These superb quality towels has been leading the towel industry for over 120 years in Japan. The softness and ability to absorb water well has put its name in the books around the world and has also appeared in many exhibitions. The towels are produced in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture where they use the natural soft water nearby which is gentle to the yarn of the towel. Each towel goes through a 5 second test where if after 5 seconds, the towel sinks, then it passes.

Address: 2F 203, 5-3-10, Minami-aoyama, minato-ku, Tokyo 〒 107-0062

Hours: Closed every 2nd Tuesday of the month, 11:00am - 7:30pm

Tel: ＋81-3-6427-2941

Website: https://www.imabaritowel.jp/en

How to get there: A 7 minute walk from the Omotesando Station, Exit A5 on the Hanzomon or Ginza Lines.

Video Credits: Youtube

 

Omotesando is known for its unique and groovy architecture. Among these buildings, the Prada Tokyo Aoyama Store stands out. The lozenge shaped, glass building makes up the facade of the store and makes for a visually impressive building. It was completed in 2003 as was built by a Swiss architecture from the notable firm Herzog & de Meuron. even if your wallet might not be able to afford some of the products inside, you can still enjoy the view from outside!

Photo Credit: Timeout Tokyo

Address: 5 Chome-2-6 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0062

Hours: 11am - 8pm

Website: https://www.prada.com/jp/ja.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb&utm_term=S443

How to get there: A 4 minute walk from Omotesando Station, Exit A5 on the Hanzomon Line.

 

Harajuku and Omotesando are known for their funky and high end cafes, but they are also known for their animal cafes. The Tokyo craze for animal cafes started out with cat cafes but has slowly expanded to include many other domestic animals such as owls, hedgehogs, pigs and rabbits. while ethical concerns may be an issue, an easy search can tell you which cafes are popular and treat their animals humanly. A guide to all the animal cafes in Harajuku and Omtesando can be found here.

Photo Credit: Timeout Tokyo

Address: Around the Takeshita Street in Harajuku.

Hours: N/A

Website: N/A

How to get there: N/A

 

For cat lovers, sorry to disappoint but you won’t find cats here as the name suggests. Cat Street is a youth hip fashion center a long with Takeshita Street. It’s not as jam packed and busy like it is on Takeshita Street or even Omotesando. It’s got a more laid back, hip vibe to the area. It’s known for its shopping and food. The street is lined up with funky, hipster boutiques, shops and cafes. Some tend to be hole in the wall and low-key spots, but others are high end, well known brands.

Photo Credit: Japan Visitor

Location: 5 Chome-10-10 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001

Hours: Most stores are open anywhere from 10am - 8pm

Website: N/A

How to get there: An 8 minute walk from Harajuku Station, East Exit on the JR Line.

 

Omotesando Avenue is a sloping tree-lined boulevard in Tokyo's fashionable Aoyama district that goes through parts of both Shibuya and Minato wards. The Harajuku area, which Omotesando is often considered a part of, has its own distinctive brand of youth fashion. On the other hand, Omotesando itself caters to the haute couture end of the spectrum, with plenty of places to sit back and relax over good food and drink, and take in the cutting edge architecture that typifies many of the establishments here.

Omotesando means "Shrine Entranceway Road," reflecting its history as the approach to the Meiji Shrine - and its former grounds, that have now become Yoyogi Park - at the top, north-western, end of the street.

Omotesando features many cutting edge buildings designed by prominent architects, both Japanese and from overseas. The architectural charms of Omotesando are maybe best enjoyed at night when the lighting accentuates the inspired lines and curves.

Summary Credits: Japan Visitor

Photo Credit: JW Magazine

Location: Tokyo, Minato City, Minamiaoyama, 5 Chome

Hours: N/A

Website: N/A

How to get there: The main road is located just outside the Omotesando Station which can be accessed on the Chiyoda Line, Ginza Line or Hanzomon Line.

If you are coming through the JR Line, you can get off at Harajuku Station and take a short, pleasing walk down the tree lined boulevard to the main road.

 

When visiting Harajuku, visiting Takeshita Street is a must. It makes up the main part of Harajuku and is a youth fashion symbol of the area. It’s a 400 meter street lined up with boutiques, shops, fashion and street wear, restaurants, many sweets shops (crepes are the most famous), cafes and much more. It’s popularity attracts massive crowds to the area, but it’s worth all the fun, eating and shopping in the area!

Location: 1 Chome-17 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001

Hours: Most stores are open from around 11am - 8pm.

Website: https://www.takeshita-street.com/

How to get there: A 1 minute walk from Harajuku Station, Takeshita Exit on the JR Line.

 

Kiddy Land is a paradise store for toy and souvenir lovers. It’s packed with the latest and most popular toys and items. It has 5 stories of goods both from Japan and abroad which range from Pokemon, Rilakkuma, Legos, Snoopy, Star Wars, Hello Kitty, Studio Ghibli and much more! It first opened up in 1950 to cater to the large amounts of American soldiers and families stationed nearby during the occupation of Japan after the end of World War II.

Photo Credit: TripAdvisor

Address: 6 Chome-1-9 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001

Hours: 11am - 9pm (10:30am start on Saturday/Sunday)

Website: https://www.kiddyland.co.jp/harajuku/

How to get there: A 7 minute walk from Harajuku Station, East Exit on the JR Line.

 

Dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken who ruled Japan from 1868 to 1912 and responsible for “modernizing and westernizing” Japan, Meiji Shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Tokyo. It should definitely be on your list of things to do in Tokyo list. The shrine was built in 1920, 8 years after the Emperors death and stood until it was destroyed in the Second World War, but was rebuilt shortly after.

Meiji Shrine is adjacent to Yoyogi Park which help make up its massive forest that enshrouds the shrines main complex. Entrance into the shrine is marked by a massive torii gate. Once entering the gate, you can walk along the forested path that’ll lead you to the main shrines complex. The shrine is surrounded by over 100,000 trees which were donated from all around Japan. Along the way, you can see barrels of sake - a common sight at shrines as a symbol of connection between humans and spirits. Parallel to the sake are barrels of wine because Emperor Meiji - an advocate for embracing Western culture - enjoyed drinking wine especially after being diagnosed with diabetes which discontinued his sake intake. Join us on our Tokyo tour.

Read about our guide to proper etiquette’s at shrines here.

Entrance fee: Free

Photo credit: Savvy Tokyo

Address: 1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-8557

Hours: 5am - 6pm

Website: https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/en/

How to get there: A 1 minute walk from Harajuku Station on the JR Line or the Meiji-jingumae Station on the Chiyoda Line.

 

The Meiji Shrine is one of the most important and famous shrines in Tokyo. Within the shrine is a beautiful inner garden that was once the resident home of Kato Kiyomasa, a power feudal lord in the area. The garden has a quaint Japanese tea house, an Iris garden, ponds filled with turtles and koi and a famous well called Kiyomasa’s Well, named after the feudal lord. The well is a popular “power spot” in Japan. A power spot is a place that is said to give off positive, restorative and lucky energy. Due to it’s popularity, there is often someone looking out after the well to ensure the line doesn’t get too long and keep people from spending too much time at the well.

Entrance fee: 500 Yen

Photo credit: Moshi Moshi Nippon

Address: 1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0052 (Located in the Meiji Shrine)

Hours:

9am - 4:00 pm (November till February)

9am - 4:30pm (March till October)

Website: https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/en/whattosee/garden/

How to get there: Located right in the Meiji Shrine, it’s a 1 minute walk from Harajuku Station on the JR Line.

 

In the midst of the largest metropolis in the world, you can find a lush forest of green at Yoyogi Park. It’s the largest park in Tokyo and features wide lawns, ponds and lakes and frequent gatherings and events. Also adjacent to the Meiji Shrine and close to Harajuku, it should definitely be on your list of things to do in Tokyo. During the spring time, you can also enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms while picnicking on the lawns. Before becoming a park in 1967, it served as the Olympic Village for the 1964 Olympics and before the Olympics, it was a military housing unit for the Americans during the occupation after World War II.

Entrance fee: free

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Address: 2-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0052

Website: http://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/park/format/index039.html#googtrans(en)

How to get there: A 5 minute walk from the Harajuku Station on the JR Line. It’s right next to the Meiji Shrine.