Harajuku
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Harajuku is a common name referring to the area around Tokyo's Harajuku Station, which is between Shinjuku and Shibuya on the Yamanote Line.
Harajuku is known as a center of Japanese youth culture and fashion. Shopping and dining options include many small, youth oriented, independent boutiques and cafes, but the neighborhood also attracts many larger international chain stores with high-end luxury merchandisers extensively represented along Omotesando. |
Harajuku Station
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The broad, tree-lined avenue leading downhill from the southern end of the Harajuku Station is Omotesando Avenue, which is full of famous brand cafes, restaurants and boutiques.
The Avenue stretches from the entrance to the Meiji Shrine, to Aoyama-dori where Omotesando Station can be found. Omotesando caters to those with more adult or at least more expensive tastes, especially as you head towards the Eastern Aoyama end. |
Omotesando Avenue
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For teenagers though, the place to be is Takeshita Street, which is a bustling narrow street several blocks to the north.
It has become a symbol for the teen culture of Harajuku, and is extremely crowded on weekends. Stores on Takeshita Street include major chains, but most of the businesses are small independent shops that carry an array of styles. Lately it's been nudging towards an older age bracket though, and now also caters to angsty teens looking for frilly Victorian "Gothic Lolita" clothing or black lipstick. Takeshita Street is a pedestrian-only street lined with fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants. |
Takeshita Street
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Laforet Harajuku Department Store and Museum is a large building owned by the same company that runs Omotesando Hills, but targeting a decidedly younger audience.
Laforet is known for its big summer bargain sales in July and for striving to be on the cutting edge of fashion by having the exterior of the building constantly remodeled. The Museum on the top floor hosts various events and exhibitions. |
Laforet Harajuku
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Tokyu Plaza Omotesando in Harajuku, with the concept of "Theme Park for Fashion" is one of the newest additions to the district.
It has seven floors of mainly fashion boutiques, along with restaurants and lifestyle stores. In addition, on the sixth floor the facility has a pleasant roof terrace called Omohara no Mori. |
Tokyu Plaza Omotesando
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Standing five stories tall, Omotesando’s Kiddy Land is a unique toy store that offers a wide range of goodies for all ages.
Kiddy Land is one of the famous and popular stores where you will find various cartoon toys, figurines and collectibles. It also caters to adults and supplies personalized accessories such as USB sticks in multiple designs, headphones and phone accessories. They are constantly changing their merchandise to fit the latest lifestyle trends and are always keeping up to date on the latest toys, making it a unique experience every time you shop there. |
Kiddy Land
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Oriental Bazaar a kitschy Tokyo institution for tourists and expats alike, with four floors of shopping stocking everything from kamikaze T-shirts to foreigner-sized kimonos.
Still, this is one of the largest art and antiques store in Tokyo - definitely the easiest way to get your souvenir shopping done. The Bazaar is housed in an instantly recognizable building with a faux-Chinese temple roof. |
Oriental Bazaar
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The stylish shopping complex Omotesando Hills with over 130 shops caters to those "independent, style-conscious urbanites" who couldn't possibly wear anything except the latest fashions or eat chocolates not prepared by a famous Parisian patisserie.
For the rest of us, it's still an interesting browse, and the restaurants on the top floor may be worth a splurge for a light lunch. The structure’s height matches that of the zelkova trees that line the avenue, with six of its 12 stories underground. Inside, it features an elongated central atrium surrounded by a spiraling 700-meter walkway. |
Omotesando Hills
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Yoyogi Koen "Yoyogi Park" is a popular hangout, especially on Sundays; when it is used as a gathering place for people to picnic, play music, practice martial arts and other outdoor activities. The park has a bike path, and bicycle rentals are available.
In the park, you will also find a big beautiful pond and fountains, basketball court, soccer ground and land sports stadium. In springtime, Yoyogi Park is full of cherry blossoms and people partying under the trees. |
Yoyogi Park
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Meiji Shrine built in commemoration of Emperor Meiji in 1920, is Tokyo's grandest shrine. It's large in scale but simple in structure, entered via a winding path and through a giant torii gate.
On summer weekends you have a very good chance of catching a Japanese wedding in progress here; the shrine is also packed on New Year's Eve when people come here to celebrate the New Year. Meiji Shrine is open every day from sunrise to sunset throughout the year, with no admission charges. |
Meiji Shrine
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Yoyogi National Gymnasium is an arena in Yoyogi Park. It was built as the main venue for the Third Asian Games in 1958 and Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 on the grounds of the former Meiji Shrine Gaien Stadium.
It will also host handball competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The arena is now primarily used for ice Hockey, Futsal and Basketball. |
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
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Nezu Museum exhibits the private collection of an industrialist and the founder of Tobu Railway, Nezu Kaichiro "1860-1940".
The museum has a wide collection of Japanese and East Asian art pieces, as well as a Japanese garden outside the building that can be explored. A highly recommended museum to visit especially for those who are interested in tea ceremony and Japanese gardens. It is about 8 minutes’ walk from Exit A5 of Omotesando Station of the Ginza, Hanzomon and Chiyoda subway lines. |
Nezu Museum
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Togo Shrine was built in 1940 and dedicated to Admiral Togo Heihachiro, who defeated the Russian fleet in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905.
This spot is a unique combination of a Shrine, boardwalk, pond, Japanese garden, and a winding wooded path. It is everything you’d want all packed neatly into one place. A small museum and a bookshop dedicated to The Marquis Togo are located within the grounds of the shrine. Togo Shrine is open every day with no admission charges. |
Togo Shrine
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Ota Memorial Museum Of Art – This small, peaceful museum presents rotating exhibitions of Ukiyo-e "Woodblock Prints", collection of the late Mr. Ota Seizo, which comprises of over 10,000 pieces of art.
Woodblock prints are a typically Japanese art form, depicting scenes from the "Floating World" such as theaters and tea-houses, geisha and cherry-blossoms. They were developed during the Edo period from the 1620s, and became popular in western countries after Japan opened to foreign trade in 1867. Exhibits are changed every month. |
Ota Memorial Museum Of Art
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AccessHarajuku Station is on the JR Yamanote Line, between Shinjuku and Shibuya Stations.
A short walk from Harajuku Station is the Meijijingu-mae Subway Station, which is served by the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin Subway Lines. Omotesando Station is served by the Chiyoda, Ginza and Hanzomon Subway Lines. |
Yoyogi Park
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Harajuku - Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
