Harajuku

Style & Design | ON: FASHION Jan 9, 2021

Flashbacks and fantasy kick off Japan’s 2021 fashion scene

by Samuel Thomas

As department stores try to make up for a dismal 2020, recently released capsule collections turn to feel-good, nostalgic escapism.

Food & Drink Nov 7, 2020

Harry's Sandwich Company: Bringing familiar flavors to homesick American residents

by W. Tanner Kirk

It can be surprisingly hard to find a decent sandwich in Tokyo. Good thing Harry’s Sandwich Co. is here to fill the sub-shaped hole in our hearts.

Food & Drink | DESSERT WATCH Nov 7, 2020

Harajuku’s latest dessert trend? Taiwanese castella cake

by Patrick St. Michel

New sweets constantly emerge in Japan, and the latest fad combines the addictive texture of a souffle pancake with the taste of castella.

National Aug 22, 2020

End of an era: Dismantling of old Harajuku Station building to begin on Monday

After standing for 96 years and surviving World War II, the old wooden building is finally set to be taken down, bringing an end to a Tokyo landmark.

Business / Corporate Jun 3, 2020

Despite pandemic, Uniqlo to open new store in Tokyo's Harajuku

by Kazuaki Nagata

The opening of the shop follows a 56.5 percent plunge in Fast Retailing's domestic same-store sales in April, its worst year-on-year decline.

National Apr 27, 2020

A cut above: Tokyo barber launches 'telecut' service as COVID-19 hits business

by Tomohiro Osaki

Mr. Brothers Cut Club of Harajuku has launched what could be the industry's first online haircut service.

Business Mar 21, 2020

Harajuku Station replaced by gleaming glass box for Tokyo Games

The new version of Harajuku Station opened on Tokyo's busy Yamanote loop line Saturday as visitors in masks gathered to gawk despite the coronavirus pandemic. The new building, situated just south of the original wooden one, is a two-story structure straddling the tracks with exits ...

Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE Jan 18, 2020

Echoes of Esquisse in the elegant new Elan

by Robbie Swinnerton

Elan is the new restaurant of the young and impressive Ryoma Shida, formerly of the two-Michelin-star restaurant Esquisse. Here, Japanese ingredients meet contemporary French cuisine.

Lifestyle Dec 14, 2019

A cut above the rest: A new generation of barbers is trying to overcome an image problem

by Tomohiro Osaki

A group of men sporting tattoos and smoking cigarettes chats casually on benches outside Mr. Brothers Cut Club in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood. Were it not for a couple of red, white and blue barber's poles hanging near the entranceway, a passerby might think they've ...

Style & Design Dec 2, 2019

Japan's end-of-year fashion ups and downs

by Samuel Thomas

As the year ends, Japan's fashion landscape finds itself facing big changes in street brands, department stores and sales tactics.

National Sep 20, 2019

Pop-up venue Pride House opens in Tokyo for LGBT fans ahead of 2019 Rugby World Cup

As the Rugby World Cup got underway Friday, a pop-up venue for LGBT and other sexual minority fans opened in Tokyo, in an initiative organizers hope to build on for next year's Olympics and beyond. The Pride House Tokyo 2019 in the capital's Harajuku district ...