How to reach the SHIBUYA SKY entrance

Where the entrance is

SHIBUYA SKY's entrance and ticket counter are on the 14th floor of Shibuya Scramble Square, the tallest tower in Shibuya, which stands directly over Shibuya Station on its east side. The address is 2-24-12 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku.

You show your ticket at the 14th floor, not at the top. From there the visit takes you up through the building to the 45th and 46th floors and out onto the roof.

The 14th floor is above the shops of Shibuya Scramble Square, and you can get to it from inside the shopping floors as well. But the clearest route, and the one the deck recommends for getting there smoothly, is the dedicated lift from street level.

The dedicated SHIBUYA SKY lift

On the outside of the building at ground level there is a lift that runs to the 14th floor for SHIBUYA SKY. The deck's access page points visitors to it as the smooth way up. It saves wandering through the department-store floors when your window is ticking.

There is also an entry point on the second floor, which connects to the station concourse. The deck notes that the lift does not stop at the second floor on weekends, public holidays and at busy times, so on those days go down to street level and use the first-floor lift.

When you reach the 14th floor, staff and security check bags at the gate. Have the QR code on your phone ready.

The 14th-floor counter

The ticket counter sits beside the entrance gate on the 14th floor and keeps the deck's entry hours, 10:00 to 21:20. You do not need it if you have booked: go straight to the gate with your QR code.

You do need it if you have children aged 11 and under with you. Their tickets are sold only here, on the day, just before entry, and the child has to be present. Under-6s and preschoolers go in free. Buy theirs first, then go through the gate together inside your window.

If your phone is running low, the counter has a ChargeSPOT battery-rental point; you need the ChargeSPOT app to use it. Your ticket is a QR code on your phone, so arrive with some charge.

With a wheelchair or a pushchair

Inside SHIBUYA SKY there are stairs and escalators between some levels, and a priority lift for wheelchair users, people with limited mobility and pushchairs. Ask any member of staff and they will take you to it.

Pushchairs can come in, but on the roof only the deck's own loan pushchairs are allowed. You collect one at the information desk on the 46th floor, and they are limited in number, so a baby carrier is the surer option. With a pushchair the helipad area is off-limits.

Wheelchairs and mobility scooters are welcome, though a few parts of the roof cannot be reached on wheels, and depending on the chair, staff may ask you to move into one of the deck's own for safety.

Arriving with bags

A day bag is fine as far as the 46th floor, where the lockers take it before the roof. Shopping bags from the floors below count as bags too, and go in the locker with everything else.

Suitcases are another matter: SHIBUYA SKY does not let them in. Shibuya Station's coin lockers are the quickest fix, and the deck links to a live map of free ones on its FAQ page. The shibuya-san tourist information centre on the first floor of Shibuya Fukuras stores large bags while it has room, and the Hikarie Conference centre on the 11th floor of Shibuya Hikarie runs a luggage service that must be reserved ahead.

Not the Sky Lobby in Shibuya Hikarie

This is the most common mistake, common enough that the deck warns about it on its access page. Shibuya Hikarie, the tall tower on the other side of the station, has a space called the Sky Lobby on its 11th floor. It is not SHIBUYA SKY.

If you have followed signs to Hikarie, or your map app has taken you to the east side of Miyamasuzaka, you are in the wrong building. Go back towards the station: Shibuya Scramble Square is the glass tower directly over the tracks.

Allow for this if you have never been to Shibuya. Ten minutes in the wrong building can use up half of a 20-minute window.

From the JR lines

Shibuya Station is served by the JR Yamanote Line, the Saikyo Line and the Shonan-Shinjuku Line, among others. From any JR platform, leave by the Central gate or the South gate and head towards the East exit side. Shibuya Scramble Square is directly above.

If you are coming on the Narita Express or from Haneda Airport, Shibuya is on the main JR routes, but give yourself plenty of margin with luggage. Suitcases are not allowed into SHIBUYA SKY at all, so you will need a coin locker or a luggage service first.

From other parts of Tokyo

From Shinjuku, the JR Yamanote Line reaches Shibuya in three stops, via Yoyogi and Harajuku. The Saikyo and Shonan-Shinjuku Lines run the same way with fewer stops. From Harajuku and Meiji Jingu, it is one stop on the Yamanote Line, or a walk along Meiji-dori.

From Ginza, Asakusa or Ueno, the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line runs straight to Shibuya, its terminus. From the Hanzomon Line, Omotesando is one stop away. From Yokohama, the Tokyu Toyoko Line runs direct to Shibuya.

On every route, follow the signs for Shibuya Scramble Square or exit B6 once you arrive. The tower stands over the station, so above ground you can simply look up.

From the airports

From Narita Airport, the JR Narita Express runs to Shibuya, among other Tokyo stations. Airport buses also run from Narita and Haneda to Shibuya.

From Haneda Airport, the usual route is the Keikyu Line to Shinagawa and the JR Yamanote Line from there to Shibuya.

Coming straight from a flight to the deck is possible, but remember that suitcases are not allowed into SHIBUYA SKY. Drop your luggage at your hotel, in a Shibuya Station coin locker, or at the shibuya-san tourist information centre in Shibuya Fukuras, before you go up.

From the Scramble Crossing

If you are already out in Shibuya, near the Hachiko statue or the Scramble Crossing, you are on the west side of the station. Shibuya Scramble Square is on the east side, directly over the tracks, so you need to cross through or around the station.

The simplest way is through the station building itself, following signs for the East exit or for Shibuya Scramble Square. Above ground, the tower is the tallest thing in sight, and its glass top is easy to aim for.

Allow ten to fifteen minutes from the crossing to the 14th floor at busy times. The station concourses are crowded in the evening, exactly when the sunset windows begin.

After your visit

When you are ready to leave, follow the exit route down; there is no re-entry once you are out, so collect everything from your locker on the 46th floor first. The shops and restaurants of Shibuya Scramble Square are below, and the station is directly underneath.

If you are heading on to dinner, the streets around the Scramble Crossing on the west side, Dogenzaka and Center Gai, and the quieter area towards Shibuya Stream on the south side are all within a few minutes' walk.

From the Tokyo Metro and Tokyu lines

Tokyu Toyoko Line and Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line: leave by Shibuya Hikarie gate 1 and turn right, or by Shibuya Hikarie gate 2 and turn left. These lines run deep below the station, so allow time for the escalators.

Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line and Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line: leave by the Miyamasuzaka central gate and turn left.

Tokyo Metro Ginza Line: the Ginza Line runs above ground at Shibuya. Leave by the gate marked for Scramble Square and turn left.

Underground, the exit for Shibuya Scramble Square is numbered B6. If you are lost in the passages, follow signs for B6.

From the Keio Inokashira Line

The Keio Inokashira Line terminates at Shibuya Mark City on the west side of the station. Leave the ticket gates and head towards Shibuya Hikarie; you will cross over the station towards the east side, where Shibuya Scramble Square stands.

This is the longest walk of the station routes. Allow a little more time if you are coming from Shimokitazawa or Kichijoji.

By taxi or car

Shibuya Scramble Square has no car park, no cycle parking and no drop-off bay of its own. The deck points drivers to partner car parks at Shibuya Hikarie, Shibuya Stream, Tokyu Plaza Shibuya and Shibuya Sakura Stage, all nearby.

By taxi, ask for Shibuya Scramble Square and get out as close to the station's east side as traffic allows. In the evening the roads around the station are slow, and the train is usually quicker.

How much time to allow

If you know the station, ten minutes from the platform to the 14th floor is plenty. If you do not, allow twenty, especially at rush hour, on weekends or with children. Arriving early is fine; the shops and cafes of Shibuya Scramble Square are right below the entrance, and the deck asks you to go in during your window, not before it.

Remember what you are carrying. A small bag is fine as far as the 46th floor, where you put it in a locker before the roof. A suitcase is not allowed in at all.

And look at the Scramble Crossing on the way. You will see it again from 229 metres up, and the contrast is half the fun.