In the heart of Tokyo's Harajuku, the nation's fashion capital, Yuumi Mizunaga has opened a shop she hopes will win over the area's young trendsetters.

Its draw is neither high-heeled nor handmade, but a designer consciousness is still prevalent.

Mizunaga opened Harajuku Jitensha (Bicycle) last November, to turn bikes, long considered merely a means of transportation or a vehicle for rural scenic routes, into a fashion item.