Shibuya Sees Return of ‘Jibutarians’

Cafes are overcrowded, usually with lengthy strains, and town’s public areas, akin to parks and benches, are being altered to discourage loitering. This has led to the resurgence of the “Jibutarians,” a time period used to explain younger individuals sitting on the bottom in public areas, harking back to comparable scenes from the Nineteen Nineties. As Shibuya turns into much less accommodating for teenagers, these adjustments are elevating questions on the way forward for town’s social ambiance.

One of the crucial noticeable adjustments is the transformation of public seating areas. Benches are being redesigned to stop individuals from sitting for lengthy durations, and their numbers are reducing. This shift is a part of a broader transfer to cut back the variety of younger individuals loitering in public areas, which is seen as a measure to enhance public security. Within the Nineteen Nineties, youth subcultures like “Chimā” and “Kogyaru” had been outstanding in Shibuya, and their presence on the streets was usually criticized. Right this moment, comparable considerations are resurfacing as town adjustments its panorama to push younger individuals away from its industrial heart, forcing them to hunt out much less conspicuous areas akin to Miyashita Park.

On the similar time, Shibuya is evolving right into a enterprise district, pushed by large-scale redevelopment tasks. New mixed-use services, just like the not too long ago opened Shibuya Axsh, mix industrial areas with workplace buildings. This marks a big shift from Shibuya’s previous id as a youth-oriented space to a enterprise heart that pulls firms and professionals. Over the previous decade, a number of new workplace buildings have been constructed round Shibuya Station, additional establishing its function as a key enterprise district in Tokyo. Many now view Shibuya as a spot the place work and leisure coexist, enhancing its enchantment to companies.

Nonetheless, as town turns into extra handy and commercialized, there are considerations that it could lose the youthful vitality that when outlined it. The gradual displacement of younger individuals from Shibuya’s central areas raises questions concerning the metropolis’s future id. Some worry that Shibuya might turn into identified solely as a enterprise district, missing the vibrancy and cultural significance it as soon as held for youthful generations. The continued redevelopment is reshaping not solely the bodily construction of town but in addition its social cloth, prompting reflection on what sort of group Shibuya ought to aspire to be sooner or later.

Supply: ANN