To describe the newly opened Shibuya Modi in a few words, it's a kind of 'smart mall' – a place where you can get pretty much anything you want in one place. It has everything from clothing to coffee to decor stores to karaoke – you know, just in case you feel like belting out a few tunes in between browsing. Want to know more? Here are our five top reasons to love the new complex:
1. The return of HMV
HMV had long been a staple of Shibuya before closing its doors five years ago. Finally, it's reopened as HMV & Books Tokyo, a three-floor CD/DVD and book superstore. The 5th floor stocks travel guidebooks, recipe books, music and movies, while the 7th floor has enough anime, J-pop and gadgets to satisfy serious Japanophiles.
2. Café overload
When we visited, one of the first things we noticed is the number of cafés. On the B1 floor, you'll find a travel-themed café run by travel agency H.I.S. which serves the excellent brews by Sarutahiko Coffee. On the 4th floor lies the largest Starbucks in Shibuya, a monster café with 118 seats, while further up on the 6th floor is Streamer Espresso, whose owner once won the title of Free Pour Latte Art Champion in the World Latte Art Championship.
3. New restaurants
Shibuya Modi is home to new restaurants as well as cuisines not found anywhere else in Japan. For starters there's Pieface, an import from Australia, which serves just what its name implies – little pies with faces on them. Then there's Pizzeria Spontini, which also recently opened a branch in Cascade Harajuku and is known for serving large (by Japanese standards) 50cm-wide pizzas. But our favourite spot has to be Gumbo&, the rooftop oyster bar where you can enjoy an open-terraced oyster feast for around ¥3,000. Be sure to try their beautiful-looking oyster shooters.
4. Custom-made kimonos
The Yard is possibly the most modern kimono store we've ever seen. The interior design, the fabrics used and even the store concept are super contemporary, and the tailors here create easy-to-wear, custom-made kimonos that won’t max out your credit card. In addition to kimonos, they also sell accessories from the not-so-Japanese-sounding Japanese brands Hender Scheme and Minä Perhonen.
5. Unique karaoke
With a Brooklyn-inspired aesthetic, Karaoke Rainbow features artistic decor and light-up walls. They have VIP rooms and even an in-house recording studio. Handy for musos who might suddenly get a flash of inspiration while browsing around HMV. Don't you love it when a plan comes together?
For Shibuya Modi map and contact details, click here.