Harajuku is still home to the beautiful and serene Meiji Shrine, the wacky free entertainment of Yoyogi Park, and the ever-changing brand fashion scene, including a growing number of second-hand clothing shops that will amaze you with how pristine used goods are in Japan.
First let’s stop at the Meiji Shrine, which is right next to Harajuku Station. This major shrine is serene and majestic in any season, and is the best place to see Japanese weddings, kimono-clad kids, gorgeous kimonos on Coming-of-Age Day and the pageantry of all the traditional festivals.
Don’t miss taking a stroll through the Nai-en Garden while you’re there, especially if it’s iris season.
It’s a nice walk any time of year, but the best thing I once saw there was a real live tanuki!
•
Right next to the Meiji Shrine is the entrance to all the craziness of Yoyogi Park, which boasts the best free entertainment in Tokyo every Sunday afternoon.
•
Takeshita Street used to be the two-block boutique bonanza for fashion cults, but sadly, those boutiques have closed and the stores now feature Japanese pop fashion instead.
There are still a few reasons to brave the crowd, though…
As we head down Takeshita Street from Harajuku Station, you’ll spot the familiar golden arches on the left, but check out the strange seasonal items on this McDonald’s menu.
Next on the left: the Daiso ¥100 store. Every item inside is just ¥100 and there are four floors of merchandise – everything from crazy costumes to kitchen gadgets to hilarious English phrase books. Good place to find unusual little gifts to bring home.
Good traveler note: taking pictures is a slightly sensitive issue on this street. Don’t take pictures inside stores and be sure to ask permission before shooting anyone dressed in costume.
•
Ahead is where Takeshita Street intersects with the wide, busy street beyond, so let’s turn right. Half a block ahead is the giant intersection with Omotesando Blvd., and on our right is the Laforet store. It looks like a department store, but is really a collection of famous fashion cult boutiques. Before we get there, though, let’s stop at the original stand selling Harajuku crepes. My favorite is custard, whipped cream & chocolate syrup, but as you can see, that’s one of the more modest offerings…
Let’s eat our crepes here in the alley, then meander through the Laforet boutiques. When we’re done, let’s go back outside to that big intersection. We’ll stroll down Omotesando Boulevard and stop at Kiddyland. It used to have a wide selection of toys you couldn’t get outside Japan, but these days Yamashiro-ya in Ueno is a lot better place to check those out. Kiddyland does have special editions of international character goods just for Japan. You haven’t really lived until you’ve seen a video of Pooh and Tigger conversing in Japanese. Plus they carry popular Japanese characters (Totoro, anime characters, Pickle Man, cartoon characters, etc.) and you can still get some weird only-in-Japan stuffies at Kiddyland
Next to Kiddyland is a narrow street called Cat Street. It’s lined with all kinds of trendy boutiques, selling everything from freshly-made caramels to the latest fashions. If we turn left when we see the DKNY store about two blocks down the street, you’ll see a building with Number Sugar on the first floor and a store selling beautiful traditional hand towels (tenugui) upstairs. Both are an excellent source of under-$10 gifts.
If you’re in need of a pick-me-up after all your walking, Nozy Coffee is about two blocks down, on your left, and they pour one of the best artisanal cups in Tokyo.
But the best only-in-Japan version of “foreign” food is at the Micasadeco Cafe on a little side street off of Cat Street. They serve up the Godzilla of pancakes, a ricotta-based version of what’s become known as “souffle pancakes” in Japan. If you go home without tasting these, you will have Regrets.
A few blocks further on, we’ll reach a busy street and a big intersection (Aoyama-dori). Here, Omotesando continues in a narrower vein. This section of the street is home to the wild architecture of the Prada building, several Issey Miyake stores (including the 1235 Store where I bought a skirt that folds down into an origami chrysanthemum), the Yoku Moku cookie store and cafe, and (across from Yoku Moku) a very untraditional concrete structure that houses the Kanze Noh theatre and school. Omotesando dead ends at the bamboo-fronted Nezu Museum, a small museum with a lovely garden and very nicely curated special exhibitions.
•
Get more Japanese goodness straight from the source!
Subscribe to my monthly Japanagram e-magazine・° ♪・☆ It’s free!
Japanese Home Cooking recipes • Beyond Tokyo travel destinations • Seasonal Secret shopping & events • The Thing I Learned Today • Why, Japan, Why? • Monthly book or J-swag giveaway
•
Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 