On a Sunday morning in Harajuku, specifically the bridge leading from Harajuku to Yoyogi Park, there’s plenty of interesting sights to be seen. For those in the know they are aware that for many years youngsters dressing up in various Lolita costumes litter the streets. For those un-aware making their way over to Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Park they’re often surprised.
These days there are as many foreigners as there are youngster, all eager to take a photo on what is intersting viewing to say the least.
The themes range from Gothic Lolita, often heavily pierced with morbid black make-up and leather clothing. Classic lolita, this look can be seen as the more sophisticated, mature Lolita style because of its use of small, intricate patterns, as well more muted colors on the fabric and in the overall design. Lastly there is Sweet Lolita, focusing on the child and fantasy aspects of Lolita, the Sweet Lolita style adopts the basic Lolita format and uses lighter colors and child fantasy themes in its design.
In the 1980s large numbers of street performers and wildly dressed teens including takenoko-zoku (竹の子族, “bamboo-shoot kids”) gathered on Omotesandō and the street that passes through Yoyogi Park on Sundays when the steets were closed to traffic. The streets were reopened to traffic in the 90s, and a great number of teens stopped gathering there. Today there are still teenagers hanging out in Harajuku, mostly on the bridge across the train tracks from Harajuku station to Yoyogi Park.
