Harajuku: Tokyo's Fashion District and Meiji Shrine

Takeshita Street in Harajuku.

Yesterday Kim and I went to Harajuku, well-known as Tokyo’s fashion district. We didn’t know what to expect or look for as we got off the train, but within one block we came upon a busy street with an arch above its entrance that said, “Takeshita Street.” This street was packed with clothing stores, crepe stands, ice cream and candy shops, and other entertainment stores. Everything was so colorful. There was a store solely for cotton candy, and as we walked by a young girl came down the stairs with what looked like a cotton candy hat!

In this district more than in the others I’ve visited I saw young girls dressed almost like dolls. Many wore frilly, doll-like dresses with collared shirts and their hair in pigtails. I’m glad a few of them let me take photos – in fact, the two groups of girls I asked (probably each around 13-14 years old) seemed really excited I wanted to take a picture of them.

A common style for girls in Harajuku.

Takeshita Street was home to many of the flamboyant, colorful shops selling sweet and sparkly things. Kim and I then crossed the street and passed more mature shops that reminded me of a more upscale Haight Street in San Francisco. Much like in Shinjuku and Shibuya, the streets in Harajuku are mostly long and winding. It’d be easy to get lost.

As we headed back to the train station, I noticed a sign that said the Meiji Shrine was around the corner behind the station. We decided to go and check it out, and I’m really glad I saw that sign, because the Meiji Shrine was beautiful. You enter Yoyogi Park through tall – very tall! – wooden arches and follow a wide path about half a mile through a densely wooded area to the shrine. 

 When you arrive at the shrine’s entrance, there are spots nearby in which visitors can wash their hands. I noticed many of the Japanese people were also drinking from this water source. The water looked very clear and clean.

Tall arches lead to Meiji Shrine.

The shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken – “the mother of Japan.” As such, this shrine is very sacred to the people of Japan. Photography is allowed in all areas of the shrine except in the main part, where many people pray. The praying ritual is interesting; it involves giving a coin, clapping twice, and bowing twice. The shrine also offers wooden tablets for 500 yen apiece for visitors to write a prayer on and attach to wooden beams that surround a great tree.

The Meiji Shrine.

It’s incredible that, separated by a train station, exist both the loud, colorful, and exuberant Takeshita Street and the quiet, peaceful, and green Meiji Shrine. Had I not seen that sign I would have never guessed something like that lay right across the street. It was a great discovery!