Harajuku contains Tokyo’s most densely packed youth fashion street, the city’s most beautiful tree-lined boulevard, and Japan’s most visited Shinto shrine. The three are five minutes apart.
Harajuku is one of Tokyo’s most visited neighbourhoods and one of its most misrepresented. Most coverage focuses exclusively on Takeshita Street, the youth fashion alley that represents one specific and genuinely distinctive element of the area. The full Harajuku picture is more varied: the grand Omotesando boulevard running south, Meiji Shrine in the forested park to the north, and the quieter Ura-Harajuku backstreets that have the most interesting independent fashion culture.
Getting to Harajuku
- JR Yamanote Line: Harajuku Station. The original station building is a distinctive Tudor-style wooden structure from 1924. 4 minutes from Shinjuku, 6 minutes from Shibuya.
- Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line: Meiji-jingumae Station, directly adjacent to the Takeshita Street entrance.
Meiji Shrine
Dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, Meiji Shrine sits in a 70-hectare forested park immediately behind Harajuku Station. The approach path runs through one of the few remaining forested corridors in central Tokyo, lined with ancient camphor trees and the famous sake-barrel and wine-barrel walls, free entry, open from sunrise to sunset.
The main shrine precinct has the inner garden, the treasure museum, and the main worship hall. Meiji Shrine averages 3 million visitors at the New Year alone, making it the most visited Shinto shrine in Japan. On ordinary days, the forested walk is peaceful, and the contrast with the Takeshita Street crowd five minutes away is complete.
Takeshita Street
The 350-meter pedestrianized street running from Harajuku Station into the neighbourhood is one of the most concentrated retail environments in Tokyo. Youth fashion boutiques, accessories shops, second-hand clothing, and the crepe stands that have operated here since the 1970s are packed into shops averaging about 3 metres wide.
The crowd on weekends is extraordinary in its density. Shopping is best for: Harajuku-style accessories and fashion items, creative sweet foods (cotton candy shapes, character crepes, rainbow waffles), and the most concentrated cultural observation of Japanese youth fashion. Come with low shopping expectations and high curiosity, and the experience is worthwhile.
Omotesando
Walk south from Harajuku Station along Omotesando, the tree-lined boulevard connecting Harajuku to Aoyama. The zelkova trees form an overhead avenue, and the boulevard is flanked by flagship stores for every major international luxury brand, as well as several of Japan’s finest architecturally designed retail buildings: the Prada building by Herzog and de Meuron, Omotesando Hills by Tadao Ando, and Tod’s by Toyo Ito.
Omotesando is one of Tokyo’s finest streets for architecture watching. The quality of retail design is consistently high. Coffee at one of the independent cafes in the Omotesando Hills basement or on the side streets is a good afternoon slow-down after the Takeshita crowd.
Ura-Harajuku (Cat Street)
The backstreets between Takeshita and Omotesando, known as Ura-Harajuku or Cat Street, have the most interesting independent fashion culture in the area. Vintage clothing shops, independent Japanese designers, and the kind of small boutiques that define Tokyo’s creative fashion scene without the Takeshita commercial density. Best browsed on foot with no particular destination in mind.
Combining Harajuku with Shibuya
Harajuku and Shibuya are 6 minutes apart by Yamanote or 15 minutes on foot via Omotesando and Daikanyama. A natural full-day itinerary: Meiji Shrine morning, Omotesando and Harajuku afternoon, Daikanyama/Nakameguro/Shibuya evening. See the Shibuya guide for the southern continuation.
