Day Three, Part Two: Harajuku

A short train ride from Ikebukuro brought us to Harajuku. We started off here by joining the madness of Takeshita Dori, a narrow walk-only lane lined with small clothes shops and crepe stands. Here, we started getting a glimpse of the extreme teen counter-culture in Tokyo. Here on Takeshita Dori, some of the stores were a likely source of their threads.





Just outside the train station in front of the entrance to the Meiji Shrine garden, the kids in costume congregate. Their behaviour is one of shyness, but willingness to be on display and have their photos taken. The crowds with cameras around them, pointing and commenting, can only be compared to what you would see around a wild animal sighting back home, though the kids did not seem phased or bothered by all the attention being paid to them.



Meiji Shrine was opened in 1920 in dedication to Emperor Meiji (1868-1912). The inner gardens and shrine were crowded with tourists. A wedding party that was having their photos taken in the rock garden and their ceremony paraded through the shrine received a lot of attention.






Yoyogi Park is adjoined to the Inner Gardens. It is a huge park with a fountains, large grassy areas filled with families and couples, and a square that was filled with vendors for a weekend market. Along the sidewalks, teenaged bands played (maybe this is where they get discovered) - separated only by several metres, but taking turns playing their songs - while others sold their found and used goods.