Page 95 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

Takeshita-dori, a narrow alley bet ween
Meiji-dori and Harajuku Station, is the
place to find what’s hot in teen fashion and
culture. Sundays bring the biggest crowds.

Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial vaulted roof stages large-
Museum of Art scale opera recitals. Perfor-
" ⌂ 1-10-10 Jingūmae, mances are fre quent – phone
Shibuya # 10:30am–5:30pm for details (03 5353-0770) or
Tue–Sun ¢ 27th–end of pick up a leaflet from the
each month foyer information counter
for a list of upcoming shows.
On top of the two halls,
there are 54 floors, mostly
7 \=- housing offices of companies,
Tokyo Opera City including Apple. The first
東京オペラシティー three floors are accessible to
the public, however, and
 A6 ⌂ 3-20-2 Nishi- house an art gallery, shops,
Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku and res taurants, which are
£ Hatsudai Stn, Keio line
∑ operacity.jp worth investigating before or
after the opera. The expansive
Crowds on neon-lit This towering skyscraper is NTT Intercommunication
Takeshita-dori, in home to Tokyo’s impressive Center occupies the fourth
the Harajuku District music and theater complex. floor. This is one of Tokyo’s
On the first floor of the build- primary centers for modern
ing, you’ll find two main halls. inter active art. The 53rd and
narrow lane to the left is lined One of these is primarily used 54th floors of the buildings
with boutiques of up-and- for Japanese classical music hold a dozen restaurants and
coming designers and gives a and theater, while a vast bars, some of which boast
good idea of residential life in opera hall with a soaring great city views.
this upscale area. Farther up
the hill from the footbridge on
the left is Omotesando Hills. HARAJUKU GIRLS
This huge complex is home Harajuku has been a mecca for Tokyo teens since at least
to bouti ques such as Jimmy the mid-1990s, when disparate fashion sub-cultures
Choo, and specialist luxury- would gather near the former Olympic Park to shop and
goods stores, as well as show off. Around that time, a magazine called FRUiTS
dozens of brand stores such would feature portraits of young people in zany outfits,
as UGG Australia and Catimini. popularizing the idea of Tokyo as a hub for teen fashion.
Over the pedestrian bridge A number of mainstream brands, such as Uniqlo, moved
to the right is the Oak into the district, transforming it into a tourist hot spot.
Omotesando Building. This In 2017, the print edition of FRUiTS ceased publication.
two-story shopping zone has Nevertheless, one Sunday a month, devotees gather for
an impressive glass facade the Harajuku Fashion Walk to relive the glory days.
and houses several luxury
brands, such as Coach and
Emporio Armani, as well as
Japan’s first Nespresso
boutique. Just before the
Oak Omotesando Building
is the vermilion-and-white
Oriental Bazaar, a collec tion
of shops full of real and fake
antiques and good handi-
crafts, ideal for souvenirs.
Design Festa Gallery
⌂ 3-20-18 Jingūmae, Shibuya
# 11am–8pm daily ∑ design
festagallery.com
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