Harajuku
Harajuku
原宿 | |
---|---|
Urban area | |
Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme | |
Shibuya |
Harajuku (原宿,
Harajuku is known internationally as a center of Japanese youth culture and fashion.[2] Shopping and dining options include many small, youth-oriented, independent boutiques and cafés, but the neighborhood also attracts many larger international chain stores with high-end luxury merchandisers extensively represented along Omotesando.
Harajuku Station on the East Japan Railway (JR East) Yamanote Line and Meiji-jingumae 'Harajuku' Station served by the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line and Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line also act as gateways to local attractions such as the Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park and Yoyogi National Gymnasium, 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 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, Minamoto no Yoshiie mustered his soldiers in this area and the hill here is called Seizoroi-saka (current Jingūmae 2 chōme). 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 Edo period, 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 chōme), 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. 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
In 1906, Harajuku Station was opened as a part of the expansion of the Yamanote Line. In 1919, with the establishment of Meiji Shrine, Omotesando was widened and reordered as a formal approach route.
In 1943, the
In the final period of the
1945 to 1970
During the postwar occupation, military housing in the area named Washington Heights was constructed on land now occupied by Yoyogi Park and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. 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 were held at nearby Yoyogi National Gymnasium.
In 1965, the name of the area in the
1970s and 1980s
Coming into the 1970s, fashion-obsessed youth culture experienced a transition, from
In the 1980s, Takeshita Street became known for teenage street dancing groups called takenoko-zoku.
From 1977, a Sundays-only pedestrian precinct was established by closing local roads. This produced a surge in people gathering close to entrances of Yoyogi Park 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,[3] the Sundays-only pedestrian zone was abolished.
1990s to present
In the 1990s and 2000s, with the rise of fast fashion, there was an influx of international fashion brand flagship store openings including Gap Inc., Forever 21, Uniqlo, Topshop 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 (the "Harajuku Backstreets").
In 2006, Omotesando Hills opened, replacing the Dōjunkai apartments on Omotesando.
In 2008, the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line opened, providing alternative metro access linking Harajuku to Shibuya and Ikebukuro.
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 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. The man attempted to flee from the scene but was soon apprehended by authorities in a nearby park.[4][5]
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
Other local landmarks include:
- shrine located in an evergreen forest and dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken
- Yoyogi Park
- Kenzo Tange to host swimming and diving events at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Omotesando
- Ura-Harajuku
- Laforet Harajuku
- Omotesando Hills
- Tōgō Shrine
- Ukiyo-e Ōta Memorial Museum of Art
- Nezu Museum
Former landmark buildings
- Dōjunkai Apartments, a 1927 building replaced in 2005 by Tadao Ando-designed Omotesando Hills
- 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 and presents a variety of unique menus.
Transport
Rail
- Harajuku Station (JR East Yamanote Line)
- Meiji-jingumae 'Harajuku' Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line)
Road
- Meiji Street
- Omotesando Street
- Gaien-nishi Street
See also
- Fruits, magazine covering Harajuku street fashion
References
- ^ "JNTO Official Guide". Japanese National Tourism Organization. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ "Time Out Tokyo". 50 Things to do in Harajuku. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ "0Terebi Last days of Harajuku Hokoten (Japanese only)". 0Terebi. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "8 injured as man rams car into pedestrians in Harajuku in 'retaliation for execution'". Japan Today.
- ^ Euan McKirdy and Junko Ogura (January 2019). "Tokyo car attack: Driver hits New Year's revelers in Harajuku". CNN.
- ^ "Lonely Planet Online Guide". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ Bain, Marc (22 February 2017). "Japan's wild, creative Harajuku street style is dead. Long live Uniqlo — Quartz". qz.com. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
External links
- Tokyo/Harajuku travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Harajuku photos and guide
- Japan-guide: Harajuku