End of an era in the heart of Tokyo.

This week, American-born pizza chain Shakey’s had a very sad announcement for its 20 million fans in Japan: the Shakey’s Shibuya Center-Gai branch will be closing on 11 February. This marks the end of a 32-year era for the branch, which first opened its doors at the site in 1993, 20 years after the chain first landed in Japan.

▼ The closure notice (translation follows)

“Shakey’s Shibuya Center-Gai – Closing Information

Thank you for your patronage of the Shakey’s Shibuya Center-Gai store. We would like to express our sincere gratitude.

We appreciate your continued patronage, but due to various circumstances, we will be closing our store on 11 February, 2025 (a national holiday) which will be our last business day.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your patronage and wish you continued good health in the future.

January 20, 2025

Manager of Shakey’s Shibuya Center-Gai Store”

▼ The closure is particularly sad news as this store’s central location made it a popular destination for pizza lovers in Tokyo.

At one time, there used to be two Shakey’s branches in Shibuya — this one and the Shibuya Park Dori Store, which opened in 1975. However, after the Park Dori location closed in 1999, this became the one remaining bastion of the chain in the area, where a lot of pizza lovers like our very own reporter P.K. Sanjun made memories.

▼ P.K. remembers visiting when he was in junior high school, as his father ran a karaoke shop in Shibuya at the time.

About 30 years have passed since P.K.’s first visit to the store, which sits above the Family Mart that once made news after a “nuisance foreigner” climbed up on it.

▼ Shakey’s (“シェーキーズ”) is on the second floor of the building.

Stopping by the store this week for a final farewell, P.K. found it was holding a “Mediterranean Fair“, with paella pizza, kebab pizza, and a tiramisu-style dessert pizza on offer, in addition to the regular menu.

Once this location closes, customers will have no other choice but to head to nearby branches in Kichijoji, Ikebukuro East Exit, and Shinjuku to get their Shakey’s fix.

▼ The new branch in Shinjuku, which opened last year, is pretty awesome.

Some might say the Shinjuku branch, with its impressive salad bar, is even better than the Shibuya Center-Gai branch, so there’s definitely a silver lining to the Shibuya closure.

With the new Shinjuku branch opening after the chain disappeared from that area, P.K. has high hopes that Shakey’s will rise like a phoenix one day in Shibuya too. For now, though, Shakey’s fans in Shibuya will want to stop by for one last meal at the iconic branch before it closes its doors on 11 February.

Restaurant information
Shakey’s Shibuya branch / シェーキーズ 渋谷店
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Udagawa-cho 32-15,
東京都渋谷区宇田川町32-15
Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (11:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. on Wednesdays)
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]