My first purikura

Harajuku is not only a beautiful natural spot but also the centre of Japanese pop culture. In the neighborhood you can find plenty of fashion boutiques, used clothes stores thrift stores, themed cafes and more. “In Tokyo there is a kind of flow of energy when it comes to fashion,” and “Harajuku is the source of this flow.” as a blog entry on support Quartz suggested.

As a forigner coming from Europe, Harajuku represents everything how I would imagine Japan’s fashion-forward youth culture looks like. Although, unlike in the 1990s there are less and less people who are choosing the exaggerated and accessorized cartoonish effect, you can still see plenty of shocking dresses on streets of Harajuku. Unfortunately, in Tokyo just like in any other parts of the world many people chose mass-produced clothing brands instead of the custom-made ones. Yet, still in this area of Tokyo a lot of peole seem to be accumulated who still seem to favour some original fashion directions from the previous decades.

It was my second time in Harjuku. The first time I went there, I had the chance to go the Kawaii monster cafe which is one of the top-rated pop restaurants in Harajuku. This time, I focused more on exploring the shopping opportunities the place could offer. This was my first time doing some shopping in Tokyo so I was really excited about it.

Overall, I think Harjuku is one of the best places to spend a day with shopping if you have some extra cash to spend. You can find there almost all of the famous barnds stores we have in Europe as well but in addition you also have the opporyunity to immerse yourself into smaller shops offering local products which by the way serve well as souvenirs.

Nonetheless, I aslo took my first purikura in Takeshita street. I was amazed how many different types of photo booths they have there. You can choose between japanese and bit more wester like machines which use less intensuive photoshop.

Sea of People

Harajuku (原宿) is known as a district that are littered with shops, cheap and expensive, normal goods and branded goods. There is one place, called Takeshita Street (竹下通り), which is always crowded with people especially during weekdays. It is one of the busiest and brightest shopping streets in Tokyo, with everything you could ever want. Takeshita Street stretches as long as 400 meter, which many shops you can stop by along the street. The shops varies between fashion boutiques, merchandise shops, cafes, and food stalls that sell crepes and ice creams. Even though it’s not as long as you think, I can see thousands of people every time I go there. For an undeniably Japanese experience, check out the purikura photo booths where you can snap, customize and decorate pictures with your friends before they are printed on the spot. I can guarantee that you won’t regret this kind of experience if you ever visited this place!