Harajuku and Omotesando represent two faces of Tokyo fashion culture that coexist within a few hundred meters of each other: the street-level youth fashion explosion of Takeshita Street, and the grand zelkova-shaded boulevard of Omotesando lined with architectural flagship stores by the world’s top luxury brands. Together they form one of Tokyo’s most rewarding and visually distinctive walking districts.
Harajuku Station & Takeshita Street
Harajuku Station
Harajuku’s original wooden station building (1924) — one of Tokyo’s last surviving prewar station structures — was replaced in 2020 with a new modern building, disappointing preservationists. The original wooden station is preserved as a storage facility adjacent to the new building. The new station is directly next to Meiji Shrine’s outer gate and opens toward both Takeshita Street and Omotesando.
Takeshita Street (竹下通り)
Takeshita Street is 350 meters of concentrated youth fashion, snack food, and subcultural expression — one of the world’s densest commercial streets per square meter. The street averages 1.5 meters in width in places, packed on weekends with teenagers and tourists from every country. The shops change rapidly (vintage one year, lolita the next, streetwear after that) but the energy and self-expression remain constant. Notable permanent presences include Laforet Harajuku (the anchor department store at the Omotesando end with curated youth and avant-garde fashion floors) and the rotating cast of crepe stands, candy floss towers, and rainbow cotton candy vendors.
Harajuku Fashion Subcultures
Harajuku’s fashion scene has generated distinct subcultures since the 1980s:
- Lolita fashion: Elaborate Victorian-doll inspired dress with multiple petticoats, bonnets, and ruffles. Multiple sub-styles: sweet, gothic, classic, wa-lolita (Japanese-influenced).
- Visual Kei: Dramatic rock-band-derived aesthetic with elaborate hair, dark makeup, and theatrical clothing. Less prevalent in public than previously but still active in the music scene.
- Decora: Maximum colorful accessory layering — dozens of hair clips, bracelets, and plastic charms simultaneously.
- Contemporary streetwear: The current dominant aesthetic — Japanese interpretations of global streetwear with distinctive silhouette and quality sensibility.
Meiji Shrine (明治神宮)
Immediately adjacent to Harajuku Station, Meiji Shrine is set within 70 hectares of forested land — an extraordinary woodland sanctuary within the city, planted entirely when the shrine was created in 1920 to enshrine Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The forest of 100,000 trees from across Japan was designed to become self-sustaining without human maintenance; 100 years later it has largely achieved this. The main approach (1.5 km from the outer torii to the main shrine) through towering cypress trees is one of Tokyo’s most meditative walks. Free entry; open from dawn to dusk. Tokyo’s most visited shrine; receives approximately 3 million visitors for New Year’s first three days alone.
Omotesando (表参道)
Omotesando (“front approach”) was originally designed as the formal approach avenue to Meiji Shrine; today it is Tokyo’s most architecturally distinguished commercial boulevard — a broad, zelkova-tree-lined avenue 1 km long where the world’s most celebrated architects have built flagship stores in a deliberate showcase of contemporary architecture.
Architectural Landmarks on Omotesando
- Prada Aoyama (Herzog & de Meuron, 2003): The crystalline glass-bubble tower at the base of Omotesando — one of the most discussed commercial buildings of its era.
- Louis Vuitton Omotesando (Jun Aoki, 2002): Stacked trunk motif facade; the building’s design references the LV monogram pattern in its perforated metal panels.
- Tod’s Omotesando (Toyo Ito, 2004): Intersecting tree-branch concrete structure inspired by the zelkova trees outside.
- Omotesando Hills (Tadao Ando, 2006): The major Omotesando shopping complex by Japan’s leading architect; a spiral ramp descending six levels, partly underground to preserve the historic zelkova trees on the street edge.
Cat Street
Running parallel to Omotesando one block south, Cat Street (the Ura-Harajuku district) is a pedestrian-priority backstreet with independent boutiques, vintage shops, and cafes that reflects the more personal and creative side of Harajuku fashion. Less crowded than Takeshita, more accessible in price than Omotesando, and continuously interesting for fashion browsing.
Eating and Coffee
- Harajuku Gyoza Lou: Famous dumpling shop — simple menu, outstanding gyoza, often a queue. Worth the wait.
- Omotesando Koffee: Specialty coffee served from a converted machiya interior inside Omotesando Hills complex; excellent espresso in a minimalist setting.
- Maisen Tonkatsu: Tokyo’s most celebrated tonkatsu restaurant, in a former bathhouse building down a Omotesando side street. Set lunches ¥1,500–¥2,500.
- Anniversaire Cafe: Garden cafe at the Aoyama end of Omotesando; expensive but pleasant outdoor seating under the zelkova trees.
Getting to Harajuku / Omotesando
- JR Harajuku Station: Yamanote Line (1 stop from Shibuya, 2 from Shinjuku). Exit toward Takeshita Street or Meiji Shrine.
- Tokyo Metro Omotesando Station: Ginza, Chiyoda, and Hanzomon lines converge here — central access to the boulevard and Aoyama.