Harajuku and Omotesando

Harajuku and Omotesando form Tokyo's great fashion district, just east of Meiji Jingu's forest, and few walks in the city show its contrasts so clearly. Takeshita Street, a narrow pedestrian lane opposite Harajuku Station, has been the capital of youth fashion since the 1980s: a tightly packed corridor of rainbow cotton candy, crepe stands, idol shops, cosplay and kawaii boutiques, thrift stores and accessories, at its most intense on weekend afternoons. Turn the corner and the mood changes completely. Omotesando, laid out as the formal approach to Meiji Jingu, is a broad avenue lined with zelkova trees and an outdoor museum of contemporary architecture, where luxury houses commissioned the best architects in Japan and beyond: Toyo Ito's Tod's building with its concrete branches, SANAA's layered Dior store, Tadao Ando's Omotesando Hills shopping complex with its long internal ramp, and, down the side streets of Minami-Aoyama, Herzog and de Meuron's crystalline Prada building. Between the two worlds lies Cat Street, a car-free lane over an old buried river, lined with streetwear brands, vintage shops and cafes, and the tangle of backstreets known as Ura-Harajuku, the birthplace of Tokyo's streetwear labels. Laforet Harajuku, a fashion building at the main crossing, showcases young Japanese designers. The district is also one of Tokyo's best for cafes and sweets, from fluffy pancakes to specialty coffee, and the zelkova avenue is strung with lights in winter. Everything is free to explore, and the neighborhood links naturally with Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Park and Shibuya, a twenty-minute walk south.

How to do it well: start at Meiji Jingu in the morning while the forest is quiet, cross to Takeshita Street before the crowds peak, then escape down to Omotesando and Cat Street for a slower afternoon of shopping and cafes, finishing in Shibuya for the evening or in Aoyama for dinner. On a weekday morning, Takeshita Street is walkable; on a Sunday afternoon it can be a shoulder-to-shoulder crush, which some visitors love and others hate. The Harajuku fashion tribes of the 1990s are much less visible than they were, but the street remains a riot of color, and Sunday is still the day for dressing up.

Architecture fans should walk the full length of Omotesando and then explore the Minami-Aoyama backstreets toward the Nezu Museum, whose garden and Kengo Kuma-designed building make a calm end to the walk. Fashion shoppers will find everything from luxury flagships to Japanese design labels and vintage stores selling American clothes to Japanese collectors. Many visitors pick up souvenirs at the big character and toy shops, and Kiddy Land on Omotesando is a long-standing favorite for Sanrio, Studio Ghibli and anime goods. Budget-wise, the district can be free or very expensive; window-shopping the architecture costs nothing.

Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line, Meiji-jingumae Station on the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines, and Omotesando Station on the Ginza, Hanzomon and Chiyoda lines all serve the area. Crepes, eaten on the spot outside the stands, are the classic Harajuku snack; most shops ask customers not to walk and eat, so finish before moving on. Weekends are much busier than weekdays, and the area gets very crowded during Japanese school holidays. To see the district at its most relaxed, come on a weekday morning, have coffee on Omotesando as the shops open, and leave Takeshita Street for last if you prefer crowds, or first if you prefer space. In December, the zelkova trees are wrapped in lights and the avenue becomes one of the most romantic evening walks in Tokyo. Many shops offer tax-free purchases for visitors with a passport, which matters on bigger fashion buys. For a calmer break, the tranquil inner forest of Meiji Jingu is only a few minutes from the busiest corner of Takeshita Street.