Harajuku
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Harajuku-eki-april-2002.jpg/200px-Harajuku-eki-april-2002.jpg)
Harajuku (原宿 "meadow lodging") Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan.
is the common name for the area aroundLocation
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Japaneserockabilly.jpg/200px-Japaneserockabilly.jpg)
Harajuku is an area between Shinjuku and Shibuya. Local landmarks include the headquarters of NHK, Meiji Shrine, and Yoyogi Park.
The area has two main shopping streets, Omotesandō and Takeshita Street (Takeshita-dōri). The latter caters to youth fashions and has many small stores selling Gothic Lolita, rockabilly, hip-hop, and punk outfits,[1] in addition to fast food outlets and so forth.
In recent years Omotesandō has seen a rise in branches of expensive fashion stores such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Prada. The avenue is sometimes referred to as "Tokyo's Champs-Élysées".[2] Until 2004, one side of the avenue was occupied by the Dōjunkai Aoyama apāto, Bauhaus-inspired apartments built in 1927 after the 1923 Kantō earthquake. In 2006 the buildings were controversially destroyed by Mori Building and replaced with the "Omotesando Hills"[3] shopping mall, designed by Tadao Ando.[4] The area known as "Ura-Hara" (back streets of Harajuku) is a center of Japanese fashion for younger people — brands such as A Bathing Ape and Undercover have shops in the area.[5]
Subcultures
In the 1980s large numbers of street performers and wildly dressed teens including takenoko-zoku (竹の子族, "bamboo-shoot kids") gathered on Omotesandō and the street that passes through Yoyogi Park on Sundays when the streets were closed to traffic. The streets were reopened to traffic in the 90s, and a great number of teens stopped gathering there. Today there are still teenagers hanging out in Harajuku, mostly on the bridge across the train tracks from Harajuku station to Yoyogi Park.
See also
- Amerikamura in Osaka
- Dōtonbori in Osaka
- Gothic Lolita
- Cosplay
References
- ^ "Face to face with Harajuku". Metropolis. December 1999. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Attention Avid Shoppers: A High-End Complex Opens Its Doors". The New York Times. February 15, 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
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"Omotesando Hills Project Page". Mori Building. January 19, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
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"The view from the Hills: Minoru Mori defends the Omotesando Hills development and reveals big plans for Tokyo". Metropolis. February 3, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
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"Behind the Scene". Metropolis. January 19, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
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External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Template:Wikitravelpar
- Harajuku Photos and Guide
- Harajuku Photo Gallery and Travel Guide
- www.harajukustyle.net Harajuku Subculture and Fashion Information.