As a dedicated follower of Japanese pop culture and the coauthor of a book on Japanese teen fashion, I confess that I'm getting a bit concerned about the direction in which the Harajuku district is headed these days.
While the influence of the area's percolating youth cultures and stylish indie brands (both of which have helped to make Tokyo a fashion capital) are spreading out to the world, big changes and big business now stand to give Harajuku a major makeover via globalization.
The newest change to the Harajuku landscape comes in the form of a 1,500-sq.-meter H&M store. By all accounts, the grand opening event on Nov. 8 was a resounding success for the Swedish company, one of the world's largest and fastest-growing clothing chains. More than 2,000 people, some waiting as long as 15 hours before the doors opened, braved rainy weather to be among the first to snap up H&M's low-priced stylish apparel alongside limited items produced in collaboration with legendary Japanese label Comme des Garcons.