Guide - Buy - Takeshita (竹下通り)

Takeshita (竹下通り)

Harajuku girls on high speed at Takeshita-dōri
Budget
Opening Hours Shops along Takeshita Dori tend to be open daily from 11am to 8pm

This teeming alley, which lies at the heart of Harajuku, represents Tokyo's propensity for both teenage kitsch and subcultural fetish. Boom boxes blare at full volume while young, angst-ridden adolescents browse through racks of cheap versions of the latest trend. This is the place to look for outrageously gaudy jewellery, punk accessories, hip hair boutiques, fast-food joints and cute cuddly toys.

Transport Harajuku Station (Yamanote line), Takeshita exit or Meiji-Jingumae Station (Chiyoda line), Exit 2.
Jingumae 1 chome, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001
東京都渋谷区神宮前1丁目

1. Tax-free banners are always attractive to tourists. At Takeshita Street, you may also want to keep an eye out for people holding signs with special offers.

2. Harajuku is home to some stylish and reasonably priced stores, packed with both vintage and modern fashions.

3. This narrow street is less than a mile long, but every inch is filled with vibrant shops that have made it a symbol of ever-trendy Harajuku.

4. From school uniform chic to vintage band shirts, and princess pink to goth frills, Takeshita Street has shops catering to all the latest trends.

5. Since it mainly caters to teenagers, Harajuku is a more competitively priced shopping zone than its neighbours Shibuya and Shinjuku .