Day 3: Harajuku (原宿)

To get to Harajuku (原宿) from Shinjuku, we took the JR Train Yamanote Line (JR山手線 渋谷行) going towards the Shibuya direction.  Harajuku is only 2 stations apart from Shinjuku.  The JR Yamanote line is one of the most popular JR train lines taken by foreign visitors as its stations are close to many attraction areas in Tokyo.  Years ago, I even bought a travel book which it’s Chinese title is translated as “Visit Tokyo by Riding the JR Yamanote Line”.  One thing visitors should remember is to avoid riding the subway or train during heavy traffic hours.  I am not kidding; we were on a train around 5:00 p.m. on our last day in Tokyo and it was packed like a can of sardines.

Entrance of Takeshita Dori (竹下口)

Getting off from Harajuku station, we got out from the exit closest to the entrance of Takeshita Dori (竹下口).  Takeshita Dori (竹下通り) is a small street full of fashion boutiques, stores selling shoes, accessories and many interesting shops.  If you happen to visit on a Sunday, there are a bunch of cosplayers showing off their costumes around this area.  Along Takeshita Dori, we went into a 100 Yen shop called Daiso; it is a store similar to our local “Dollarama” except it has many floors.  It is kind of interesting to see all different types of Japanese merchandise available in this price range.

After walking to the end of the Takeshita Dori, we turned to Meiji Dori where we took a break in a café called Hanabatake Bokujo (花畑牧場カフェ).  This café originated from Hokkaido and is famous for its caramel products.  We had their cameral soft ice-cream made with Hokkaido milk as well as some bakery items.  After the break, we continued walking to our next 2 destinations on Omotesando Avenue—Kiddy Land and Omotesando Hills.  

Some bakery item from Hanabatake Bokujo: 生キャラメル半熟かすてら

 

Rilakkuma and the walking Korilakkuma

Kiddy Land is a heart-warming place to visit as I have met up with many of my favorite Japanese cartoon characters and recalled lots of my childhood memories there.  My sister also bought a walking Korilakkuma (it’s the little white bear that accompanies Rilakkuma).  However, for those who wish to visit the Harajuku Kiddy Land store after end of August 2010, you will be disappointed because this location is now undergoing a renovation and is currently closed.  I was just able to make it there before it closed for renovation. A substitution store may be in business though, do check the website for details.

Omotesando Hills (表参道ヒルズ) is high-end shopping mall.  This six floor shopping mall has sophisticated architecture and some leading-edge technological equipment to create a very comfortable shopping environment.  The spiral arrangement of the different floors is certainly one of a kind.  The walkways of the mall follow a gradual slope, rising by half a story from one end to another.  So as you walk from one end of the mall to another, you have descended (or climbed) one story.  This also means if you start at the top of the mall, you can wander around the entire place without using any stairs or escalators. 

Omotesando Hills (表参道ヒルズ)

After about half hour of window shopping in Omotesando Hills, we decided to move on to Shibuya.  Instead of going back to the JR train station where we came from, we just continued walking on Omotesando Avenue toward the closest Metro Subway Station, Omotesando station (表参道駅).  This station connects to 2 subway lines, Ginza Line (銀座線) and Hanzomon Line (半蔵門線), which both goes to Shibuya  Station (渋谷駅).  When we reached the entrance of the station, we found that there was a chain-operated restaurant called Soup Stock Tokyo.  This is a restaurant targeted mostly for female customers.  It serves various types of soups and combo meals.  We ordered a hot Atlantic Lobster soup and a cold Potato soup, along with some refreshing drinks.  It was a very decent, light meal on a super hot afternoon.

Reference Links:

Daiso (100 Yen Store)
Hanabatake Bokujo (花畑牧場カフェ)
Kiddy Land
Omotesando Hills (表参道ヒルズ)
Soup Stock Tokyo