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.
As with any public gathering there’s likely to me some more ecentric people in the crowd, Sundays in Harajuku is no different, take this fella for example, getting on the “Free Hugs” campaign that swept the world a few years back.
I couldn’t finish off without making mention of this guy, admiring the young lasses shorts or shoes i don’t know, either way they were both worth a look … not a bad kit considering the temperature didn’t make double figures yesterday.
If you liked these, why not check out my photos from the Coming of Age Festival Seijin no Hi a few weeks ago or you may like my coverage of Miss Japan 2008 / Miss Nippon 2008 a little more!
Similar Posts:
- Yoyogi Park
- Harajuku People
- JR Yamanote Line – Harajuku
- Yoyogi Parks’ Stretching Man
- Isoji Ramen Yoyogi
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i want to visit japan just for this
What a world – the two girls in the white, dyed orange, blonde – great pic, would love to chat/interview a couple of these people, however in my experience there really isn’t much of a conversation to be had…
The free hugs fella, great to see in had his sign in Korean, and Chinese…something I have not seen down here in Fukuoka…
I like that one too Nathan, i’ve just upgraded it to the main picture.
And that is why the Japanese rock in cosplay. Some of them look like they stepped out of Anime.
Some Damn Fine Chicks there
Nice Post
Dale
http://dzrbenson.com/blog/
Oh wow! Thanks Neil for bringing this post up
When I visited Japan, I was able to check out this bridge because if I’m correct, just a bit pass it, you go into this “park” area, which is usually for tourists. It’s amazing how Japan residents dress up and I love it
-Mike
Yes, correct Mike, Yoyogi Park … one of, if not the biggest park in innner city Tokyo. I’ll be there for a Hanami party (Cherry Blossom) early in the year.
They’re in cosplay! How cute! Cosplay is just taking off here in the Philippines and the Japanese cosplayers are much better at it!
Yeh, it’s huge here, i’ll get some more photos of other areas and other cosplay themes over the next few weeks. I’d love to see some photos from the Philippines if you have them.
I guess the guy is looking at her legs, considering how they are bent backwards (especially the right leg)! Weird, to say the least.
*Long time lurker – popping in to say hello*
A common site here, lots of girls are pidgeon toed and have legs like this girl here. Glad you broke the silence.
Hmm…is Cherry Blossom the season where those special flowers bloom? I recall hearing about it from my tour guide and she also mentioned that it only happens once every couple of years…
You should post about this because I would love some more info on it
THanks!
-Mike
I will be Mike.
Looking at the people with noseband always reminds me of Reita from the GazettE. I wish I could live in Japan!
It’s a cool place to live Sookyee …. and it snowed yesterday which was fantastic!
I thought Osaka was bugged out with the hime-sama walking around and the people dressed up like clowns, but I must say that Tokyo has them beat. That whole area is full of people dressing up like that. Nice! It seems like a trip to Tokyo needs to be made….
Unapproved printing of a photograph is illegal.
Was printing permission got from the reflected person himself/herself?
If there is no permission, please delete a photograph at once.
Which person are you referring too? All photographs were taken by me.
Apparently it’s popular to look like you’re in the band “the GazettE” right now. It was all Dir en grey when I was there but they basically left the visual scene so the kids don’t get to have fun with dressing like them anymore. I once took a picture on this bridge of a Japanese guy with some D-SLR taking a picture of a girl dressed ゴシック・ロリータ (as opposed to ビジュラル系) bending over exposing her backside. He was not pleased by my catching him. Thanks for this post and the memories.
I have not been in Harajuku on a Sunday in a long time, but it is always fun to see what those crazy kids are up to from time to time.
That is a Gazette cosplayer – and a couple that you caught are also Dir en Grey (from earlier themes of the band, obviously.)
98% of the cosplayers on the bridge on a Sunday morning are ビジュラル系 related. The ロリータ are, in general, just wearing a particular type of fashion-not cosplayers (in this area of town). Lolita fashion, whether Gothic, Aristocrat, Pretty or one of the plethora of other types (we called them “Fluffies”, I can’t remember why. We especially liked the fruit fluffies, or the table-cloth fluffies) is intricately related to the visual-kei scene.
I sound like a J-Rock snob, sorry. If you really want to see some simply amazing reproductions of costumes, find a “Lareine” show to go to – even if you just hang around outside. A friend of mine spent more than 90 hours creating a copy of one of the vocalist’s costumes- handbeaded and finished with feathers and… it’s amazing stuff.
(The guy above complaining about you publishing photos might be refering to an American law for print-press. I did some photos on the bridge for an underground mag in America- I had to make sure my subjects were all over 18 and would sign something giving me permission to use the shots. It was kind of annoying. Certainly it’s rude to take pics of those on the bridge without asking, but more so ’cause they don’t want to get caught out of pose or with not-perfect makeup. I’ll stop my essay now. Sorry!)