Harajuku

Takeshita Dori Street in Harajuku

Harajuku (原宿) is the name for a neighborhood in Tokyo, in Shibuya District, known historically for its relationship with alternative fashion styles in Japan.

History

The Harajuku location covers the area including the Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park, shopping centers on Takeshita Street (also known as Takeshita-dori), the department store Laforet, and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. However, when it comes to fashion, Takeshita-dori is what most people think of when they think of Harajuku. The street is famous for its various individual pop up shops forerunning various alternative fashions.

The region first became associated with fashion after the opening of various department stores in the 1970s. The area also became the hub for various fashion magazines like Anan and non-no, who worked out of the area.

Harajuku first became widely known and popular for large groups around the 1980s with the start of the Takenokozoku movement who congregated in the area. People flocked to see them dance and see their "outlandish" styles. This began to make the area more popular with locals, fashion lovers, and tourists alike.

Harajuku remained the center for alternative fashions up until around 2015 or so, and was the center for most magazines and fashion snaps, as well as the origin of most alternative J-fashion styles.

Harajuku Today

Today, Harajuku is no longer considered the fashion hub it once was. With the rise of trends over styles in Japan, and the overrunning of the area by tourists, Harajuku has begun to see a decline in fashion culture. Most fashion styles no longer consider the area their hub, and many alternative brand stores have begun to move out of the region, considering it too mainstream and crowded.

(See The Decline of Japanese Fashion for more information on this topic.)