Harajuku

Harajuku Station at night

Harajuku (原宿) is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is primarily known as a hangout for teens and contains the department store Laforet, which has many trend-leading brands for young people.

Harajuku became famous in the 1990's due to the large numbers of street performers and wildly dressed teens who gathered there on Sunday when the streets were closed to traffic. This was stopped at the end of the 90's and the number of performers, visual kei fans, rockabilly dancers and punks has steadily decreased since. The area has garnered increased recognition by American youth due to the release of Gwen Stefani's song Harajuku Girls in 2004.

Near the train station there is the Meiji Shrine which is famous for its great number of people who come to visit every year as well as Yoyogi Park. Also nearby are Takeshita Street, a street lined with fashion boutiques and various goods mostly for young teenagers, and Omotesando, a very long street with cafes and upscale fashion boutiques popular with residents and tourists alike. Recently the area known as "Ura-Hara" (backstreet Harajuku) has become well-known for independent casual fashion designs, footwear and so on. Local landmarks include the headquarters of NHK. The streets are heavily crowded on the weekend when teens gather to shop and "hang out" with their friends.