On June 3, Shibuya Ward submitted to the assembly a draft amendment banning year-round drinking on the streets and parks around Shibuya Station. The amendment doesn’t include penalties for violators, and if passed on May 17, it’s expected to come into force in October.
Shibuya Ward enacted an ordinance in June 2019, limiting the period and area of the city, following a series of problems caused by intoxicated people during Halloween in 2018. However, people who cannot drink in bars due to the pandemic started drinking on the streets, and many foreign tourists and others have recently been seen.
The ward has decided to ban street drinking year-round in the area around Shibuya Station due to increasing problems with litter, noise and obstruction of traffic. In addition to the north side of the station, the ward is also considering adding the area around the ward office, Miyashita Park and the nightclub district of Maruyamacho as prohibited areas, setting the hours from 6pm to 5am the following morning.
