Today i got out to Harajuku and although the original purpose was to visit as part of the JR Yamanote Line tour i ended up cutting it short for a few reasons, weather and a hangover being the main 2 though.
I was hoping to get out there on a clear blue skies day, instead it was overcast and started to rain. There were far too many people for me to handle and not enough on the bridge.
Instead of wandering around, i followed the recommendation of a few people from my local bar last night, the scene of the crime, and headed to Jangara Ramen a famous Ramen shop so i’m told. With no real idea of where it was it took me 20 minutes to find it, when i did and i sat down to my Ramen i was well pleased i did.
I’ll be back to try something a little hotter next time but for today i went the Miso Ramen, with Chashew, Egg and extra onion.
Anyone looking for Jangara Ramen – if you head for the bridge turn left instead of going to right to Meiji Jingu and start walking down the hill you’ll see it on the left hand side.
There’s an upstairs restaurant as well as a down stairs one in the Harajuku area. I got there a little before 12 and when i left the line up had started.
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.
This weeks theme in The Photo Hunt is Important or Taisetsu (たいせつ) in Japanese.
I thought long and hard about this weeks theme and recent events led me to choose religion as being a good way to describe “Important” while keeping a Japanese flavour to my photos.
Coming from a country where religion is mainly observed by other ethnic groups, being an Australian of English decent it’s something that’s never featured prominantly in my life.
Although i spent New Years Eve in Australia this year, last year i spent it in Japan and was amazed at how many young folk visit Temples and Shrines on or shortly after New Years Eve, New Years Day and other significant holidays in Japan.
This weeks photo was taken in Kyoto, about 2 hrs south of Japan on the Shinkansen.
I also took a few photos from one of the most well known Shrines in Tokyo, Meiji Jingu which i visited on New Years day 2007. The first few days of the year are exceptionally busy at Meiji Jingu and at many Shrines in Japan.
Meiji Shrine (明治神宮, Meiji Jingū?), located near Harajuku Station in Tokyo, Japan, is the Shinto shrine dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji died in 1912 and Empress Shoken in 1914. After the demise of the Emperor and Empress, this shrine was constructed to venerate them.
