One day in Harajuku: grand shrines and shopping!

A trip to Tokyo isn’t complete without a visit to Harajuku. Here, you can visit the famous Meiji Shrine, experience a slice of youth culture along Takeshita-dōri, and go shopping in Omotesandō – all within a fifteen minute walk!

Harajuku station is situated between Shibuya and Shinjuku on the Yamanote line, making it really easy to combine multiple destinations in a day. As for me, I went a little bit further on the Yamanote line to Ikebukuro, home of the Pokémon Megastore!

I’ve listed all of the places below in my Harajuku and Omotesandō google map to help you with your planning! (It also includes the Pokémon Megastore in Ikebukuro!)

Explore Meiji Jingū

Meiji Jingū, also known as Meiji Shrine, is situated right round the corner from Harajuku station. It’s so close you can’t miss it!

Dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken, Meiji Jingū was built to honour their work in an event known as the Meiji Restoration, where power was removed from the shogunate and returned to the Emperor (well, kind of). This event caused huge social, political and economic change and led to the opening up of Japan to the wider world.

Leaving the hustle and bustle of Harajuku behind, as you enter through the large wooden tori gate you come to a wide path flanked by trees. To one side there are stacks of individually decorated sake barrels, all of which have been donated by businesses to honour the Emperor and his wife. The sake is replenished each year.

Following the path down you eventually reach the main shrine. As with Sensōji, I saw a lot of people wearing traditional Japanese clothes. There were quite a few little ones toddling around in yukata which was very cute indeed!

Write and hang up an Ema

In most shrines and temples across Japan you can buy ‘ema’, and Meiji Jingū is no exception. These are wooden tablets that are decorated on one side with something representing the shrine or the local area. On the other side they are blank for you to add your own message, whether that’s a hope or a prayer. You then hang these up in designated areas before they are burned by Shinto priests at special events to ‘release’ the wish. Alternatively, you can take them home as a souvenir.

Try some dango

In the grounds of Meiji Jingū there is also a shop selling traditional goods and a stall where you can buy dango. Dango is a sweet ball made from rice flour which is very similar to mochi. You usually receive 3-5 balls on a wooden skewer, drizzled with a sweetened soy sauce topping. It’s delicious!

From Meiji Jingū you can take a relaxing stroll in Yoyogi Park or take the plunge and explore Harajuku, which is what I did!

Stroll down Takeshita Street / Takeshita-dōri, Harajuku

Takeshita street is again very close to Harajuku station and is a lot of fun to walk along. If you like Japanese fashion, youth culture, and shopping, this is the place for you!

There are lots of interesting things to look at here, from amazing costume stores (Boutique Takenoko) to gorgeous jewellery stores (Paris Kid’s, Luna Earth) to places where you can purchase rainbow candy floss (Totti Candy Factory) and er, poop ice cream (Sweet XO Good Grief). I am not kidding as you can see!

There’s also a big Daiso store which is the perfect place for picking up reasonably-priced souvenirs. You can easily spend a good couple of hours here!

My words of advice though: visit Takeshita-dōri during the week or early in the morning. I went on a Saturday afternoon and not only was it packed full of people, shop assistants shout the latest deals into the store with megaphones. Combine that with 20°C weather and it was…a lot. Luckily there are lots of places to eat if you need a break – yes, even a Maccy D’s.

Do some shopping in Omotesandō

After walking along Takeshita-dōri I ended up in Omotesandō, another shopping street with lots of high-end fashion stores. I’d recommend visiting Oriental Bazaar, which is a great place for traditional Japanese goods, as well as Kiddy Land, a four-storey toy store selling lots of cool stuff. If you like Pokémon, Studio Ghibli or Disney you will be spoilt for choice!

After exploring some of the stores in Omotesandō I walked back to Harajuku station for my final destination. Yes, it’s Pokémon time!

Pick up a Pikachu at the Pokémon Megastore, Ikebukuro

The Ikebukuro Pokémon store is located in the Sunshine City shopping complex, and is a 30 minute journey from Harajuku station via the Yamanote line.

Although the newer Shibuya Pokéstore is more central and has the added benefit of being next to Japan’s flagship Nintendo store, there is plenty in the Ikebukuro store for any Pokémon fan. You can buy everything from plushies to stationery to cutlery. What’s especially cool is that there are ‘collections’ of merchandise using different art styles, from cutesy, cubist styles to very simple, understated designs. If you’re visiting in November or December you can also buy themed plushies to hang on your Christmas tree.

They also have themed Pikachus for sale as you can see from the below! (I also received a shiny Sailor Pikachu card for spending so much money in store, haha oops). The theme does change from time to time.

I’ll definitely be writing more about some of the other Pokémon stores I’ve visited so stay tuned! (You didn’t think I could just visit one, right?)

Want inspiration for more one-day itineraries along Japan’s Golden Route? See my full first-trip itinerary and travel guides here! I’ll be adding more as my Japan series progresses.