Harajuku (原宿, ) is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular reference Harajuku also encompasses many smaller backstreets such as Takeshita Street and Cat Street spreading between Sendagaya in the north to Shibuya in the south.
Head to Harajuku on a weekend to catch the young and trendy Tokyo crowd! Takeshita dori, the place to find the up-and-coming fashion trends of tomorrow, will be crowded, but a walk is well worth you time.I read an interesting story in Japan Today yesterday about how to deal with your partner be…(215 words)
Emelie Fågelstedt
You may have noticed in your local ramen shop or corner eatery the little automated machine in the back that is pouring beer into mugs like soda gets filled into different cup sizes in a McDonalds. One stark difference in these custom machines is that these machines actually tilt back and forth as …(266 words)
Alex
Harajuku and Yoyogi Park on a Sunday. The Rockabilly Dancers dance to their own beat and it very fun watching them have fun dancing. They play a variety of 50's style Rockabilly style music, both Western and Japanese. They dance so much on the asphalt that they literally wear the soles of their …(155 words)
Kevin
Recently, I went to Harajuku's Takeshita Dori to do some shopping. This is probably one of the hottest spots for Gyaru, where even some of the store employees have the Gyaru make-up and fashion. As the stores are aimed for young Japanese girls, the prices are also reasonable and many stores often h…(134 words)
RieS
Do you like pancake? It is very popular now and many foreign style pancake shops are opened in Japan. Harajuku is famous pancake battleground, you will see many pancake shops especially Hawaiian style, and some have long lines in front of the shops. However, I would like to show you very Japanese …(175 words)
skymaho
In Japan, there is a cute sweets.It is a Japanese sweets named "MA-ME-DAI-FUKU". Do you know?Please try to have on hand. It will be similar to the cute something of the animal.The taste is very delicious.Even on weekdays, it will immediately sold out.Since I lived in harajuku, I a…(90 words)
asteka
The area between Shibuya and Harajuku is Mecca for Japanese "Gyaru," cool young girls. The two places where these girls converge in each location is at 109 in Shibuya and Takeshita Street in Harajuku. 109 is a department store, where many of the most popular Gyaru brands have their prestige shops…(190 words)
mikekato
That is exactly what the sign says, "Nombe Yokocho" - Drunkard's Alley. It is located about a minute from Shibuya Station - almost directly across the street from a police box. It is a small section next to the JR tracks that is filled with bars. Sorry, this photo is taken during the day, when n…(188 words)
mikekato
If you are planning to shop at Omotesando Hills or go to the Oriental Bazaar, Tokyo Union Church is situated just along the main Omotesando road on the left when you have Harajuku ahead of you. This is the church where many expats go and it would be a familiar protestant service for visitors from t…(106 words)
As with many people around the world, Japanese people also love animals and love to own pets. However with limited space and most people living in apartments or small houses, sometimes owning a pet is not allowed or is not an option for those animal lovers.One source of animal happiness people …(396 words)
Alex Kobayashi /Subtokyo
The main intersection of Harajuku, where Meiji Street and Omotesando cross, is surprisingly nondescript. On one corner is a bank, with Jonathan's, a popular family restaurant above it. On another corner is another bank, with a small clothing boutique and a cafe adjacent to it. The third corner i…(415 words)
mikekato
And, as for fashion, how about these new bouncy-wouncy skirts I spotted in the display window at Issey Miyake in Omotesando?!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShCPRlwQeYQ&feature=youtu.beIt is as if your skirt or blouse was on a trampoline! We understand that Issey Miyake is all about the move…(185 words)
Kong
Yoyogi Park in Harajuku near Shibuya almost guaranteed has an event or festival going on during the weekends. Japanese traditional festivals are all well and good, but experiencing more mainstream and modern festivals also provides for a great cultural experience in my opinion.One festival duri…(109 words)
KurtisW
A great cycling course for all skill levels is the length of Inokashira Ave., which runs from Inokashira park in Kichijoji, to Yoyogi park in Harajuku. I always recommend this course for bikers and walkers alike, because it gives you a great idea of the distinct environments of Tokyo suburbia and t…(111 words)
KurtisW
Enjoy an excursion by taking Yamanote Line. You should watch this video before your journey.http://vimeo.com/68420684 Tokyo Loop Line〔東京(Tokyo)-有楽町(Yurakucho)-新橋(Shinbashi)-浜松町(Hamamatsucho)-田町(Tamachi)-品川(Shinagawa)-大崎(Osaki)-五反田(Gotanda)-目黒(Megu…(51 words)
Shinji
Daiso is actually a Hiroshima company that is now in Australia and other countries around Asia as well. However, none of the products are actually made in Japan. Of course it is fun to walk around and see all the cheap Chinese made products, but you can actually find most of the good things they ha…(387 words)
jjwalsh
It's been covered on this site and many otehrs, but Harajuku is the absolute number one area for the typical Japanese fashion scene. Although mostly pertaining to girls' fashion, stylish menswear is also abundant.This site provides some fantastic first-hand, up-close and personal features of th…(78 words)
KurtisW
Ame Yoko Cho is the name of a shopping district located between Ueno and Okachimachi Stations. It's name is a Japanese acronym which has two meanings. The original name is said to mean Candy Store Alley, because the area had many candy and snack stores. The area still has some stores that sell c…(269 words)
mikekato
Furoshiki is known as traditional culture representing Japanese Culture and it can be a great souvenir. Furoshiki can be used not only as a cloth wrapper for special presents but also as a part of your fashion. It's very neat to have your own favorite Furoshiki pattern and/or size. If you are inter…(80 words)
OKAKI-sun
Go out in Shinjuku“If you're in the search for neon lights, head to Shinjuku. Here you'll find more blinking lights, giant advertisement signs, and busy crowds than almost anywhere else in Tokyo. Head out Shinjuku Station's East Exit and walk towards Kabukichō, Tokyo's red-light-district.”R…(353 words)
DeepJapan
Daiso is the most popular 100yen shop in Tokyo.The largest Daiso shop is in Kinshicho town near Tokyo Sky Tree.The shop in Harajuku town is also recommendable with wide variety of products.(34 words)
ko
Streamers Coffee has two locations in the Tokyo area: Harajuku and Shibuya. Streamers has a really friendly staff, trendy atmosphere, and delicious coffee served in large mugs. Bonus: They rock at latte art. http://streamercoffee.com/(36 words)
HillaryB
A nice park in Tokyo I would suggest is Yoyogi park which is actually near everything such as Shibuya and Harajuku. It is a large park with green trees everywhere. It is a nice place to go jogging or even just reading a book on the benches in the shade. It is a very relaxing environment.(56 words)
Jules
Harajuku on Takeshita street has many little stores which sell cute clothing, some you could only really find there. It is exciting to just walk down this street since it is always busy. You will sometimes see t-shirts with designs never seen before.(43 words)
Jules
Traditional Kimono is wide range of the price.If you would like to buy traditional Kimono for you to wear, you can go to the department store such as Mitsukoshi Department Store in Nihongobashi or Shinjyuku Takashimaya Department store. The most of Department store have a Kimono shop and the…(150 words)
yukorose
I visited Yoyogi Park in Tokyo near Harajuku station recently on a Sunday. As I walked through the park, there were numerous street performers. One of my favorites are the street rockers. They dress in black jeans and 50's style with Elvis style hair and ducktail haircuts. They dance to rockabi…(73 words)
Kevin
So covenient location next to Harajuku/Shibuya but, you will find awsome silence and majestic scenery in an authorative shrine.http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/index.html(28 words)
Kamekichi
When you say crepe in Japan, it's basically a type of sweets or desserts. Crepe itself is not much different from ones in other countries, but its fillings are whip cream, ice cream, chocolate, fruit... so sweet and wild.They are originally from Harajuku, Tokyo, and you can easily find them in …(86 words)
ToshiA
Not sure on the exact spelling of "Hatsumode" but it is the first trip to the temple to pray? for the new year...not all Japanese are constant/weekly church/temple visitors but come new year - watch out for the crowds at the temples - especially on the 1st of Jan. I think every Japanese person vi…(83 words)
Mick Lay
Golden Week - that period of many holidays in Japan - is upon us! For some, the long holiday period started on April 29 (Tuesday) and will stretch through Sunday, May 11. A "hearty" few even took April 28th off, giving them 16 days of vacation time with only 7 days of actual vacation days used. Man…(489 words)
Joe Peters