Harajuku

Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, known internationally as a center of Japanese youth culture and fashion. It spreads from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, including smaller backstreets like Takeshita Street and Cat Street. Visitors will find many small, youth-oriented independent boutiques and cafés, as well as larger international chain stores and high-end luxury merchandisers along Omotesando. The area is also a gateway to attractions like Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park, and Yoyogi National Gymnasium.

Don't miss

• Meiji Shrine, a large Shinto shrine in an evergreen forest dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken
• Yoyogi Park, a large park adjacent to the shrine
• Yoyogi National Gymnasium, designed by Kenzo Tange for the 1964 Summer Olympics
• Omotesando, a broad avenue with high-end luxury stores
• Takeshita Street, a narrow street known for youth-oriented boutiques and cafés
• Ura-Harajuku, the backstreets with independent fashion trend shops

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Harajuku

Cheapest way inTokyo / Shibuya / Yokohama Tours! Choose, Explore and Enjoy!4.8★ · 23 travelers~7 hoursFree cancellationFrom$10 per personSee dates →Most bookedTokyo Bar Hopping in Shinjuku: Free-flow, Full Dinner, Golden Gai4.9★ · 3,923 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$106 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleHarajuku Private Tour: Kawaii Fashion & Animal Cafe Included5★ · 79 travelers~4 hoursFrom$116 per personSee dates →

Know before you go

• Harajuku is served by Harajuku Station on the JR East Yamanote Line and Meiji-jingumae 'Harajuku' Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda and Fukutoshin Lines.
• Walking from Shinjuku to Shibuya via Omotesando takes roughly one hour.

A bit of history

In the pre-Edo period, Harajuku was a small post town on the Kamakura Highway. During the Edo period, an Iga clan residence was placed there to defend Edo. In 1906, Harajuku Station opened as part of the Yamanote Line expansion. In 1919, Omotesando was widened as a formal approach route to the newly established Meiji Shrine. Much of the area was burned down in the 1945 Great Tokyo Air Raid. During the postwar occupation, military housing called Washington Heights was built on land now occupied by Yoyogi Park. In 1964, swimming, diving, and basketball events for the Tokyo Olympics were held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium. In the 1970s, fashion-obsessed youth culture shifted from Shinjuku to Harajuku, and Laforet Harajuku opened in 1978. In the 1980s, Takeshita Street became known for teenage street dancing groups called takenoko-zoku. In the 1990s and 2000s, international fashion brands opened flagship stores, and independent trend shops spread into the area known as Ura-Harajuku.