Guide to Shimokitazawa


2017.03.29

NAVITIME TRAVEL EDITOR

Guide to Shimokitazawa
  • Boasting countercultural activities in small theaters and live music clubs, being a pedestrian-friendly area abundant in vintage clothing stores, coffee shops and small family-run restaurants, one could say that “Shimokita” is definitely human and genuine – a breath of fresh air against the artificial that persistently engulfs the Japanese capital.

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    A New York Times story in 2009 called the “pulsing neighborhood” the “Tokyo’s answer to Greenwich Village, an epicenter of youth culture in one of Asia’s trendiest metropolises.” No wonder the area is loved by the Japanese youth.

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Tokyoites joke that it is a hipster and hippie ghetto, but Shimokita is way more than that. In September 2014, Vogue magazine (renowned worldwide for fashion and cosmetics) made a list of the “Fifteen Coolest Neighborhoods in the World.” Guess who got first place? According to Vogue, “the area has all the nuance and niche of pop Japanese culture, without the neon and the frenzy. Keep an eye out for quirkily curated vintage shops.” Its fashionistas buyers’ style are also a sight to behold, although way more sober than Harajuku cosplayers and alike.

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    If you are around Shinjuku and Shibuya stations – two of the largest Tokyo terminals – Shimokitazawa is reachable within less than 10 minutes. And it is definitely worth a day trip. Shimokitazawa Station is an intersection of the Odakyu line (from Shinjuku) and Keio Inokashira Line (from Shibuya).

    Located within the Setagaya Ward, compared to European or American standards the area (originally a farming village) is not historically old. But even so its development was not planned – a natural disaster and the World War II dramatically shaped it. First, it developed as a residential district following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Thousands of people left the eastern part of Tokyo, which was heavily affected, to suburban areas in the west, including Shimokita.

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    According to a paper published by Keiro Hattori of Meiji Gakuin University in 2011, “Setagaya Mura Village, a municipality that Shimokitazawa belonged at the time, had seen the population growth from 13,054 in 1920 to 73,310 in 1930.” Such fast expansion explains the “organic street alignment” of the area. The narrow streets with a lot of cul-de-sacs, few traffic signals and almost non-existent crossing configuration was conserved because the Odakyu and Keio Inokashira lines were already working by 1933. Simply put, good auto access for the roads simply was not necessary.

    Shimokita’s commercial development boomed after the World War II. By a stroke of luck, the area was not affected by the American bombings, with the streets in the vicinity of the main station becoming a black market for daily necessities, constantly visited by Tokyoites from all over the city. But Shimokita was still not trendy.

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

  • Masami Kobayashi, a Meiji University Professor, published a paper in 2007 explaining that the area started to become “the heart of the youth countercultural” in the 1970’s. Students migrated from Shinjuku attracted by cultural activities. Shimokita “became increasingly known as a gateway for young and as yet unknown artists, musicians and actors, similar to the young talent that matures Off Broadway, and developed into a base for the nurturing of young people who sought to give expression to their dreams and spread their culture nationwide.”

    The turning point to Bohemian coolness was the music festival “Shimokitazawa Ongakusai” in 1979. It reportedly attracted more than 4000 people. After that, small live music clubs started popping up in the neighborhood. Three years later, the theater “Honda Gekijo” was established, also inspiring the opening of smaller theaters. By the late 1980s, Shimokita started to establish its youthful fame. “And the image of the neighborhood, whether it reflected the reality or not was in question, has been created,” writes Hattori in his 2011 paper.

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Shimokita’s charming and somewhat decadent atmosphere still persists even with urban redevelopment hitting its door. For instance, a 26-meter wide road construction project greenlit by the government is already on its way, potentially changing the area’s urban fabric forever. But this is not to say that big chains are starting to replace traditional retail stores and restaurants.

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Guide to Shimokitazawa

    Will it be still the same by the 2020 Olympics? Some of its residents have already lost hope. But maybe this is what makes Shimokitazawa more unique than ever. Even while weathering the effects of rampant real estate speculation, its liberal vibe and human scale should be hailed and enjoyed while possible.


    Posts by Felipe Pontes

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