Harajuku

See more Squares, Streets & Urban Spaces. See best of Tokyo in Japan.

‘Harajuku FRUiTS’

Harajuku is a mecca for the craziest of Japanese youth style and personal expression. Walking through is like being at a fancy dress party, expect to see geishas next to spacemen next to punks next to goths next to people wrapped in tin foil next to people dressed as anime or super hero characters, next to 50‘s throwbacks and rockabilly dancers.

The area known as Harajuku is centred around Harajuku Station, the two main shopping streets are Omotesando and Takeshita-dori. Omotesando has more expensive big label boutiques while Takeshita-dori has the smaller niche stores supplying the clothes you'll walking the streets.

Sundays are when the best outfits come out, costume play or cosplay, where people dress as a particular character is most obvious then.

For a preview of what you could see check out FRUiTS magazine.

Guide to Harajuku

3 / 5 Review by editor Worldreviewer

‘Harajuku’

Harajuku has become an extreme fashion style and culture hotspot for teens in Japan. The area, centered around the Harajuku train station and Takeshita-dori street, offers revolutionary fashion in many trendy shops, fashion boutiques, and secondhand stores. This is like nothing else in the world!

Although recognizable designer Louis Vuitton has a shop here, many other individual stores and complexes also call Harajuku home. Daiso Harajuku is one of the biggest 100 yen shops in Tokyo, offering everything from kitchenware and stationary to unique clothing and specialized foods. Laforest Harajuku is a trend setting shopping complex, focused on young women, with many little boutiques and fashionable shops. On the top floor, Laforest hosts exibitions and events. Also here is Tokyo's most famous toy store- Kiddyland. Major brands like Disney, Barbie, and Hello Kitty are sold here, as well as any other toy, stuffed animal and electronic game that could make any kid's dream come true. Omotesando Hills is a gorgeously-designed new mall that has upscale, Harajuku style shops and beauty salons, restaurants and cafes.

To fully experience the fashion statement, it is best to see the Harajuku teens conjugated together, most often on Sundays, outside the station. They engage in costume play, trying to resemble characters from their favorite anime, punk rock groups, etc.

Shop for: Women's clothing, accessories, alternative styles

Cafe stop: The Elephant Cafe/ Wired (for free wifi access)

Get here: Harajuku station on the Yamanote line

Review by contributing editor Mary Kate Alfieri