Shibuya, a mammoth hub where nine rail lines ... In 1934, Tōkyū opened the Tōkyū Department Store (later renamed the Tōyoko branch; it would remain open until 2020), attached to the station ...

Shibuya is a valley and the station was built at the bottom of it in 1920. At first, this was not a problem as the only lines passing through were the JR Yamanote line and a local streetcar service.