fashion trends gather.

The reason why so many unique people come together is that both cities have such fascinating cultures!

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Although the two cities are different in type, they are similar in that they are both cultural centers for young people.

There are STREETS where lots of people gather!

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Both towns have STREETS where lots of people gather!

Akihabara’s PEDESTRIAN PARADISE

In Akihabara, it’s a pedestrian paradise on Chuo-dori.

The area from near Tokyo Metro Suehirocho Station to the Mansebashi intersection becomes a pedestrian paradise every Sunday.

Pedestrian Paradise in Akihabara

Shibuya’s SCRAMBLE CROSSING

In Shibuya, it’s a scramble crossing.

This intersection is located in front of Shibuya station and is said to be the MOST FAMOUS INTERSECTION in the WORLD.

New Year’s Eve, the Soccer World Cup, and Halloween attract a lot of young people.

Shibuya’s SCRAMBLE CROSSING

They’re both STREETS, but there’re a lot of people coming together, and a new culture being born from that!

There are landmark buildings!

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Yodobashi Akiba and SHIBUYA109,

both Akihabara and Shibuya have landmark buildings!

Yodobashi Akiba in Akihabara

Yodobashi Akiba is located right off Akihabara station, and the huge building with its prominent billboard for home appliance is a landmark of Akihabara.

The building houses not only Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Akiba, a home appliance store, but also restaurants, cafes, bookstores, and clothing stores.

Official Website of Yodobashi Akiba　http://www.yodobashi-akiba.com/

If you are going to Yodobashi Akiba, please also read the following articles!

【2022年最新】仕事帰りにヨドバシAkibaで軽く一杯するならココ、10選！

Shibuya109

SHIBUYA109 is also located right after getting off at Shibuya station, and its silvery cylindrical building is a landmark of Shibuya.

The building houses apparel stores for girls in their late teens to early twenties.

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In fact, “109” holds a lot of events in collaboration with content for girls in their teens and twenties~

I have the impression that the goods sales and special gachas attract a lot of female otaku~

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Surprisingly, otaku are also flocking to Shibuya! I guess that is because otaku is becoming more common~

Official Website of SHIBUYA109　http://www.shibuya109.co.jp/

Yodobashi Akiba represents HOME APPLIANCE and 109 represents FASHION.

They both have PRODUCTS that symbolize the city!

Some of the best shrines in the city!

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Kanda Myojin Shrine is in Akihabara and Meiji Shrine is in Shibuya.

Both of them have big shrines, not in the street, but a bit out of the way!

Kanda Myojin Shrine in Akihabara

Kanda Myojin is located a 7-minute walk from Akihabara.

The shrine has a history of 1,300 years and enshrines Ohnamuchi-no-mikoto(Daikoku-sama), Sukunahikona-no-mikoto (Ebisu-sama), and Taira-no-Masakado-no-mikoto (Masakado-sama).

During the Edo period, the shrine was regarded as the Edo’s main shrine, protecting the entire city.

Meiji Shrine in Shibuya

Meiji Shrine is located a 15-minute walk from Shibuya Station. It was built in 1920 and enshrines Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. It boasts the largest number of visitors to the shrine for Hatsumode (the first Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year) every year in Japan.

They’re both famous shrines in Tokyo, and they’re also popular Hatsumode spots!

Both have a lot of foreign tourists!

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Both of these places rank high on the list of popular tourist destinations for foreign visitors!

From the data on foreign visitors in 2019, Shibuya (43.4%) and Akihabara (37.6%) were the fourth and fifth most visited places, respectively.

Shibuya came in fourth (43.4%) and Akihabara fifth (37.6%).

Summary of Results of 2019 Survey on Behavioral Characteristics of Foreign Tourists by Country/Region, compiled by Tokyo Metropolitan Government
https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/tosei/hodohappyo/press/2020/06/25/documents/08_01.pdf

Both are good matches!

By country/region,
Akihabara and Shibuya were ranked in the top 10 places visited.

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I guess that means both towns have their own tourist attractions!

Conclusions

Common features of Akihabara and Shibuya are

・Both have huge terminal stations (Akihabara station and Shibuya station).

・Both are towns where unique people like OTAKUs and GALs gather.

・There are places where people gather, such as pedestrian paradise and scramble crossing.

・There are landmarks such as Yodobashi Akiba and SHIBUYA109, which sell products (electronics and fashion) that symbolize the city.

・There are large shrines in the outskirts of the town (Kanda Myojin Shrine and Meiji Shrine).

・Both are ranked high in terms of the number of foreign tourists.

Akihabara and Shibuya, I thought they were completely different,

but they have more in common than you might think.

I’m starting to feel closer to Shibuya!

Okay! I’m going to Shibuya!

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I don’t think you should go dressed like that…

The End

References

Number of Passengers at each Station 2019 Best 100: JR East
https://www.jreast.co.jp/passenger/index.html

YUKISAKI NAVI Akihabara station / Shibuya station
https://www.homemate-research-station.com/dtl/46000000000000002352/rosenlist/46001/
https://www.homemate-research-station.com/dtl/46000000000000002575/rosenlist/46001/

GAL from Wikipedia
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AE%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AB

Akihabara Electric Town Promotion Association, Pedestrian Paradise
https://akiba.or.jp/pedestrianzone

Official Website of Yodobashi Akiba
http://www.yodobashi-akiba.com/index.html

Official Website of SHIBUYA109
https://www.shibuya109.jp/

Official Website of Kanda Myojin Shrine
https://www.kandamyoujin.or.jp/profile/

Official Website of Meiji Shrine
https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/about/