is a district 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 ...

, Tokyo. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from

Harajuku Station is a railway station in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station takes its name from the area on its eastern side, Harajuku. This station is served by the circular Yamanote Line. It is also adjacent to ...

to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of

Shibuya ward 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 ...

Jingūmae is a district of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. As of October 2020, the population of this district is 12,446. The postal code for Jingūmae is 150–0001. Places of interest Cultural Shrines * Tōgō Shrine * Aoyama Kumano Shrine (青山熊野神� ...

chōme The Japanese addressing system is used to identify a specific location in Japan. When written in Japanese characters, addresses start with the largest geographical entity and proceed to the most specific one. The Japanese system is complex, th ...

to 4

. In popular reference, Harajuku also encompasses many smaller backstreets such as Takeshita Street and Cat Street spreading from

Sendagaya is an area within Shibuya ward, one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. Introduction Sendagaya is nestled in an urban green area in Shibuya ward between Shinjuku ward and Shinjuku Gyo-en (Shinjuku Imperial Gardens) to the north (an area in Send ...

in the north to

in the south. Harajuku is known internationally as a center of Japanese

youth culture Youth culture refers to the societal norms of children, adolescents, and young adults. Specifically, it comprises the processes and symbolic systems that are shared by the youth and are distinct from those of adults in the community. An emphasis ...

and fashion. Shopping and dining options include many small, youth-oriented, independent

boutique A () is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in anc ...

s and cafés, but the neighborhood also attracts many larger international chain stores with high-end luxury merchandisers extensively represented along Omotesando.

on the

East Japan Railway The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

(JR East)

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line () is a railway Circle route, loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres ...

and Meiji-jingumae 'Harajuku' Station served by the

Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. On average, the line carries 1,447,730 passengers daily (2017), the second highest of the Tokyo Metro network, behind the Tozai Line (1,642,378).Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line The , formally the , is a subway line operated by Tokyo Metro in west-central Tokyo and Wako, Saitama, Japan. The newest line in the Tokyo subway network, it opened in stages between 1994 and 2008. On average, the Fukutoshin Line carried 362,654 ...

also act as gateways to local attractions such as 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 ...

Yoyogi Park is a park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Yoyogikamizonochō. The park is a popular Tokyo destination, especially on Sundays when it is used as a gathering place for Japanese rock music ...

and

Yoyogi National Gymnasium Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its Suspended structure, suspension roof design. The arena holds 13,291 people (9,079 stand seats, 4,124 arena sea ...

, making Harajuku and its environs one of the most popular destinations in Tokyo for both domestic and international tourists.

History

Pre-Edo period

In the pre-

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the area that came to be known as Harajuku was a small post town on the Kamakura Highway. It was said that in the

Gosannen War The Gosannen War (後三年合戦, ''gosannen kassen''), also known as the Later Three-Year War, was fought in the late 1080s in Japan's Mutsu Province on the island of Honshū. History The Gosannen War was part of a long struggle for power ...

Minamoto no Yoshiie , also known as and his title , was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, he proved himself in battle with the Ab ...

mustered his soldiers in this area and the hill here is called Seizoroi-saka (current Jingūmae 2

). It is said that as the ''Igagoe'' reward for delivering Ieyasu Tokugawa safely from Sakai to Mikawa in the 1582 Honno-ji Incident, Onden-mura (隠田村) together with Harajuku-mura (原宿村) were given to the Iga ninja in 1590. In the

, an Iga clan residence was put in Harajuku to defend Edo, due to its strategic location south of the Koshu Road. Other than the mansion of the Hiroshima Domain feudal lord Asano (current Jingūmae 4 and 5

), there were many mansions of shogunate retainers. The livelihood of the farmers consisted mainly of rice cleaning and flour milling with the watermill at the

Shibuya River The is a river which flows through central Tokyo, Japan. The river is 2.6 km in length originating close to Shibuya Station and passing through Shibuya and Minato wards before merging with the Furu River near Hiroo and flowing into Tokyo ...

. However, due to the poor quality of the land, production never succeeded and the villages never prospered. It is said that local farmers often performed rain-making invocations at local shrines in an attempt to improve their fortunes. There are also the tales ''Oyama-Afuri Shrine of Tanzawa'' and ''Worship on the day trip to Mt Haruna'' remaining.

Meiji Restoration to the end of the Second World War (1868–1945)

At the start of the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

in 1868, the land around Harajuku Village was owned by the shogunate. In November of the same year, the towns and villages of

Shibuya Ward 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 ...

, including Harajuku Village, were placed under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Prefecture. In 1906,

was opened as a part of the expansion of the

. In 1919, with the establishment of

, Omotesando was widened and reordered as a formal approach route. In 1943, the

Tōgō Shrine The Tōgō Shrine (東郷神社 ''Tōgō-jinja'') was established in 1940 and dedicated to '' Gensui'' (or 'Marshal-Admiral') the Marquis Tōgō Heihachirō after his death. This shrine was destroyed by the Bombing of Tokyo, but was rebuilt in 1964 ...

was built and consecrated in honor of

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

Marshal-Admiral

Marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

Tōgō Heihachirō , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. As Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, he successfully confine ...

. In the final period of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

in 1945, much of the area was burned to the ground during the Great Tokyo Air Raid.

1945 to 1970

During the postwar occupation, military housing in the area named Washington Heights was constructed on land now occupied by

and the

. Shops that appealed to the US soldiers and their families, such as Kiddyland, Oriental Bazaar, and the Fuji Tori, opened along Omotesando during this period. In 1964, swimming, diving, and basketball events for the

Tokyo Olympics Tokyo Olympics may refer to: * 1940 Summer Olympics, Games of the XII Olympiad, cancelled due to World War II * 1964 Summer Olympics, Games of the XVIII Olympiad * 2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an ...

were held at nearby

. In 1965, the name of the area in the Japanese address system was officially changed from Harajuku to Jingumae. The name Harajuku has persisted due to the earlier naming of the nearby

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

. Prior to 1965, Onden, referred to the low-lying area close to Meiji Street and the

while "Harajuku" referred to the northern end of Omotesando, the plateau around Aoyama, currently known as Jingu-mae block 2, a large area of Jingu-mae block 3, and the plateau extending behind Togo Shrine in Jingu-mae block 1. The area from Harajuku station to the area surrounding Takeshita Street was called "Takeshita-cho".

1970s and 1980s

Coming into the 1970s, fashion-obsessed youth culture experienced a transition, from

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

to Harajuku, then to

. Palais France, a building that sold fashion clothing and accessories, furniture, and other goods, was constructed on Meiji Street near the exit of Takeshita Street. In 1978, the fashion building Laforet Harajuku was opened; thus, Harajuku came to be widely known as a fashion and retail centre. In the 1980s, Takeshita Street became known for teenage street dancing groups called

takenoko-zoku Takenoko-zoku (竹の子族, lit. "bamboo shoot tribe") describes a type of dance group active from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s in Tokyo, especially in Harajuku. The teenagers, mainly girls but often with one boy leading, were colorfully dresse ...

. From 1977, a Sundays-only pedestrian precinct was established by closing local roads. This produced a surge in people gathering close to entrances of

to watch rock 'n' rollers and other new bands performing impromptu open-air gigs. In the peak period, crowds of up to 10,000 people would gather. In 1998, the Sundays-only pedestrian zone was abolished.

1990s to present

In the 1990s and 2000s, with the rise of

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 ...

, there was an influx of international fashion brand flagship store openings including

Gap Inc. The Gap, Inc., commonly known as Gap Inc., is an American multinational clothing and accessories retailer. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company operates fou ...

Forever 21 F21 OpCo LLC, trade name, doing business as Forever 21, was a multinational fast-fashion retailer. It was originally founded as Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles, Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984.Forever 21History & Facts, n.d. Retrieved ...

Uniqlo ( ; ) is a Japanese casual wear designer and retailer. The company is a subsidiary of Fast Retailing, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Clare Waight Keller is the creative director. History Men's Shop OS was founded in Ube, Yamaguchi. It was rebrand ...

Topshop TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British online fast-fashion retailer, which specialises in women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It is majority owned by Danish company, Bestseller. In 2024, ASOS sold 75% of Topshop and Topman to Bests ...

and H&M. At the same time, new independent fashion trend shops spread into the previously residential areas of Jingumae 3 and 4 chome, with this area becoming 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 ...

(the "Harajuku Backstreets"). In 2006,

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 ...

opened, replacing the Dōjunkai apartments on Omotesando. In 2008, the

Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line The , formally the , is a subway line operated by Tokyo Metro in west-central Tokyo and Wako, Saitama, Japan. The newest line in the Tokyo subway network, it opened in stages between 1994 and 2008. On average, the Fukutoshin Line carried 362,654 ...

opened, providing alternative metro access linking Harajuku to

and

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro Station, and several shops, restaurants, and department stores are located within city limits. Transportation At the center of Ikebukuro is ...

2019 New Year's Day terrorist attack

During the early morning of January 1, 2019, a 21-year-old man named Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove his

Kei car Kei car is the smallest category of Japanese expressway-legal motor vehicles. The term ''kei'' is a shortening of , (kanji: ), which translates to English as "light vehicle" (). With restricted dimensions and engine specifications, owners ...

into the crowd of pedestrians celebrating New Year's Day on Takeshita Street. The man claimed his actions were a terrorist attack, and later stated that his intention was to retaliate against the usage of the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

. The man attempted to flee from the scene but was soon apprehended by authorities in a nearby park.

Sightseeing and local landmarks

Harajuku is a retail fashion and dining destination in its own right, but still earns much of its wider reputation as a gathering place for fans and aficionados of

Japanese street fashion Japanese street fashion refers to a number of styles of contemporary modern clothing in Japan. Created from a mix of both local and foreign fashion brands, Japanese Street Fashion, street fashions tend to have their own distinctive style, with s ...

and associated subcultures.

Jingu Bashi Jingu may refer to: People *Empress Jingū (c. AD 169–269) *Toshio Jingu (born 1948), a Japanese fencer Other uses *Jingu Stadium, Tokyo, Japan *Jingū, a name for Shinto shrines connected to the Imperial House of Japan *Busanjin District, Sou ...

, the pedestrian bridge between

and the entrance to the

, used to act as a gathering place on Sundays to showcase some of the more theatrical styles. Another gathering place was the lower part of Omotesandō avenue, which used to be pedestrian-only ("Hokosha Tengoku") on Sundays. Other local landmarks include: *

, a large

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

located in an evergreen forest and 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 , who adopted the imperial given name in 1867 and was posthumously honoured as , was the wife of Emperor Meiji of Japan. She was one of the founders of the Japanese Red Cross Society, whose charity work was known throughout the First Sino-Japa ...

, designed by Kenzo Tange to host swimming and diving events at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

* Omotesando *

* Laforet Harajuku *

Ukiyo-e Ōta Memorial Museum of Art The is a museum in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Opened in January 1980, it presents rotating exhibitions of Ukiyo-e from Ōta Seizo V's collection of over 12,000 pieces. Publications The museum has published a number of books about its collection an ...

Nezu Museum The , formerly known as the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, is an art museum in the Minato, Tokyo, Minato district of Tokyo, Japan. The museum is home to the private collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art assembled by Nezu Kaichirō (1 ...

Former landmark buildings

* Dōjunkai Apartments, a 1927 building replaced in 2005 by

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 ...

-designed

* Drive-in Route 5 (Now LaforetHarajuku) * Octagonal Pavilion (the only Korean BBQ restaurant in Harajuku district in the 1960s; presently the Octagonal Building) * Palais France * Harajuku Central Apartments (demolished) * Hanae Mori Building (demolished) * Omotesando Vivre * Mother and Child Department Store Harajuku Carillon (Now Forever 21) * WC Harajuku Wego store by Chinatsu Wakatsuki * P.G.C.D. Head Office * Menard BilecHarajukuLuseine Store * N's game Omotesando branch * Resona Bank Harajuku Branch (Now I.T.'S. International) * Kokudo Head Office * Bureau of Transportation Hospital (Now the Bureau of Transportation, Tokyo Metropolitan Government) * Kawaii Monster Cafe is designed by designer

Sebastian Masuda , is a Japanese artist, art director, and producer of the Harajuku shop 6%DOKIDOKI. Born in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He has been active from 1995 to current day. He has directed and designed performances for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. ...

and presents a variety of unique menus. *

Tomodachiga Yatteru Cafe was a concept café located in Jingūmae, Shibuya, Tokyo, which operated from 2023 to 2024. The cafe hired staff who were experienced actors or Model (person), models to act as if they were old friends of the customers and Honorific speech in Jap ...

Transport

Rail

(JR East

), including the Imperial Station. * Meiji-jingumae 'Harajuku' Station (

Road

* Meiji Street * Omotesando Street * Gaien-nishi Street

References

External links

*
Harajuku photos and guide

{{Authority control Neighborhoods of Tokyo Districts of Shibuya Shopping districts and streets in Japan