Harajuku (原宿 "meadow lodging") About this sound listen (help·info) is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan.

Every Sunday, young people dressed in a variety of styles including gothic lolita, visual kei, and decora, as well as cosplayers spend the day in Harajuku socializing. The fashion styles of these youths rarely conform to one particular style and are usually a mesh of many. Most young people gather on Jingu Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku to the neighboring Meiji Shrine area. [1]

Harajuku is also a fashion capital of the world renowned for unique street fashion.[2] Harajuku street style is promoted in Japanese and international publications such as Kera, Tune, Gothic & Lolita Bible and Fruits. Many prominent designers and fashion ideas have sprung from Harajuku and incorporated themselves into other fashions throughout the world.

Harajuku is also a large shopping district that includes luxury international designers, Harajuku native designers, and affordable shops catering to youths.
Contents
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* 1 Location * 2 History * 3 Styles * 4 Impact * 5 See also * 6 References * 7 Further reading * 8 External links

[edit] Location
Girls at Harajuku Station on a Sunday afternoon
Rockabilly dancers in Yoyogi Park

Harajuku is an area between Shinjuku and Shibuya. Local landmarks include the headquarters of NHK, Meiji Shrine, and Yoyogi Park.

The area has two main shopping streets, Omotesandō and Takeshita Street (Takeshita-dōri). The latter caters to youth fashions and has many small stores selling Gothic Lolita, visual kei, rockabilly, hip-hop, and punk outfits,[3] in addition to fast food outlets and so forth.

Omotesandō has recently seen a rise in openings of up-scale fashion shops such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Prada. The avenue is sometimes referred to as "Tokyo's Champs-Élysées".[4] Until 2004, one side of the avenue was occupied by the Dōjunkai Aoyama apāto, Bauhaus-inspired apartments built in 1927 after the 1923 Kantō earthquake. In 2006 the buildings were controversially destroyed by Mori Building and replaced with the "Omotesando Hills"[5] shopping mall, designed by Tadao Ando.[6] The area known as "Ura-Hara", back streets of Harajuku, is a center of Japanese fashion for younger people — brands such as A Bathing Ape and Undercover have shops in the area.[7]
[edit] History

Harajuku as it is now is traces its root to the end of World War II. U.S. soldiers and their families began to occupy the area known as Harajuku. It became an area where curious young people flocked to experience a different culture.

In 1958, Central Apartments were built in the area and were quickly occupied by fashion designers, models, and photographers.[8] In 1964, when the Summer Olympics came to Tokyo the Harajuku area was further developed, and the idea of “Harajuku” slowly began to take a more concrete shape.

After the Olympics the young people who hung out in the area, frequently referred to as the Harajuku-zoku,[8] or the Harajuku tribe, began to develop a distinct culture and style unique to different groups and the area. From this distinct style grew the culture of Harajuku as a gathering ground for youths and as a fashion mecca.
Three teens outside Harajuku Station cosplay members of the band Himitsu Kessha Kodomo A.
[edit] Styles

The term "Harajuku Girls" has been used by English-language media to describe teenagers dressed in any fashion style who are in the area of Harajuku.[9] This fashion infuses multiple looks and styles to create a unique form of dress. One of these styles, Kawaii, came to fame in the 1990’s. Kawaii became a popular phrase that meant something was cute or pretty. Kawaii was a form of resistance in that the style and culture associated with it were not seen as attractive by an older generation. [8] This idea of Kawaii was a distinct youth culture separate from the traditional one in existence.

The cyber-punk look takes its influence from gothic fashion and incorporates neon and metallic colors. [8] However, it isn't as popular as it was in the 1990s.

Lolita Fashion was created in Osaka. It is a play on Victorian era princess fashions and ripped gauzed gothic fashion. Like Kawaii, Lolita also revolves around being cute and innocent. [8] By wearing and promoting these styles performers allowed the fashions to flourish because fans were eager to replicate their idols.

Punk style in Harajuku is more of a fashion than a statement. [1] Its fashion mainly consists of dark colors, plaid, chains, and zippers. Punk style is also one of the more gender-neutral fashions in Harajuku. [1]