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| Omotesando; the boulevard of designer dreams |
About Harajuku and why you'd wanna go there
Harajuku is one of the main metropolitan cities of Tokyo alongside Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara and Ikebukuro . To outsiders, it's often known as the place where the crazy Japanese fashion spawned from, but this city is famous for a variety of reasons amongst the Japanese . First and foremost it's a good place for youngsters as it has shops for what's currently hot and trending . In general Harajuku actually serves as the fashion and art district of Tokyo and it has a lot of wonderful fashion stores as well as art galleries .
Even though this isn't really said about Harajuku, I also think it's a really good foodie district as well . Walking around Harajuku I saw a lot of familiar and popular franchise from back home such as Max Brenner and Guzman y Gomez . A lot of my students have also told me about popular restaurants such as Eggs n' Things, Cinnabon, Pancake House and various crepe stores that reside in the heart of Harajuku . To be honest when I was walking around Harajuku and found out about all these food stores I couldn't help but feel a little emotional actually haha . Japan in general doesn't have a lot of foreign food outlets apart from the common fast food chains like McDonalds and KFC, and back at home in Sydney one of my favourite things was trying good quality cuisine from various cultures . If you're missing home a bit Harajuku is a good place to visit as it encompasses quite a lot of the trending culture from Japan to the rest of the world . In short, this city has a lot of different charms to it that will definitely give you a day full of things to do !
Harajuku LOVES:
- fashion
- rich people fashion (LOL)
- good food franchises from around the world
- current pop culture
- art and aesthetic
- CREPES
Places to go in Harajuku
Unlike other cities, a city in Tokyo is more than just a city-and Harajuku is no different . This city actually has a lot of train stops and a lot of other famous names attached with it . So just remember, that Harajuku isn't the only name for this big and trendy metropolitan !
Omotesando
Omotesando is what I like to call the 'rich district' XD . It's so rich that it also has its own train station even though Meijingu-mae's station exits is also on this street haha . Originally this is a large boulevard that spans Harajuku with designer fashion and brands . This place was fascinating to me when I first saw it because whenever I saw designer streets they always seemed to be really quiet, which made it kind of scary to just walk around and observe those sorts of places . But Omotesando is a bustling street and just walking and window shopping in itself is fun to do since it's a place that also spills of wonderful aesthetic value .
What most people overlook about Omotesando though is that even though you probably can't afford anything along the boulevard, I think it's a good central place to observing Harajuku . I think the only downside to this place though is since it's the rich boulevard, finding a convenience store is literally next to impossible . Regardless, it's probably what I think the heart of Harajuku city is and takes you to many other interesting places such as...
Meijijingu-mae
The easiest way to describe where Meijijingu-mae is, is that its like the side streets of Omotesando . Located near Meijijingu-mae station (surprise surprise), this area is also riddled with good and diverse food (you know all those food franchises I said before ? Most of them are either located here or on Omotesando) . Meijijingu-mae is the gateway to the artsy culture that Harajuku brings to Tokyo's cities . Meijijingu-mae has serveral side streets that have really cool little fashion boutiques and it is (uncharacteristically of Tokyo,) a very quiet and calm area to walk around . It's around this area that you'll find brands like BAP, Supreme and OBEY . Whether they're real or not though I can't really tell you XD" (I'm pretty sure the real BAP store is located here though) . This place is excellent for street fashion, snap backs, varsities and hella lit shoes lol .
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| one of the ways Meijijingu-mae stores advertise |
Meijijingu-mae is also the place where Design Festa Gallery is, and the way the stores advertise on these small little side streets are really creative . From the outside space to the buildings, the stores located in Meijijingu-mae really embody the concept of Street fashion and Street art (and not in a dangerous might kill your sort of way either, which is always a plus .)
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| An AMAZING Eggs Benedict meal from Eggs n' Things |
Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street)
Conveniently located near Harajuku station, this street is the epitome of foreigner madness and it is always packed . If you like impulse shopping and pop culture though, this place's walk through hell is definitely worth it . What amazed me about Takeshita Street is the fact that whichever pop culture your into, you'll be able to find something you'll want to buy on this street . Whether it's anime, street fashion, cute stuff, K-pop, J-pop, popular characters from Disney to Sesame Street- this place has it all . It's no wonder that it's also the location of the biggest DAISO store, which is a Japanese 100 yen store that sells both outrageously useful and fascinating stuff .
When you hear about what Harajuku's famous food is, people say that it's crepes . Crepes aren't actually located everywhere in Harajuku though but are mainly located on Takeshita Street or near it . I have seen crepes here and there scattered around the other cities; but they are definitely not as decorated as the ones you'll see in Harajuku . I also think Takeshita Street is also like, a lowkey sugar lover central haha . Not only does it have many crepe stores, but it's also the location of Pompompurin cafe, and boasts of big confectionary stores along the street as well . This place is a paradise for buying things you never knew existed or needed haha .
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| And cue, the amazing little desserts offered at Pompompurin cafe . |
Harajuku: The city of current culture
Harajuku pleasantly surprised me as I roamed around it . Originally I only went there for an exhibition, but as I came to the city more I realised there was a lot more to do there than what I had initially thought .
It's an excellent place to gather some creative inspiration especially from an interior and fashion perspective . If you came to Japan to buy stuff because you're a sucker for character culture; this should also be on your list of places to go to . Because it's a big city and people just say HARAJUKU, it's hard to find its charms at first . But once you get to know this city bit by bit, you'll realise that it's a labyrinth of pop culture .
And on that note, what are some things you want to see or do in Harajuku ?
Signing out,
-THE TEACOAST .
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