is a

zelkova ''Zelkova'' (from the Georgian language, Georgian ''dzelkva'', 'stone pillar') is a genus of six species of deciduous trees in the elm family Ulmaceae, native to southern Europe, and southwest and eastern Asia. They vary in size from shrubs (''Ze ...

tree-lined avenue located in

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

and Minato,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, stretching from the

Meiji Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is located at Fushimi-ku, Kyoto#Sights, Fushimi-momoyama, south ...

entrance to Aoyama-dōri (Aoyama Street), where Omotesandō Station can be found.

History

Omotesandō was originally created in the

Taishō era The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group ...

(1912–1926) as the to

, which is dedicated to the deified spirits of

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

and his wife, Empress Shōken.

Present

Omotesandō is known as one of the foremost 'architectural showcase' streets in the world, featuring a multitude of fashion flagship stores within a short distance of each other. These include the

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

store (Jun Aoki, 2002),

Tod's Tod's S.p.A. is an Italian fashion house specialized in footwear, apparel, and related accessories headquartered in Marche. It is majority controlled by businessman Diego Della Valle. Founded in 1920 by Filippo Della Valle, a cobbler, it was co ...

(

Toyo Ito is a Japanese architect known for creating conceptual architecture, in which he seeks to simultaneously express the physical and virtual worlds. He is a leading exponent of architecture that addresses the contemporary notion of a "simulated ...

, 2004),

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

(

SANAA Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation ...

, 2004), Omotesandō Hills (

Tadao Ando is a self-taught Japanese autodidact architect known for his unique integration of architecture and landscape. Architectural historian Francesco Dal Co described his work as an example of " critical regionalism". Ando received the prestigious ...

, 2005) and Gyre (

MVRDV MVRDV is a Rotterdam, Netherlands-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 1993, with additional offices in Berlin, New York, Paris, and Shanghai. It is currently regarded as one of the world's finest architecture firms. MVRDV is ...

, 2007), amongst others. Omotesandō is the main vehicle and pedestrian thoroughfare for

Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesandō, Tokyo, Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya, Tokyo, Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 Japanese a ...

and Aoyama. The area features many international brand boutiques, such as

Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen (brand), Alexander McQueen label in 1992 and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His ac ...

and

Gucci Guccio Gucci S.p.A., doing business as Gucci ( , ), is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and ...

, as well as

fast fashion Fast fashion is the business model of replicating recent catwalk trends and High fashion, high-fashion designs, mass production, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail quickly while demand is at its highest. The term ''fast ...

retailers such as Gap,

Evisu Evisu Jeans (エヴィスジーンズ) is a Japanese designer clothing company that specializes in producing denim wear through traditional, labor-intensive methods. The brand was founded by Hidehiko Yamane in 1991 in Osaka originally as an homa ...

, H&M and Zara. In his book ''Luxury Brand Management'', luxury brand manager Michel Chevalier cites Omotesandō as one of the best locations in

for a

luxury goods In economics, a luxury good (or upmarket good) is a good (economics), good for which demand (economics), demand increases more than what is proportional as income rises, so that expenditures on the good become a more significant proportion of ove ...

store. Omotesandō is also home to the Kiddyland toy store, Laforet, and the Oriental Bazaar. Omotesandō's side streets, known as

Ura-Harajuku is the nickname of an area in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Ura-Harajuku, or Ura-Hara, is the common name given to the network of smaller Harajuku backstreets spreading perpendicular to Omotesandō, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as ...

, feature a range of smaller cafes, bars, restaurants, and boutique stores. Omotesandō is the venue for Tokyo's annual

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...

Parade.

Gallery

File:Prada Aoyama.jpg, Prada Aoyama Image:Tod's at Omotesando.jpg, Tod's Omotesandō building Image:Omotemall.jpg,

Omotesando Hills file:Omotesando hills logo.svg, logo is a Shopping mall, shopping complex in central Tokyo built in 2005 in a series of urban developments by Minoru Mori, Mori Building. It occupies a 250-meter stretch of Omotesandō, a shopping and (previously ...

Image:Dior Omotesando 2007.jpg, Dior Omotesandō Image:Gyre_Omotesando_2.jpg, Designer retail complex "The Gyre"

References

External links

Pictures of Tokyo, Omotesandō
(and surroundings, Aoyama, Jingūmae)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omotesando, Tokyo Harajuku Neighborhoods of Tokyo Shibuya Shopping districts and streets in Japan Streets in Tokyo