Hulic to redevelop Hands Shibuya site into hotel after 2026 closure
- Adam German
- May 28
- 2 min read
Hulic is planning to redevelop the Hands Shibuya store site into a hotel after the landmark retail property closes in November 2026.
The plan would replace one of Shibuya’s best-known specialty retail stores with a hotel-led development in one of Tokyo’s most visited commercial districts.
Hands Co., Ltd. announced on May 25, 2026, that its Shibuya store will close in November 2026 due to the expiration of its lease agreement.
HotelBank reported that Hulic plans to open a high-end hotel under THE GATE HOTEL brand on the site. The hotel is expected to open in or after 2030.
The current Hands Shibuya store opened on September 9, 1978.
The store has long been one of the district’s most recognizable retail landmarks.
Hands said the store has served customers from Japan and overseas for nearly half a century.
The Shibuya location is also known for its unusual multi-level layout, with 24 floors connected by 408 stairs.
Photo by Adam German.
HotelBank reported that Hulic acquired the land and building in 2013.
After the Hands lease ends, the existing building is expected to be demolished and replaced with a new hotel-led property.
The redevelopment site covers approximately 1,800 square meters in Udagawacho, near the center of Shibuya.
The lower floors are expected to include commercial space, creating a mixed-use format that combines hotel guests, shoppers and local foot traffic.
The plan highlights how Shibuya’s commercial core is changing.
For decades, large-format stores helped define Shibuya’s identity as one of Tokyo’s leading shopping and youth-culture districts.
That identity is now being reshaped.
Hotels, restaurants, nightlife, entertainment and higher-value visitor spending are becoming more important to the area’s real estate strategy.
HotelBank described the Hands redevelopment as part of a wider concentration of luxury and upper-tier hotel projects around Shibuya from 2027 into the 2030s.
Other projects include TRUNK(HOTEL) DOGENZAKA, planned for the Dogenzaka 2-chome South District redevelopment.
The House Collective, a luxury hotel brand operated by Swire Hotels, is also planned for the former Tokyu Department Store flagship site.
For Hulic, the former Hands Shibuya site is expected to become part of a broader hotel growth strategy.
HotelBank reported that Hulic aims to expand its hotel portfolio to around 11 buildings and approximately 1,700 rooms by around 2033.
The Shibuya project is expected to be one of the key developments in that plan.
The former Hands site is especially significant because of what it represents.
This is not a quiet backstreet parcel being converted into a hotel. It is a highly visible retail landmark in one of Tokyo’s most famous districts.
If completed as planned, the project would become one of the clearest examples of Shibuya’s shift from traditional retail toward tourism-oriented urban development.
A site once associated with browsing, tools, lifestyle goods and hands-on shopping would be repositioned around overnight stays, visitor spending and hotel-led mixed use.
Further Reading:
Hands Co., Ltd. - Notice of Closure of Hands Shibuya Store (Japanese only)
