Tokyo/Harajuku
From World travel guide
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.
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Understand
The broad, tree-lined avenue leading downhill from the southern end of the JR station is Omote-sandō (表参道), which leads to the upscale Aoyama district. The street is full of cafes and clothing stores. For teenagers, though, the place to be is Takeshita-dori, which is a bustling narrow street several blocks to the north.
Get in
By train
JR Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line is the obvious way to get to Harajuku. The station is very conveniently located next to both the entrance to Meiji Jingu and the beginning of Omote-Sando.
By subway
Despite the name, the Chiyoda subway line Meiji-jingu-mae station is in Harajuku. The station is a little further down Omote-sando, but the subway is better than JR for getting here from central Tokyo. Naturally enough, Omotesando interchange is also on Omote-sando, and you can reach this via the Metro Ginza and Hanzomon lines as well.
On foot
Harajuku is only 15 minutes away from Shibuya by foot, just follow the train tracks along Koen-dori from Hachiko. If you have more time, see the suggested walking tour below.
See
Youth culture
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 goths, decked out in black leather and white lace, with white painted faces. Besides just hanging out with friends, many of them come with the hope of being 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.
Shrines
Meiji Jingū (明治神宮), built in commemoration of Emperor Meiji in 1920, is Tokyo's grandest shrine. Like all of Japan's major shrines, it's large in scale but simple in structure, entered via a winding path and through a giant torii gate. On summer weekends you have a very good chance of catching a Japanese wedding in progress here; the shrine is also packed on New Year's Eve when people come here to celebrate the new year. Free entrance.
In springtime, Yoyogi Park is full of cherry blossoms and people partying under the trees.
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. Omote-sando caters to those with more adult or at least more expensive tastes, especially as you head towards the eastern Aoyama end.
- Oriental Bazaar (5-9-13 Jingu-mae) is 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.
- Condomania, in a tiny triangular building at the intersection of Omote-sando and Meiji-dori, specializes in exactly what you'd think.
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 crepe. It's a treat of a fresh-made crepe 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.
Budget
- Shakey's Pizza 6-1-10 Jingumae. Shakey's Pizza has an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for ¥750 daily except Sunday. If you've never had seaweed, pickled ginger or fruit salad in your pizza, this is the place to try it.
- Tenya (てんや), the fast-food tempura chain, has an outlet on Meiji-dori just to the north of the Meiji-dori/Omote-sando intersection. ¥500 for a bowl.
- Kebab Box J 1-8-8 Jingumae (on Meiji-dori between Takeshita-dori and Omote-sando), 03-3470-0706. 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM. Whereas most doner kebabs in Tokyo are served out of a van, Kebab Box J's store is firmly attached to the ground. Friendly staff wears cowboy hats. Chicken or beef kebabs, ¥500.
Splurge
- Restaurant Kinoshita 3-37-1 Yoyogi Shibuya-ku (northwest side of Yoyogi Park; Odakyu Sangubashi station or JR Yoyogi station) 03-3376-5336. 12:00 to 2:00 PM, 6:00 to 9:00 PM, closed Mon and third Tues. Kinoshita makes eating French food in Japan justifiable. Some say that with its underpriced menu, dinner courses for ¥3800-¥7000, and weekday lunches for ¥1800, this restaurant is the best kept secret in Tokyo. But in fact it is popular, and reservations are mandatory. Menu in French and Japanese.
- Fonda de la Madrugada, 2-33-12 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, 03-5410-6288, [1]. Mon-Thu Sun 5:30 PM to 2:00 AM, Fri Sat 5:30 PM to 5:00 AM. Located in a cavernous basement, Fonda de la Madrugada is regarded as one of the best Mexican food restaurants in Tokyo. Menu in English, Spanish and Japanese. Expect to pay around ¥5000 per person for meal, drinks and the 10% service charge.
Drink
- Binimaru, 2-31-7 Jingumae Shibuya-ku (10 min. walk from JR Harajuku station's Takeshita exit), 03-5411-1209, [2] (in Japanese). 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM, closed Sun. Nice selection of Belgian bottled beers, all are available in 750 mL bottles, good for sharing with a friend. ¥1000-1200 for single serving bottle, around ¥2000 for 750 mL bottle.
External links
- Map of Shibuya including Harajuku (Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau]
