HarajukuHarajuku from Wikitravel.
For the young and fashionable teenager, spending time in Harajuku (原宿) on the weekends is practically a necessity. Even older folks will want to visit the area, though, to see Meiji Jingu shrine and Yoyogi Park.
See
If it's Harajuku's youth culture you want to see, don't even bother unless it's a Sunday. Each group stakes out its territory around Yoyogi Park (代々木公園 Yoyogi-kōen).
* The bridge across the train tracks is full of teenagers dressed up as Gothic Lolita and other extreme Japanese youth fashions. Besides just hanging out with friends, many come here to be snapped by one of the many magazine photographers who mingle.
* Over by the entrance to the park, people with greasy hair listen to rockabilly music and dance in their vintage jeans. This subculture has been around for twenty years now.
* The sidewalks along the south side are usually occupied by junk vendors and loud rock bands. Both of these groups periodically get swept away by police crack-downs, though.
* The tree-lined area leading from the south end of the park to Shibuya is filled with all sorts of street performers, mostly folk-pop singers, but also including hip-hop dancing and street theater.
Do
Walking tour: Harajuku to Shibuya
An interesting and recommended walk will let you experience Harajuku and Shibuya, and all of the trendy places in between.
Starting from the Takeshita entrance (竹下口) of JR Harajuku station, walk straight away from the station down Takeshita-dori (竹下道り), where you will almost certainly run into the mingling pedestrian crowds. When you reach the first major crossroad, Meiji-dori (明治道り), turn right. When you reach Omote-sandō, turn left. Here you will enjoy the tree-lined streets and pass by stores with some of the latest in fashion, and perhaps, as this author experienced, pass by a large open-air banquet area where a loudspeaker declares someone man and wife, and lets the whole world know about it.
When you reach Aoyama-Dori (青山道り), turn right, and you will pass United Nations University on your right, and Aoyama Gakuin University on your left, before continuing down and finishing up at Shibuya's world-famous pedestrian crossing.
Allow yourself approximately two hours for this walk.
Buy
Takeshita-dōri (竹下通り), north of Omote-Sando starting from the Takeshita exit of JR Harajuku, is Tokyo's preteen haven guaranteed to fill any adult's Hello Kitty quota in milliseconds. Lately it's been nudging towards an older age bracket though, and now also caters to angsty teens looking for frilly Victorian Goth clothing or black lipstick.
Omote-sandō (表参道) caters to those with more adult or at least more expensive tastes, especially as you head towards the eastern Aoyama end.
* Condomania, [1]. In a tiny triangular building at the intersection of Omote-sando and Meiji-dori, this specializes in exactly what you'd think.
* Omotesando Hills, 4-12-10 Jingumae, [2]. Designed by Takao Ando and built by Mori Building of Roppongi Hills fame, this is a super-chic shopping mall that caters to those "independent, style-conscious urbanites" (to quote the site) who couldn't possibly wear anything except the latest fashions or eat chocolates not prepared by a famous Parisian patissier. For the rest of us, it's still an interesting browse, and the restaurants on the top floor may be worth a splurge for a light lunch.
* Oriental Bazaar, 5-9-13 Jingu-mae. A kitchy Tokyo institution for tourists and expats alike, with four floors of shopping stocking everything from kamikaze T-shirts to gaijin-sized kimonos. Still, this is definitely the easiest way to get your souvenir shopping done. The Bazaar is housed in an instantly recognizable building with a faux-Chinese temple roof.
Eat
Omote-sando has occasionally been dubbed the Champs-Elysées of Tokyo, which is true at least for the general price level of the trendy cafes and eateries along the road.
The must-eat item of Takeshita-dori is the Harajuku crêpe. It's a treat of a fresh-made crêpe rolled into a cone and stuffed mostly with whipped cream and other goodies such as strawberries, chocolate, even whole slices of cheesecake. Just stroll down the street and you will see four or five different shops. Most flavors cost less than ¥500.
Please see Wikitravel link of
Harajuku.
Inside of PAUL Yaesu PCP
Canelé
Harajuku
Tenka-ippin「天下一品」 and HardRock cafe
Ramen
Gyoza
SO TIRED
Beer and Yakisoba-Bread
Thunder gate "Kaminari-mon"
Oldest roller coaster in Japan. "Hanayashiki playland"
Oldest and famouns bar in Asakusa. "Kamiya Bar"
