11 Things to do in Harajuku Tokyo
In this Harajuku guide in Tokyo Japan we show you lots of things to do in Harajuku, including shopping and street food.
Harajuku is probably somewhere you’ve heard of; after all, it is an essential part of Japan’s sartorial history, what with its eccentric Harajuku fashion and emphasis on personal style. Although you might not initially realise it, there’s actually a whole lot more to do in Harajuku than just people/fashion watch (although that is pretty excellent in itself and we thoroughly recommend it!) There are so many things to do in Harajuku Tokyo - and we are about to show you the very best of them! Watch our YouTube video below to see even more of what to expect in Harajuku and to see why you need to hurry up and get to Harujuku as soon as possible!
This video guide will show you all around the Harajuku area
- Shopping in Harajuku
Harajuku is a must for anyone who loves to shop! Shopping in Harajuku is perfect for you if you love cute clothes, adorable characters, and unique accessories. From the moment you enter Takeshita Street, the main street in Harajuku, you’ll come face to face with hair accessories galore! There are shops selling classic tourist bits, but you’ll definitely find super cute stuff around too. The one thing to be mindful of is that this is a touristy area, and the prices do reflect this. Try and venture off the main street in search of cheaper deals, but more on that soon!
- Harajuku pet cafes
There are so many Harajuku Pet cafes to choose from! You might assume that dog cafes or cat cafes would be the only option, and yes Harajuku does offer those, but in classic Harajuku style, it has something for every taste. Ever wanted to visit a pig cafe? Well Harajuku has you covered! On Takeshita street, you’ll find a branch of Mipig, a pet cafe with piglets! Go in, buy some snacks, and spend some time playing with and cuddling one of the adorable little pigs. And if that’s not your scene, you could even visit the hedgehog cafe. What are you waiting for?! Go and cuddle some cute animals!
- Noa Harajuku Purikura photo studio
Purikura is a huge trend in Japan, so why not try it out while you’re there? At the end of Takeshita Street, you can find Noa, a basement level Purikura shop, which is completely jam-packed with photobooths for you to choose from - 25, to be precise. Apparently there can be long lines, but we literally walked straight in when it was our turn. The whole thing costs about 400JPY/US$2.60. Not bad, considering you get to take, edit, and print your photos, which will likely have you cackling with laughter. There are even accessories for you to use for your photoshoot, including wigs and different outfits. You also get access to digital versions of your photos, so you can keep those Purikura memories lasting forever!
- Rainbow cheese sandwich
You know those crazy rainbow snacks you’ve been seeing on social media? Well, chances are that they were purchased in Harajuku. We spotted rainbow cheese sandwiches/cheese toasties and rainbow corn dogs on the Main Street, so you can definitely live out your unicorn fantasies and get your rainbow food fix!
- Strawberry Fetish
If you’re feeling in the mood for something, well, not quite so fluorescently coloured, then we definitely recommend Strawberry Fetish. You’ll find this store all over Tokyo, but something about having it in Harajuku just made it so much more delicious! These strawberries are placed on a skewer (with the option of adding shine muscat grapes - yum!) before being covered in a layer of melted candy. The result? The thinnest layer of candy which you bite through with ease, giving way to the sweetest, most delectable strawberry underneath. We massively recommend this place. I’d eat another one if I could right now!
- Harajuku fashion
Fashion and Harajuku go hand in hand, so of course it is something you need to do when you’re in Tokyo. Simply walking down the main street of Harujuku will present you with a series of looks, some more daring than others. Through fashion, people aren’t afraid to take a risk. Prepare for clashes of colours, textures galore, hair accessories a-plenty.. and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! It was a lovely experience seeing people who weren’t afraid to express themselves through their personal style. We loved the Harujuku fashion!
- Explore the Harajuku alleyways
There’s so much more to Harujuku than just the Main Street. You absolutely need to check out the side streets - there are all kinds of gems to be found. From pet cafes to delicious restaurants, you're bound to find someone that will capture your attention.
- Visit Harajuku station
This one is a little tricky to miss, given that it's probably the way you'll probably arrive in the Harajuku area! Harajuku Station is a little different to what you may have seen online. The original building; a stunning Tudor style building built in 1906 was demolished and rebuilt in 2019, in order to meet safety standards and to handle the increase in passenger traffic. It was sad, yes, saying farewell to such an iconic building, but the new building is beautiful in its own way, and we have no doubt it will become every bit as iconic as the last one.
- Eat MOS burger in Harajuku
Are you one of those people who wants to eat the local cuisine when you travel and then somehow find yourself back at McDonalds? Well, then hurry up and get down to Mos burger! This is Japan's biggest fast food restaurant, offering an enormous range of burgers, fries and sodas. What we also loved about it, was that it works around dietry requirements. There were actually vegetarian options, which we massively appreciated after struggling for veggie food in Tokyo!
- Sanrio store (and cheaper alternatives)
You heard that right, there’s an enormous Sanrio store right in the heart of Harajuku. You can get your fix of Hello Kitty and all other things adorable! It’s absolutely worth a visit, but we also have to let you know about the cheaper alternative. Not too far away you’ll find the Daison store. This is essentially the $1 shop of Japan, and you can pick up all kinds of cute Sanrio goods for about an 1/8 of the price at the Sanrio store. Worth it? You bet!
- Capsule Lab
Even if you’re not into all things cute, there’s a pretty high chance that you’ll get converted during your time in Japan. Cue: the Capsule Lab. At 400 yen a spin, you can choose from one of the hundreds of machines available inside Capsule Lab. Each machine clearly displays the prizes available inside each gaschapon/capsule, although you still have the surprise of what colour way you win. It’s a really inexpensive way to acquire the best souviner you possibly can. There is such a range available, from classic Disney characters to miniature Godzillas at press conference apologising for destroying the city. Yes, really!
And that’s it - Harajuku in a nutshell. We hope you have a fantastic trip, and remember to watch our Harajuku video to see the area in even more detail!