Hey, hey it's......Harajuku!!!

A visit to Harajuku in Tokyo will always provide plenty of entertainment....even more so if you visit on a Sunday. Harajuku has many attractions.....the 'out there' Harajuku fashions, Omotesando Street, Takeshita Street, Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park ......to mention but a few.

To reach Harajuku from where we live in Yamashita-cho means, as normal, catching a variety of trains. We leave Ishikawacho on the blue Keihin-Tohoku Line then change to the orange Tokaido Line at Yokohama. At Shinagawa we change to the green Yamanote Line heading towards Shinjuku. Harajuku is one stop after Shibuya but two stops before Shinjuku. Research on Train Route Finder by Jorudan Co Ltd shows that we could also catch the Shonan-Shinjuku Line from Yokohama and change to the Yamanote Line at Ebisu but to date I have not used this route. It is about 35km's and takes 48 minutes travelling time, plus changeover time, and costs 540 yen ($6.60) each way. 

The railway network map below shows the journey, plus I have marked a couple of other places mentioned in earlier blogs.

The Harajuku Station looks very different to all other stations in Tokyo.

A visit to Harajuku on a weekday, although still busy, is far more relaxing than a weekend visit.  There are many things to see so it is definitely worth a visit at anytime but really ........Harajuku on a Sunday is a must! On a Sunday it is insanely busy and it's guaranteed you'll see some very different fashions-Gothic Lolita, Visual Kei, Decora, Punk, Rock-a-Billy, Hip-Hop...... Takeshita Street is a busy, busy place!

Like anywhere in Japan, return visits will always deliver a new experience. Whether it be a celebration, parade, ceremony, festival......someting will be happening somewhere. One Friday, with 'alien visitors' Marion and Sandy, it was exciting to witness many traditional wedding ceremonies underway at a large temple. Steve and I had earlier witnessed one on a Sunday.

In terms of seeing something new, our last visit was no exception. We wanted 'alien Paula' to experience some Tokyo crowds and crazy fashions so, although decidedly not Steve's idea of fun, we headed off on a Sunday. We weren't to be disappointed! On this occasion it was the 90th Anniversary of the shrine adjacent to Harajuku Station. As we blended into the crowd and made our way along Takeshita Street it was business as usual....tourists galore, energetic spruikers, 'out there' fashions and more tourists. Not surprisingly, Asian tourists far outweigh Western tourists, although this is one place you do see plenty of 'Euros'! 

In this place basically anything goes.....as these outfits clearly demonstrate!!

At the end of Takeshita Street we turned right and made our way to Omotesando Street. This street is famous for its upscale fashion shops...Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada.....and in recent times has been referred to as Tokyo's Champs Elysees. 

With trees lining either side, it is a lovely street to stroll along. On our last visit with Paula large groups of people, dressed in traditional Japanese costumes, were moving excitedly along the street. A certain indicator that something special was happening somewhere.

We continued up the street towards the Harajuku Station and Jingu Bridge where it's common to see large groups congregating. Once over the bridge you reach the very impressive Meiji Shrine (明治神宮)entrance.

Just before the entrance we were entertained by a variety of performances.

But wait there was more!! As we strolled along the broad walkway, with its overhanging trees, shrines to be carried by groups of men were being unloaded from trucks and there was an abundance of people in traditional costumes.

Further along we came upon another highly decorated area with even more performances and excitement!! 

 Ceremony or no ceremony ....like anywhere...everyone has to stop for food!!

Talk about sensory overload. 

One cannot help but be fascinated by the abundance of celebrations occurring so regularly in this wonderful country. Truly, the Japanese are specialists in this domain. Visits to Indonesia over the past few years have introduced us to the many religious ceremonies, which are an inherent part of life in Asian countries. We should not be surprised that these ceremonies are so prolific in Japan.

Everything here is big (except the people)...celebrations are big.....crowds are big....and  politeness, patience and enjoyment is huge!!!

HARAJUKU-WA SUBARASHI-I MACHI DESU!!