Shinagawa(Tourism)

Around Shinagawa Station

Wing Takanawa is an excellent shopping center to the west of Shinagawa Station. Also, the Shinagawa Prince Cinema at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel is an high class movie multiplex that has one of the few Imax screens in Japan.

Sengakuji Temple

This temple was founded in 1612 and is most famous for being where the location where the 47 Ronin were buried. Take the Toei Asakusa Line to Sengakuji Station as it is a long walk from Shinagawa Station.

Shimbamba Station Area

One stop south of Shinagawa Station on Keihin's Kyuko Line is Shimbamba Station. The Shinagwa Shrine, Ebara Shrine and the first post town of the Tokaido Road, Shinagawa-syuku, are located around this station.

 

 

 

 

Shinagawa Aqua Stadium

The centerpiece of Epson Shinagawa Aqua Stadium is the large circular arena where dolphins, their trainers and performers put on high energy aquatic shows. Beside this and the sea lion stadium, there is a penguin exhibit, an underwater tunnel and a number of smaller tanks.
Shinagawa Aqua Stadium is located at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in front of Shinagawa Station. It is part of a larger entertainment complex with four rides, a concert hall and restaurants.

Dolphin Show

The dolphin show is the highlight of Shinagawa Aqua Stadium. It is best described as a water based circus with no bears in tutus. The seats wrap all around the stadium and, so, every seat has a good view of the action. The front rows are likely to get splashed which is played up for all its worth and more before the show.
The human performers do their best to excite the crowd before and during the show. The show itself is a combination of dolphin leaps and singing. It's clearly aimed at a young audience but it is still embarrassingly good fun to clap along.

Sea Lion Show

The sea lion show takes place at a smaller stadium on a smaller rectangular raised stage with a small pool in front. It is slower paced and has more in common with other aquarium shows than the other show. The two sea lions are remarkably well trained and pull off a crowd pleasing set of tricks on their trainers.

Review

For aquarium lovers, the glass is half full if you like shows. Shinagawa Aqua Stadium makes no attempt to educate. If you are looking to find out about Tokyo's aquatic wildlife then you are better off with Tokyo Sea Life Park or Shinagawa Aquarium.
In fact, if you're not interested in shows then the aquarium portions don't have enough value to justify the ticket price. In fact, on busy days, the aquarium portion can end up becoming a waiting room for the sea lion show if you don't get in before the seats fill up. But, from the perspective of a kid, I can't think of any reasons not to be thrilled to be going here.

Getting There

Shinagawa Aqua Stadium is in front of Shinagawa Station at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. From the station, exit through the west (Takawa) exit and cross the street. There are numerous signs.
Shinagawa Station is on JR East's Yamanote Line and Keihin-Touhoku Line. It is the terminus for Keikyu's trains that go to Haneda Airport.

Shinagawa Aquarium

Shinagawa Aquarium is fair distance south of Shinagawa Station on Keihin's Kyuko Line and is one of the three full featured aquariums in the Tokyo area. The aquarium was opened in October, 1991 and has since expanded by opening a penguin exhibit, shark tank and seal building.

Shinagawa Aquarium is one of the three full featured aquariums in the Tokyo area. As the name suggests, it is in Shinagawa but, instead of being in the area most tourist will associate with Shinagawa, it is south along the coast towards Haneda Airport from JR Shinagawa Station. It is in a corner of a pleasant but overly paved park beside the ocean.

The aquarium was opened in October, 1991 and has established a tradition of opening a new section for every 5 year anniversary. Penguin land was opened in August 1996 and was followed by the shark tank in 2001 and the seal observation building in 2006.

Tour

The first sections of the aquarium deal with the native fish of Tokyo Bay. Sadly, the displays might be a more natural environment for the fish than where they were scooped up from. There is a surprising diversity of fish out in the bay that most people in Tokyo would never encounter if it weren't for these displays.

Most of the displays are medium or smaller sized when compared with other aquariums in Japan. The underwater tunnel through the large tank is still as impressive as when the aquarium opened. The tank holds a astonishing menagerie of aquatic creatures. Similarly, the rain-forest tank holds almost as much fish as it does water. Feeding time at the later tank is not to be missed. The giant sedate monsters come to life and snap up the food the second it hits the water.

The final sections that contain the 5 year anniversary additions are some of the best parts of Shinagawa Aquarium. The spotted seal observation building is probably the best exhibit in the aquarium. The shark tank is a bit understated but watching the shark swim by a more than once takes a brave and fascinated mind. The penguin exhibit is present but not really that special.
Shinagawa Aquarium has one of the two "wet" stages in Tokyo. Dolphin and sea lion shows are put on throughout the day. The other stage is at the Epson Aqua Stadium near Shinagawa Station. It cost more and has only a few other tanks.

Review

To put it bluntly, Shinagawa Aquarium's displays range widely in quality. This varying standard diversity is matched only by the variety of aquatic life in the aquarium. There are plenty of unique tanks (including a very popular touch pool) that aren't to be missed at the Shinagawa Aquarium. Oddly, the restaurant is located outside of the aquarium which decreases its appeal.
There are newer, larger and more innovative aquariums in Japan but except for Tokyo Sea Life Park they aren't anywhere near Tokyo. Shinagawa Aquarium is well worth seeing for those in the Tokyo region.

Getting There

Of the two train lines that run along the coast south of Tokyo, Keihin runs the one with the closest stop (Omori-Kaigan Station) to Shinagawa Aquarium. Keihin's line only connects from Shinagawa Station to Haneda Airport so you'll have to change trains at Shinagawa Station if you're coming from somewhere else in Tokyo. JR Omori Station on the Keihin-Tohoku Line is a 15 minute walk and the other is only 8 minutes away.
A free shuttle bus operates between JR Oimachi Station and Shinagawa Aquarium. This is a major train line intersection between Shinagawa station and the aquarium. The buses are at 15 minute intervals at peak times and departs from the number 6 bus stop. The bus ride takes about 15 minutes.
A water taxi from Hinode Pier goes to Shinagawa Aquarium. One way combo tickets can be bought at both sides. This route does not operate when the aquarium is closed.
The parking lot is on the expensive side (100 yen for 20 minutes) and may be full during peak times. If you drive, approach from the south to enter. There are maps on the website but are only in Japanese.

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Shinagawa

Skyscrapers in Shinagawa

Shinagawa (品川区, Shinagawa-ku?) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Shinagawa City. The ward is home to nine embassies.

As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 344,461 and a density of 15,740 persons per km². The total area is 22.72 km².

Shinagawa house boats with high rise apartments in the background

Shinagawa (品川) is one of 23 special wards of Tokyo. The area around Shinagawa Station is generally thought of as Shinagwa, however, it is not actually in the modern Shinagawa City. It was the first post town on the ancient Tokaido Road from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Shinagawa has a number of attractions and historic sights but is mainly a business district. It is a popular place to stay because of its proximity to Haneda Airport and to other major districts of Tokyo. A number of high class hotels like that Shinagawa Prince Hotel are located around the station.
Embassies for Iceland, Brunei and other countries are located to the south west of Shinagawa Station.

Japan Airlines headquarters in Tennōzu Isle, Shinagawa

Getting There

JR Shinagawa Station is stopped at by trains on the Yamanote, Yokosuka and Keihin-Tokohoku Lines. It is the southern most station where the Keihin-Tokohoku Line runs parallel to the Yamanote Line.
JR Shinagawa Station is stopped at by most Tokaido Shinkansens. Note that during peak travel times that it is much easier to get a non-reserved seat from Tokyo Station if you are traveling west.
Keihin Railway's Kyuko Line runs from Shinagawa Station to Haneda Airport. Their station is located besides the JR station on the west side. Transfer tickets can be bought inside each of the stations to move directly between the two.

Exterior of Shinagawa Station in Minato

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Tourism (Shibuya)

TEPCO Electric Energy Museum
TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) is a large electric utility which operates around 190 power plants (many of which are around Tokyo area). This excellent outreach center and showroom to the north of Shibuya Station is aimed at kids and is mostly in Japanese but there are a surprising number of interesting, detailed and high-tech exhibits. Open from 10:00 to 18:00 and admission is free. Closed on Wednesday or the day after if it is a holiday.



Hachiko Statue
The fable of Hackiko, the loyal dog who returned to Shibuya Station in the late 1920s and early 1930s every day to wait for his dear departed master, is commemorated with a statue outside the station. The story was told to countless school children as moral lesson on loyalty in Japan. The dogs loyalty is disputed (it may have been for the free handouts), but, he did help popularize and save the native Akita breed of dog from dying out.
The statue is a popular meeting place and there are always many people waiting around at the statue. Well, almost always, people do sleep and work in Tokyo, too.



NHK Studio Park

The venerable Japanese public broadcaster, NHK, has its headquarters in Shibuya and NHK Studio Park is probably the cheapest major attraction in Tokyo. NHK Studio Park allows both kids and adults to become part of some of NHK's most popular shows.
NHK Studio Park is a 12 minute walk north of Shibuya Station or south from Harajuku Station. Open from 10 to 6. Admission is free for children, 150 yen for high school students and 200 yen for adults.

Tobacco and Salt Museum

The Tobacco and Salt Museum is run by Japan Tobacco which once held a monopoly on both products in Japan. Japan has no salt mines so people had to harvest salt from the sea until recently. This quirky museum is recommend by many Tokyo guides and is a short walk from Shibuya Station.

Harajuku

Harajuku has been regarded for many years as the place where many of Japan's nascent youth trends will emerge. Famous places in Harajuku include Yoyogi Park and the Meiji Shrine.

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Shibuya

Shibuya crossing at night

Shibuya (渋谷) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. The area north west of Shibuya Station emerged as a major fashion district for youth during the 1980s and it has remained so ever since. During the weekend, the sidewalks become saturated with young shoppers. It is often said that in front of Shibuya Station is one of the world's busiest pedestrian crossing.

Shibuya's raw popularity comes from its status as a major train junction (two private railways, two subways and many JR lines). Shibuya Station is the 2nd most popular station in Tokyo.
The literal translation of Shibuya is "bitter valley." Based on the number of software company offices, Shibuya is the 3rd most popular city in the computer industry in Japan. It is sometimes called "bit valley" because of this.
Shibuya is south of Harajuku (another popular part of Shibuya Ward with young people) and Shinjuku. Unless noted otherwise, all attractions on this page are on the west side (Hachiko exit) of Shinjuku Station.

Yoyogi Park

Getting There

JR Shibuya Station is on the Yamanote Line which makes it easy to reach from most parts of Tokyo. Some express trains stop at the newer southern platform which is a fair distance from the main Hachiko exit.
The Keio Inokashira Line and Tokyu Toyoko Line both terminate at Shibuya.
By subway, two different Shibuya Stations for the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Hanzomon Line are located just north of JR Shibuya Station.

 Meiji Shrine

Shopping

Apple Store

Apple's second Tokyo store opened Aug. 6, 2005 and is the second store in Japan to include a spiral glass staircase. The store is worth a look for the staircase alone. It is smaller than its Ginza Store with only two floors.

Bunkamura

Bunkamura (culture village) is a posh entertainment complex owned by the Tokyu department store chain. It is located next to Tokyu Hands on the north west edge of Shibuya's shopping district. The main entertainment venues are the Orchard Hall and the Theater Cocoon. The supporting restaurants, cinemas, books stores and other boutique shops like Swarovski all add to the atmosphere of elegance and class.

Shibuya Mark City

Shibuya Mark City are the twin towers in an east-west line that stand above Tokyu's bus terminal, the Ginza Line and Keio's Inokashira Line. The buildings opened in 2000 and its shopping is aimed at young women. The towers have an hotel (408 rooms), mall (mostly east tower), office space, restaurants and many cafes. Shibuya-FM broadcasts from the building.

Marui (Oioi)

The department store Marui has two stores in Shibuya. Marui City and Marui Jam are both a short walk directly north of Shibuya Station down the main road.

Seibu Stores

Seibu runs a large department store in front of Shibuya Station and multiple other buildings.

Loft
Loft is part of Seibu and was designed to go after Tokyu Hands. Loft emphasizes stylish goods and is bit more up-market than its competition.

Parco

Parco is a boutique mall that is geared towards young adult fashion shopping. The Parco buildings in Shibuya are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, SR6, Studio Parco, UP's-4, Quattro and Zero Gate.

Spain Slope

Spain street is a small narrow and windy street that leads up to the Parco stores. Reputedly, it gets the name because it resembles a spanish street. Many restuarants, cafes and boutique shops are located along the street.

Tokyu Stores

Tokyu has two department stores in Shibuya on top of their other stores. The first is above Shibuya Station and the other is a 10 minute walk north-west of the station besides Bunkamura.

Shibuya 109

The iconic Shibuya 109 building (pronounced Shibuya ichi-maru-kyu) is where you'll find the latest in fashion. It is one of the first major buildings you'll see in Shibuya. It's name could also be pronounced Tokyu which tells you who owns it.

Tokyu Hands

The self-proclaimed "creative life store" has everything you need for daily living except groceries. It has everything from pots and pans to games and costumes. Cheaper deals on some of its goods can be found if you look around but, for convenience and selection, it's hard to beat Tokyu Hands.

Tower Records

The world's biggest Tower Records is a few minutes walk north of Shibuya Station. The 7th floor is devoted to foreign books and magazines. Open daily from 10 to 11.

 Yoyogi National Gymnasium

 Omotesandō

 Shibuya station (JR Line)

 Shibuya station (Tōyōko Line)

 Shuto Expressway No.3 Shibuya Route

 NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building

 Shibuya 109 at dusk

 Aoyama Gakuin University

 Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium

 Yoyogi park

 Harajuku station

 Omotesando Hills

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