Famed Tokyo street gets bizarre, ridiculous name change

In a marketing move clean out of left field, one of Tokyo’s biggest tourist hot spots has summarily ditched its well-known name in favor of what locals are already condemning as a very bland brand of nothingness.

The location in question is Shibuya’s Center-Gai shopping street -- it’s the one that stretches from the scramble crossing near Hachiko into the messy, smelly heart of Tokyo's so-called “youth” district.

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Known for bars, cheap restaurants and the innovative boutiques that drive much of Tokyo fashion, Center-Gai has long been a "must" stop for first-time Tokyo visitors.

Typically, tourists step out of Shibuya Station's Hachiko exit and immediately stop to gawp at the endless crowds streaming through the scramble crossing into Center-Gai and neighboring streets.

Something’s missing

Now, when visitors come to enjoy the sights and sounds of Shibuya's alterna-punks, made-up schoolgirls and generally bizarre fashion victims, they’ll instead be told to seek out Basketball Street. Huh?

Center-Gai -- as it was until recently known -- is the main line into the heart of Shibuya.

Though it might have opted for a new name more evocative of the area, maybe something like Hachiko Avenue, Fashion Parade or the venerated old name, the local storekeepers’ association's decision to tie itself to an imported, minority sport is a real head-scratcher.

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True, the area's website does lay claim to the nearby Yoyogi National Gymnasium and the headquarters there of the national basketball organization -- known as the BJ League (really).

Still, it’s hard to imagine a more wanton act of marketing hara-kiri.

Which is odd, given the obvious importance of image to the merchants’ body -- still known itself as Shibuya Center-Gai, by the way -- that runs the area.

Dirty, foreigners

Among other factors for the name change, the merchant's association lists “foreigners selling illegal drugs” and Center-Gai’s "unwanted nicknames" of "Dirty Street" and "Scary Street."

We get it. No one outside of tough guys named Harry wants to be called "Dirty" anything.

We’re just not sure rebranding this historic area as Basketball Street, and holding a photo session with cheerleaders, is going to be the marketing slam dunk for the old Center-Gai we know and love.

Tokyo residents seem as confused as us by the name change. A scan of Japanese Twitter brings up comments such as, "It's just tooo tacky," "Gotta be a joke" and "Did they pick this name at four in the morning or something?"

The name change does indeed feel like a desperation shot with the clock running out.