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After visiting the Meiji Jingu, my group headed over to Harajuku. After all, Meiji is located very close to Harajuku. Thank goodness, because at the time, the train station looked like this:
So while we had to brave the crowds to get to Meiji, we did not have to venture back in again. Instead, we walked over to the main street in Harajuku, Takeshita Street:
Harajuku is, essentially, a fashion district for young people. It’s known for its wild, trendy styles, dozens of subgenres of clothes (including: goth, punk, Lolita, visual kei, and many, many more) and, on occasion, even cosplay. Takeshita Street is totally packed during the day, full of trendy Asians out for a day of shopping, crazily dressed teens strutting their stuff, and nutty shops blasting electro remixes of Disney songs.
If there’s something I love, it’s absurdity. Harajuku was full of it. Please observe these wonderfully enticing mannequins.
While people often emphasize the crazy fashions worn in Harajuku, however, the people there actually wore some pretty toned-down clothes. It was fashionable and trendy, sure, but nothing was totally over the top. Well, except for this guy who I asked to take a photo of:
And anyway, who am I to talk? I’ve cosplayed before. I love this stuff. I’d buy a frilly dress in an instant if I could. Though, on that day, we didn’t have much time to actually browse the shops in Harajuku—I definitely saw enough to totally fall in love with the whole place.
SO I may or may not be down an undisclosed amount of money after my first day in Tokyo. Everything is so cute. EVERYTHING IS SO CUTE! And Asian. And HILARIOUS! The amount of ridiculous English around here is unbelievable. Just take this one girl I saw on Takeshita Street…
I ended up returning to Harajuku in our free time. I didn’t buy anything—but I did get to try on this crazy Lolita dress:
Super G, yo.
The only problem with Asian clothes, though—they’re built to fit a certain… body shape. A body shape that I do not have. So as I shopped around in search of a frilly dress, I encountered the same problem over and over again…
So I didn’t end up buying a frilly dress. But still— Harajuku and I—we were meant to be.
AHHHHHH it’s been Finals Week so I haven’t been able to comment, but I’m so glad you’re safe and in Japan and visiting temples and having a good timeeeeeee, Vy!
Oh my gosh. Now I know where the term “harajuku girl” comes from. Grace is going to Korea this summer and has promised to bring me something back from the Korean clothing markets, but omigosh, the lolita dress you tried on is to DIE for. Japan’s pop culture is so fascinating and vibrant!
do you have any idea what who the artist is for the disney songs played in the lotita store in takeshita street?
I really wish I knew. I actually tried Googling it when I got back from Japan. They might have been playing one of the Eurobeat Disney CDs?