Wherever you go in the world, chances are you’ll be able to find a McDonald’s. Some branches are greater than others, though, and in Japan, one branch worth visiting is the one in Shibuya’s Center-gai, according to users on the English-language forum Reddit.
Our reporter Seiji Nakazawa recently learned about the branch’s popularity with foreign visitors after reading the comments on Reddit, when a photo taken on the second floor of the restaurant attracted attention from other users.
The photo appeared with the caption, “View in McDonald’s, Shibuya, Japan“, and while it was a nice photo, Seiji couldn’t quite understand why it had attracted so much attention. To him it was an ordinary Shibuya street, after all, so to find out if it felt more impressive in real life, he headed down to Center-gai to see it for himself.
Center-gai is a busy thoroughfare located just off the famous Shibuya scramble crossing, which has become a tourist hotspot over the years. While it’s become quite common for tourists to take photos from the Starbucks that overlooks the intersection, tourists wanting to share a different view of Shibuya on their socials will no doubt appreciate the different outlook at McDonald’s, because from up there on the second floor (the ground floor is known as the first floor in Japan), you’ll see..
▼ …this view.
If he’s being honest, when Seiji plonked himself in a seat in front of the window, he didn’t see what all the fuss was about. This was the same spot and the same view as the photo on Reddit that had everyone swooning over Japan, but for him, this was just an ordinary view of a street in Tokyo.
Checking Reddit again to see what made it so appealing, he re-read the comments:
“Looks like you live in Blade Runner.”
“All you need is some flying cars and huge chimneys in the background belching fire and we in Blade Runner yo.”
“Looks like Cyberpunk vibes.”
“It’s just Cyberpunk”
“Looks like the entrance to the side street that Vic and Misty are on in Cyberpunk 2077. That just happens to also have a McDonald’s. I love it!”
“I’ve also played Cyberpunk.”
Judging from the comments, the reason for the excitement was because the scenery resembled something out of a cyberpunk fantasy world. It’s true that Japanese neon signs are often a feature of these cyberpunk worlds, and looking around him, there was a giant cluster of them in this area.
However, Seiji isn’t a fan of cyberpunk films like "Blade Runner," so he still didn’t get it. However, after leaving the store and walking the streets of Shibuya in the rain, he looked up, and that’s when he felt it.
▼ Shibuya really did look like a sci-fi world.
The low clouds shrouded the nearby skyscrapers, and the misty evening added to the otherworldly atmosphere. Even the 109 building looked like it had leapt out from a film or video game.
Seiji always tends to look down at the ground on rainy days when he’s sheltering beneath his umbrella, but on this evening in Shibuya, he was reminded of the beauty in stopping to look up. This was the moment when his perception changed, as if he’d taken the red pill in "The Matrix," and it’s all thanks to the users on Reddit…and the journey that began at McDonald’s.
If you too would like to take the red pill and open your eyes to the real Shibuya, a seat at the McDonald’s in Center-gai will definitely help you get there.
Restaurant information
McDonald’s Shibuya Center-gai /マクドナルド 渋谷センター街店
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Udagawacho28-15
東京都渋谷区宇田川町28－15
Photos ©SoraNews24
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2023/09/16/mcdonalds-at-shibuya-center-gai-becomes-a-hotspot-for-foreign-tourists-but-not-for-the-food/
22 Comments
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Moonraker
Seeing as Blade Runner was about the search for humanity and authenticity in the midst of nerdy artificiality, technological dystopia and indifference, it seems appropriate.
gcFd1
Wherever you go in the world, chances are you’ll be able to find a McDonald’s. Some branches are greater than others, though, and in Japan, one branch worth visiting is the one in Shibuya’s Center-gai, according to users on the English-language forum Reddit.
I'll be sure to follow the masses and stumble in there on Halloween.
Furby
When your Japanese boss tells you to write an article
dagon
Tokyo was the inspiration for the cyberpunk aesthetic of Blade Runner.
News at 1982.
Paustovsky
Perhaps the view from McDonalds in Luton might give Seiji some perspective. It could be charitably described as dystopian.
PerformingMonkey
Looks nothing like Blade Runner, and Blade Runner looked nothing like Japan.
tamanegi
SoraNews.
Mr Kipling
That particular branch used to be a hot spot for "enjo-kosai" often called "compensated dating" in English; which sounds much nicer than teenage prostitution.
kohakuebisu
Weak, but I suppose it's in Shibuya and you at least get a burger. It is also a space open to the public, and beats tourists going into office buildings and the like that actually have much better views of Tokyo. Photographers will know many candidates for this.
It also appeals to me more than riding a train out of Tokyo to take a photo at the train crossing by the sea while angry locals try to get past you in their car.
MarkX
It is just another, "hey look how great Japan looks/is!" It is to get a group of foreigners who are stuck in Manga and anime land to come and experience the real Blade Runner place.
WA4TKG
It IS just another McDonald's seat in Japan, for HIM / (us)...but all these other people don't LIVE here
(I've sat there before, years ago, lol).
rcch
Today 07:21 am JST “ What a bizarre article.
It's as if there was nothing else to write about in the world, so someone decided to commission that. “
(Those were) My thoughts…; this could well be from the year two thousand. Outdated.
Yes, yes, we (already) know that “Japan is so cool/different/unique/interesting” and that millions of people wanna feel what it’s like to be in Japan…, that’s basically what this article is saying…; but who am I to judge — I love cyberpunk, those views are… yes, cool… and Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies so… okay.
CuteUsagi
Why are there girls wearing loose socks in the photos? How old are some of these pictures?
commanteer
Loose socks are back in style, as retro fashion. Gotta stay on top of these things.
CuteUsagi
@Commanteer. I disagree. They are definitely not back in style at all. I will try to retrieve meta tags on the photo datta.
Mr Kipling
CuteUsagi...
I think back in style is too strong but I have seen them being worn recently. Apparently they make you legs look thinner. I think they just look daft.
gokai_wo_maneku
Just a detail, but I would translate 渋谷センター街 as "Shibuya Center Street" rather than "Shibuya Center-gai". I don't think that "gai" would be understood.
餓死鬼
The photos used don’t quite convey the mood and atmosphere being described in the article. Perhaps what Seiji actually felt was that double cheeseburger and teriyaki burger coming back to haunt him after a particularly rough week of SoraNews food reports. Looking up is usually a good thing though. Well done on remembering to look up once in a while.
TokyoLiving
I love you freak Japan, please never change...
commanteer
Cute Usagi- They are, because I have noticed and had a conversation about them coming back (with a woman in the fashion trade no less).
Regarding meta tags, it is much easier to look at the picture and notice the Rugby World Cup 2023 banners hanging over the street, the "n.SSign debut" ad for an album that came out out this month, and probably several other clues I missed that indicate the picture is recent.