Thirteen Dishes Behind the Crossing, Starting at Hachiko

Thirteen dishes at three places in three hours, with ten people at most, in the streets behind Shibuya rather than in it.

You meet at the Seven Eleven near the station, opposite Tokyu Plaza, and start with the two things everybody comes for anyway. The Shibuya scramble is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world and moves up to three thousand people at a time. The bronze dog beside the station is Hachiko, who came to meet his owner off the train every evening and kept coming for nine years after the man died at work and never arrived.

Then the tour turns away from all that. Dōgenzaka, the slope behind the station, holds some of the most stubbornly local izakayas in central Tokyo, and Center-gai is where the crowd actually eats. Three eateries, thirteen dishes, and food and drink included.

The guide handles the ordering and fills in the history and the culture between courses, and can advise on the rest of your stay while you are sitting there.

Guided in English or Japanese. Alcohol only for guests of twenty and over. Tell them about allergies or dietary restrictions in advance. Some venues are in basements or upstairs with no lift, so wheelchair users should consider this before booking; guides cannot assist physically. It ends in Shibuya and the guide will walk you back to the station.