Why Harajuku?
 

I went down to Harajuku last weekend and I was really surprised to see so many foreign tourists there. I'd never seen so many in Japan on one day before, not even in Kyoto. Harajuku wasn't like that at all only a few years ago.

So I'd like to know:

1. Is Harajuku a well-known name in your country or among your circle of friends?
2. Would you like a visit to Harajuku if you ever came to Japan? If yes, what would you like to do there? What is your image of Harajuku?

I'd appreciate it if anyone could shed light on this. Thanks in advance.

I am afraid a lot of those tourists are disappointed, as Harajuku isn't nearly as interesting as its reputation. Thanks to Gwen Stefani and the "Harajuku Girls" people think that Harajuku is something more than it is.

I wouldn't mind going to Harajuku, but only to see the cosplayers and other types of clothes the people'll be wearing. Outside of that, though, I couldn't see myself going for any other reason since I don't think there's much else there to see.

The real reason to go to Harajuku would be to see Meiji Shrine which is an incredibly peaceful and beautiful garden and shrine quietly surrounded by the noise of Tokyo.

I heard that harajuku is one of the famous places for yakuza clans.. I wonder if it is a fact..

Theirs a shrine their? I'll sign up to go see that. Forget the cosplayers, culture people. Culture!

i wasnt disappointed at all when i went to harajuku!! i really enjoyed it especially all the shops :D
but i didnt see many cosplayers there probably coz it was a weekday

Yeah, Meiji Shrine is rather well knowm... It's described in many french novels that are about Japan and there are some beautiful poems about how serene it is considering its location...

Meiji shrine (and the area surrounding it) is beautiful...

If you get chance to visit away from the weekend, I highly recommend it!

Harajuku isn't th first place I would go to..

I quite liked Harajuku O_o Possibly because there are a lot of fairly cheap clothing stores around there, and I was interested in taking photos of the cosplayers. If you go in thinking its some kind of wonderland where everyone is a cosplayer you'll be disappointed, but if you're realistic about it and have some idea of what it actually is, it can be fun :) It's interesting seeing all the people in alternative fashion - sort of the flipside to the older and more traditional aspects of Japanese culture. I think the guys in our group were far less interested though - Harajuku is more fun if you're a teenager/twenties girl who can fit into the Japanese clothes, otherwise I can imagine it would be a bit boring.

Yoyogi Park and Meiji shrine were really beautiful and peaceful though, interesting contrast to all the hustle and bustle just outside it.

i would go just to see cosplayers and differant fashion style + if you are visiting a country try to see as much as u can right?

I didn't know the Meiji shrine was in Harajuku...I thought it was someplace else. lol I feel ignorant now of that. ><;

The shrine is very close to JR Harajuku and Subway Meiji-Jingūmae Station.

Google Map

Young people hang around in Aoyama, Shibuya, Daikanyama, Shimokitazawa, and other places...

It's closer to Heaven is how I feel everytime I go there! The mysterious forest right in the middle of Tokyo!