Shibuya Nightlife Guide seeks to keep the party going, but off the street.

As has become tradition, Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward recently put out a warning against anyone thinking about wild partying on the neighborhood’s streets at Halloween. This is part of an effort to clean up Shibuya’s image following a period of regular late-October bedlam which saddled it with a trashy, lawless reputation that was becoming an embarrassment at a time when the ward was also trying to promote itself as a premier Tokyo destination for international travelers.

But just because Shibuya Ward doesn’t want people getting drunk and going nuts in the streets doesn’t mean they expect everyone to go home once the sun goes down. Just the opposite, in fact, as there’s an ongoing project to promote nightlife venues in the area, and right now there’s even an official Shibuya Nightlife Guide information desk ready to help foreign tourists find a club, bar, or other after-dark entertainment option that’s just right for them.

The Shibuya Nightlife Guide is an information desk run by the Shibuya Tourism Association. In addition to providing periodically updated maps of nightlife spots in the area, the desk is staffed with bilingual advisors who can give recommendations, in Japanese or English, about what each venue has to offer, and even that night’s specific events and programs.

The Shibuya Night Map, which is also English/Japanese bilingual, groups its entries into a number of categories, and while public drinking may be banned in Shibuya, one of the categories focuses on bars and restaurants with their own signature cocktails. For those on the other end of the alcohol enthusiasm spectrum, there are also alcohol-free recommendations, such as a list of restaurants which have earned the Shibuya Dish Award for their delicious dinnertime food.

The Shibuya Nightlife Guide information desk isn’t a permanent facility, and had its first iteration back in February. The desk is open once again now, though, to coincide with the Shibuya Nightlife Festival promotional period, and will be in operation until October 13. Its new home is right outside the Shibuya Prime Building, on the ground floor and connected to the A0 exit of Shibuya Station, and it’s open daily from 6 to 10 p.m.

▼ Shibuya Prime is right next to the Shibuya 109 shopping center tower and houses the local Uniqlo branch.

In addition, two satellite Shibuya Nightlife Guide information desks will be in operation at the reception desks of hotels All Day Place Shibuya and LYF Shibuya Tokyo.

▼ All Day Place Shibuya

▼ LYF Shibuya Tokyo

▼ Oh, and if you’re wondering what the Shibuya Nightlife Festival’s logo is supposed to be, it’s a combination of a smiley face and the katakana character “shi,” as in “Shibuya.”

Even before the Halloween street parties got started, Shibuya was already known as a nightlife neighborhood. Hopefully projects like the Shibuya Nightlife Guide will let it keep that part of its character while limiting the number of people whose good times come at the expense of others’ annoyance.

Source: PR Times, Shibuya Tourism Association
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Shibuya Tourism Association, PR Times
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