Trendy Harajuku

At Omotesando Street

View Photos (9) Image © 2007 Puspa Malar

Harajuku refers to the area around Tokyo's Harajuku Station, one station north of Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. The area is actually in between Shinjuku and Shibuya. The area has two main shopping streets – Omotesando and Takeshita-dori.

Takeshita-dori is a narrow street opposite the Harajuku Station, which in fact is also the central point of Harajuku’s teenage culture. The street is lined up with many trendy shops selling teenage clothings and accessories, adult clothes too, fast food and snacks. This place is always crowded, especially after school, with teenagers hanging out together in fast food outlets and clothes shops. There’s also a Daiso Harajuku 100 Yen Shop here. It’s a five-storey building with a wide range of products which include kitchen items, decorative items, souvenirs, clothes, stationery and electronic gadgets. I love shopping here for souvenirs – they sell Japanese dolls made of papier mache that many of my friends at home find attractive. They also have a large array of plastic containers, from big to small, rectangular, square, round, comes in various sizes. I found them useful since they were cheap and I could use them to store food during my six-months stay in Tokyo.

Omotesando is a broad, tree-lined avenue leading downhill from the Harajuku Station. Both sides of the street are lined up with boutiques, cafes and salons. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dunhill, Prada and Jimmy Choo are among the few top brands found here. It also houses the Omotesando Hills, a huge shopping complex which was opened in February 2006. This mall has further enhanced Harajuku as a fashion and shopping haven of Tokyo.

Published on 12/26/07