Come 8 p.m., the nationalist black vans blaring polemics around Hachiko square outside JR Shibuya Station give way to an equally noisy, but far more friendly soundtrack.

Six djembe players, two of whom sport dreadlocks and Bob Marley goatees, thump out African beats. In another corner, dozens of teenage girls crowd around the singalong folk-pop of four-piece band Mychronical. The girls jump and punch their fists skyward at points in songs that only a faithful groupie could possibly know. Meanwhile, the members of dance quintet Falfyu spin and jump their carefully choreographed moves to the accompaniment of a frantic version of "Ave Maria."

The space around Hachiko, which is a stone's throw from a police box, has long been a favored spot for Tokyo's street performers, some of whom haul in power generators, guitars, drum kits and, on occasion, several dozen groupies in an attempt to generate their own buzz.