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Published: September 30th 2017
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Design Festa ...
... a fringe art facility full of smaller galleries, which happened to be closed today. This little piece of stencil art fit in fantastically with Harajuku, with the mischievous smile on the panda's face, and an attitude of "Who Gives a F!" Geo: 35.6184, 139.593
Disneyland may be the
Happiest Place on Earth, but it's quickly become clear to us that, without a doubt, Tokyo is the Coolest Place on Earth. This remarkable city really isn't about seeing the sights but rather, enjoying the vibe of each of its characteristic neighbourhoods and subcultures. No matter your interests, you will find one that appeals to you; in fact, you might even find that you like a neighbourhood that you never thought possible.
Luxury shopping in Ginza, hanging with the expat crowd in Roppongi, chilling with the teens in Shibuya, having a big night out in Shinjuku, browsing for all things anime and manga in Akihabara, basking in the Old World ambiance of Asakusa ... there is something for absolutely everyone. Of course, perhaps Tokyo's most famous neighbourhood is Harajuku, which was raised into the consciousness of many a Westerner by Gwen Stefani when she went through her little Harajuku phase in 2004.
Goth-loli girls abound in Harajuku, described by Lonely Planet as "Zombie Little Bo Peeps" - there are all sorts of stereotypes about the Japanese, particularly residents of Tokyo, and the idea of a neighbourhood full of girls dressed as if they are going to Stereotypical Harajuku ...
... along Takeshita-dori, a pedestrian street that is the epicentre of the teen subculture that Harajuku is famous for. A giant bunny mannequin in garb inspired by Alice in Wonderland? It would be out of place anywhere else in the World but not here in Harajuku, where not only does it fit in, but also works very well, for some bizarre reason. a Victorian-era tea party to nosh on scones with the Mad Hatter simply doesn't appeal to me. Quite frankly, it seems ludicrous that people go to such great lengths solely for the sake of being different, paradoxically conforming in order to express their individuality.
However, that perspective has changed since coming to Japan and simply put, Harajuku is awesome - there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it! There's a youthful exuberance in the air as you stroll down Takeshita-dori, an infectious energy that cannot be described, only experienced. Who knows why young Japanese feel the need to get all dolled up like this, but it doesn't matter in the end - it makes for one hell of a spectacle, and for one hell of an experience, to be able to take in all of Harajuku.
It's positively surreal strolling along Takeshita-dori, the epicentre of this subculture, stepping off into a little side street and finding this really cool old-school tea house for a little refreshment, the type of establishment that wouldn't be out of place in any ritzy neighbourhood in any major World city. Then in walk girls decked out in the finest Alice In Wonderland duds available -
it's positively mind blowing!
But it's not all about the Goth-loli girl culture here, there is so much more in Harajuku, which is seemingly a microcosm of the Tokyo experience. In the short span of a few hours, you can visit Tokyo's grandest shrine, stroll through one of its most popular parks, browse in some mainstream shops while munching on all manner of street food, and stopping for a little caffeine pick me up at any number of international and local coffee shop chains.
Keep walking until you come across a funky alternative art installation, and keep on going until you hit the cool indie shops of Cat Street, finally continuing on to Omote-sando for haute couture boutiques housed inside of some architectural masterpieces. In any other city in the World, you'd need a few days to experience all of this, but here in Tokyo, it only takes an afternoon.
There are so many cultural quirks in Tokyo, you could wrack your brain trying to comprehend exactly what it is that people are doing, and why they are doing it. But something we've learned in our short time in Tokyo so far is not to over think things - keep things simple
Meiji-jingu ...
... it's popular for Japanese to visit the local temple or shrine on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and there was a massive crowd visiting Meiji-jingu today, considered to be Tokyo's grandest Shinto shrine. and just enjoy all that this incredible metropolis has to offer. So in the spirit of simplicity, even though there are hundreds of adjectives you could use to describe this amazing and diverse city, I'll stick to only one - in a word, Tokyo is
cool.
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