Top 3 Shibuya Pickup Spots: The Ultimate Guide to Navigating Shibuya’s Famous Pickup Spots!
Shibuya is a city where the air is filled with a welcoming atmosphere for pickups.
It’s scattered with pickup spots, which also means there’s fierce competition. To create this ranking, we focused on evaluating how beginner-friendly each spot is.
We used three criteria to determine the overall recommendation level for each spot:
- Level of Beautiful Women: It’s important to have the target girls you’re interested in, even if there are lots of girls around. In this criterion, we scored how many beautiful women gather in each spot based on various aspects such as age group and style.
- Approachability: Beginners are often concerned about the attention they might attract from others. In this criterion, we scored how approachable each spot is based on its atmosphere and environment.
- Number of Successful Pickup Stories and Reviews: A spot with many success stories is reassuring. In this criterion, we scored the abundance of firsthand experiences and reviews submitted.
1st: HUB Shibuya Center Street Branch
Official URL: https://www.pub-hub.com/index.php/en
HUB, the British-style pub that has gained significant popularity in recent years, takes the first place.
With four branches in Shibuya, each one has its own characteristics, but if you’re looking to do pickups, the Shibuya Center Street branch is highly recommended. It’s an environment where even beginners can approach girls with confidence.
The place is usually crowded, even on weekdays, and it’s so popular that you might end up standing instead of sitting. The high population density makes pickups blend in naturally.
In fact, you might stand out more if you’re not doing pickups. The open space allows freedom of movement, and even if you don’t intend to do pickups, conversations naturally happen in such an environment.
At HUB Shibuya Center Street, you’ll find many young women in their 20s and 30s. They are sociable and cheerful, so if you visit during busy weekends, you’re guaranteed to have successful pickups.
The place is generally crowded on weekends, but it doesn’t get lively until around 10 PM on weekdays. Therefore, if you’re going to do pickups at HUB, aim for after 10 PM. You can even expect to take someone home after the last train.
Once you enter the establishment, secure a chair. By doing so, you can offer a chair to a girl nearby, increasing the chances of her striking up a conversation with you. Depending on the branch, HUB usually operates on a prepaid system where you go to the bar counter to order drinks. If you see a girl you’re interested in, casually strike up a conversation while waiting in line.
If you have a HUB member’s card, you can say something like, “You can get a discount if you use this card, you know?” This card costs 500 yen and is recommended until you get used to pickups.
During peak hours, it can get overcrowded, making it difficult to have a proper conversation. It can also tire out the girls. If you get along with a girl you like, have a drink together and move on to the next spot.
2nd: ATOM TOKYO
Official Website: https://atom-tokyo.com/
When it comes to pickups, clubs are the go-to choice! If you’re doing pickups in Shibuya, ATOM TOKYO is considered the holy land of pickups. Located right in the middle of Dogenzaka, it’s a well-established club where you can enjoy various genres of music. During weekend events, even at 2 AM, there are long queues of gentlemen looking to do pickups.
The cover charge, including one drink, is 1,000 yen from opening until midnight, and 3,500 yen from midnight until closing. By paying around 20,000 yen, you can access the VIP room, but it’s important to note that girls coming to Shibuya clubs are not necessarily seeking wealth. Even without being in the VIP area, pickups are very much possible.
The clientele consists mainly of people in their early to mid-20s, both men and women. You won’t find tough-looking guys or flashy gals. It attracts casual and stylish girls like nurses, childcare workers, beauticians, and those in the fashion industry. There are also many college girls. If you want to capture young women, this spot is highly recommended.
The club has a large floor space with plenty of seating, so unless it’s a weekend event, you’ll be able to sit down. It’s divided into three floors, each with its own music genre, making it easier to groove to your preferred style. Given the size and layout of the club, it’s an ideal space for pickups.
For hot pickups at ATOM TOKYO, aim for around 1 AM after the last train. Many girls who hope to have a great night and potentially take someone home will be there. It’s conveniently located near the love hotel district as well.
During the weekend event “ATOM RAVE,” not only the main floor but all the floors get crowded. The main floor, in particular, becomes as packed as a crowded train, with people tightly squeezed near the DJ booth. In such a situation, conversations naturally arise.
When at ATOM TOKYO, go with a casual and lively approach! Be conscious of having a fun and engaging conversation.
You can even use something like, “Long time no see! Remember me? I’m the pickup master!” as a playful way to interact. Since it’s a club specifically designed for pickups, if you don’t start with an entertaining opener, girls won’t be interested.
Once you’ve made a good connection with a girl, simply move to a seating area. Have a few drinks and leave the club early.
Most likely, they are not there for the music, and they’ll want to leave the noisy club quickly. If you can invite them to a second location, whether it’s an izakaya, bar, or a love hotel, it’s up to your preference.
3rd: Shibuya Nikuyokocho (Chitose Kaikan)
Official Website: https://nikuyokocho.jp/en/
Shibuya Nikuyokocho, which has been featured on various TV programs, is a rapidly rising popular spot. Located in Shibuya’s Center Street, it’s a fascinating place where retro-themed delicious meat dishes are served in a row of shops.
Since its opening in 2010, it has become so popular that it expanded and rebranded in 2016, adding a new floor on the third level. With 26 shops offering meat sushi, shabu-shabu, Italian cuisine, yakitori, beef tongue, and more, it has gained popularity among “meat-loving girls” in their early 20s as both a gourmet spot and a place for encounters.
While the opening and closing times vary by shop, most of them stay open until 5 AM, so even girls who missed the last train often visit. Since this article is not about gourmet food, I won’t go into details about the individual shops but instead focus on explaining pickups at Shibuya Nikuyokocho.
At Shibuya Nikuyokocho, you can start pickups relatively early. By around 8 PM, the whole floor starts to liven up, so you won’t feel out of place starting pickups at that time.
Since the foot traffic doesn’t die down even after the last train, it can be said that this is the spot where you can do pickups for the longest time in Shibuya.
Unlike regular izakayas like Adores Shibuya, Nikuyokocho offers an open space where shops are lined up next to each other.
This proximity and open environment naturally create opportunities for conversations to arise. If you spot a girl you’re interested in, don’t hesitate to approach her right away.
If you feel embarrassed about doing pickups at your seat, there are other approaches you can try. For example, pickups in the elevator!
When entering Shibuya Nikuyokocho, if you find yourself sharing an elevator with a female customer, seize the opportunity and start a conversation. The confined space makes it easy to engage in conversation.
Another recommended method is the restroom pickups. The restrooms at Shibuya Nikuyokocho are designed in such a way that the men’s and women’s restrooms face each other, with a shared washbasin in the middle. This means you will inevitably be alone with a girl.
If you find it difficult to approach girls, try increasing the frequency of restroom visits. It might help you capture their attention.
These were the rankings and strategies for pickups at Shibuya’s pickup spots. When you visit Shibuya, be sure to use this information as a reference and enjoy wonderful encounters!
