Harajuku

What to know

Harajuku (原宿) refers to the area around Tokyo's Harajuku Station, located between Shinjuku and Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. It is the epicenter of Japan's most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles, but also offers shopping for adults and some historical sites worth visiting.

The focal point of Harajuku's teenage culture is Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street) and its side streets, lined with trendy shops, fashion boutiques, second-hand clothing stores, crepe stands, and fast food outlets geared toward fashion- and trend-conscious teens.

Just south of Takeshita Dori and more than twice its length is Omotesando, a broad, tree-lined avenue sometimes called Tokyo's Champs-Élysées. Here you'll find famous brand-name shops, cafes, and restaurants for a more adult clientele. The stylish Omotesando Hills complex opened in 2006 and targets fashion-conscious urbanites in their 30s and 40s, while Kiddy Land offers hundreds of unique toys for kids of all ages.

Harajuku is not only about teenage culture and shopping. Meiji Jingu, one of Tokyo's major shrines, is located just west of the railway tracks in a large green oasis shared with the spacious Yoyogi Park. Beautiful ukiyo-e paintings are exhibited in the small Ota Memorial Museum of Art, and the Nezu Museum has an impressive collection of various Asian art as well as a traditional Japanese garden.

Harajuku Station is a station on the JR Yamanote Line, two stations south of Shinjuku and one station north of Shibuya (160 yen from either station).

Only a short walk from Harajuku Station is the subway station Meijijingu-mae Station, served by the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin subway lines. At the eastern end of Omotesando is Omotesando Station, served by the Chiyoda, Ginza, and Hanzomon subway lines.