Harajuku

On the way to Shibuya, we noticed a sign that said that Karajuku station was close by. While we were in Ikebukuro, I did not notice many street signs. But once we ventured, and knew where to look for them, there are, indeed street signs with accompanying English, just not as frequently as we might have guessed. There are two kinds of signs: the ones that simply say the street names, which are a bit confusing to me, since the streets in one neighborhood all seem to be named the same thing, and only the major streets are so labeled; and there are direction signs that tell us what is ahead, and left and right. Both can be useful if the map we are using has similar labels, but that is not always the case.

So, seeing the sign to Harajuku, we decided to head that way. We knew from television shows and books that this was the area where young people like to dress in outrageous fashions. However, they say that Sundays are the most popular days, but we wanted to see what might be there today. Indeed, when we got there, a few people were dressed up. Along with that, there was a small pedestrian street that was filled with stores that sold all sorts of different clothing, from punk to frilly dresses to hippy to I-don’t-know-what.

I was impressed with all the different characters and the desire for these people to show off. For the first time today, I felt like a neighborhood had an energy that I liked. It was fun to be there around people who had something to say, and to be around the energy of youth. This energy was felt for the rest of the day, even as we headed further south again towards Shibuya.