Photos

Harajuku

Harajuku is a cultural haven for Tokyo's youth, and the streets in Aoyama and Omotesando have a distinct European feel to them.

Harajuku is a collective term for the area that stretches from the south of Sendagaya to Jingumae-machi. On the west side of JR Harajuku Station, there is a wood of the Meiji Shrine that is famous for a Japanese iris field where irises bloom in profusion in the rainy season and a treasury that stores the articles Emperor Meiji cherished in the late 19th century. Nearby Meiji Shrine, there is NHK Broadcasting Center, where visitors can tour through the TV program studios and other exhibits.

The east side of the station is known nationwide as the young people's town in recent years. On Takeshita-dori Street, in particular, since there are a number of shops and some shops are owned by popular personalities, this narrow street is completely packed in weekends with mostly teenagers who want their idol's goods and it is literary impossible to move.

In Omotesando and its adjacent Aoyama, fashion designers began to set up their offices and studios after the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. Since then, more and more fashion stores for adults and fashionable coffee shops and restaurants have been built in this area. Aoyama with its zelkova tree lined avenue has the atmosphere that resemble those in European streets.

You can see more Harajuku pictures here.

(Japan National Tourist Organization)