Harajuku

Meiji Jingū

Built in commemoration of Emperor Meiji in 1920, is Tokyo's grandest shrine. Like all of Japan's major shrines, it's large in scale but simple in structure, entered via a winding path and through a giant torii gate. On summer weekends you have a very good chance of catching a Japanese wedding in progress here; the shrine is also packed on New Year's Eve when people come here to celebrate the new year.

Okamoto Taro Kinenkan

Studio and house of Okamoto Taro are exhibited. He made numerous masterpieces. For example, taiyonotou. Unfinished work or paint which he used are leaved.

youth culture

If it's Harajuku's youth culture you want to see, don't even bother unless it's a Sunday. Each group stakes out its territory around Yoyogi Park 代々木公園 Yoyogi-kōen.

The bridge across the train tracks is full of teenagers dressed up as Gothic Lolita and other extreme Japanese youth fashions. Besides just hanging out with friends, many come here to be snapped by one of the many magazine photographers who mingle. Unfortunately, as of lately, the police seem to be cracking down on loitering, so they are becoming increasingly rare.

Over by the entrance to the park, people with greased hair listen to rockabilly music and dance in their vintage jeans. This subculture has been around for twenty years now.

The sidewalks along the south side are usually occupied by junk vendors and loud rock bands. Both of these groups periodically get swept away by police crack-downs, though.

The tree-lined area leading from the south end of the park to Shibuya is filled with all sorts of street performers, mostly folk-pop singers, but also including hip-hop dancing and street theater.