The backstreets between Harajuku and Omotesando are some of the coolest places I've wandered in Tokyo. Definitely going to look out for that shrine next time, I had no idea it was there. Good Town Doughnuts/The Little Bakery just off Cat Street was my favourite cute little place to sit and observe in that area :)
I love this it was soo informative instead of like other youtubers that just say "this is the other side of harajuku" and dont explain where it is and dont show the streets in general, pls keep doing this! thank u! ✨✨
Thanks, that means a lot! I try and make my videos useful, and include all the things I wanted to know before I first went (I watch a lot of Japan videos too!) :-)
so, I literally just booked my first trip to Japan! I am going in April. I stumbled on your channel and have been binge watching. Thanks for sharing so much on Japan. Lovely place, and I can't wait to visit.
I love wandering round harajuku I can easily spend a day round there. You can easily get lost, you can also walk to yogi park from harajuku, that is beautiful and the shrine is as well
Yes I've been waiting for this! Looking forward to watching this after my exam today. Soooo looking forward to going to harajuku for the first time on the 14th!
@@cakeswithfaces Thank you! It went well, just two more to go and then I'll be leaving for Japan next Friday! Longest 2 weeks of my life trying to get these exams done before Japan, whilst also preparing for Japan XD I have added a lot of these places to my list and will definitely be visiting the shrine! It's a shame the lolita photoshoot is so expensive (£100-ish), I am getting tempted to try and find some extra money just to do it as I have never worn full lolita before
@@MelonBunzz You're almost there!! You could probably buy a dress from Closet Child for the same price, but yes they'd dress you up properly, I'm sure the photos would be amazing! :-) You can also find lots of lolita brands in Marui 0101 Annex in Shinjuku, the whole department store is lolita/alternative.
Yes! Sad that the Moshi Moshi box is gone. The clock was looking a little faded from the sun - I'm hoping Sebastian Masuda will create something else in Harajuku soon as its replacement! :-)
The shrine is now on our list for next time in Tokyo, my youngest son hates shopping but loves fish so that's a good incentive to take him to Harajuku, thanks!
Very nice video! My son and I were there in April. A bit of a rushed trip, so much to see and do...so little time. Togo shrine was on our "to do" list so it's nice to take a vicarious trip down memory lane...thank you! :) The shrine was dedicated to Admiral Togo (Japan's Nelson) who was the victor at the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904.
@@cakeswithfaces We went on a Sunday...yup...sea of humanity!?!? We were hoping to couple it with the Meiji Shrine (So awesome, we even saw a Shinto Wedding procession) and then see the Street Artists around Harajuku Bridge (No luck there) before walking down to the I.G. Store and Shibuya Crossing (Literal Sea of Humanity). The black, yellow, blue and red emblem on the flags along the shrines entrance are Togo's battle flag which like Nelson read "The Fate of the Empire rests upon your exertions". Thanks again :)
@@markstewart6667 I think sea of humanity is the quintessential experience of some places! I've never seen street artists on Harajuku bridge either - although I did catch the rockabillies in Yoyogi Park, they were fantastic.
Fantastic video. I’m going japan in June. Can’t wait. It will be my first time there. Tokyo here I come ❗️. There is a cherry blossom 🌸 tree near my local Sikh temple where it’s blossoming with Sakura petals. It is the most beautiful tree in Sakura season. I should grow a Sakura tree 😉
My husband and I stumbled upon that shrine as well when we visited. If you keep going across the pond and up some stairs you'll find the actual shrine buildings. It's a lovely place.
The shops in the backstreets tend to be pricier than on Takeshita Street (where some shops are surprisingly cheap!). But you can find some really individual and unique clothing you wouldn't find anywhere else! Finding that shrine was actually one of my fav things, it was so lovely - definitely going back there next time! :-)
Funny story about Togo Shrine: My girlfriend and I one time had an argument in Shinjuku and walked towards Harajuku having our couples quarrel along the way. And if anyone is wondering, NO, we were not being loud, obnoxious or anything like that. That's not our style. Anyhow, at some point I got really annoyed with her and walked apart from her, she tried being toughed but bit the bullet and followed me. Funny enough, we accidentally walked into Togo Shrine during the evening and it was such perfect timing. Because we were able sit down in the midst of absolute tranquility, away from all the chaos of Harajuku and Shibuya. And we ended up putting aside all our non-sense real fast, and therefore Togo Shrine will always have a place in my heart!
Ah it certainly is a peaceful place - I can see how it helped you guys make up! :-) As much as I love Harajuku, it's so full-on that does get a bit much at the best of times, so Togo Shrine's on my must-visit list for a bit of time out!
Cakes with Faces thank you so much! Can't wait to explore the streets of Harajuku this summer, i'll make sure to take down notes of the places you've visited :)
@@kimtaehyung-jb8fj You'll love it! I can easily spend a whole day there (first I spent a day just in Takeshita Street and Laforet without even looking round the backstreets!)
Ah I seeee! I don't know much about kpop - although I do have a kpop playlist on spotify I like listening to when I'm working! :-) I think it's permanent so it should still be there.
Even though you have blonde hair but what protects did you use to make the color work? I have VERY DARK brown hair the sami permanent didn't work I have tried 4 time's to make the color show up I'm tired of wearing fake hair its a problem.nobody on the internet doesn't want to share with me-Nobody!🥺
I have very dark brown hair too! You need to bleach it for the bright colours to work. Bleaching's bad for your hair so I try not to do it too often and let my roots grow out! It's also permanent, whereas the colour fades as you wash it (so you can change colours!). The bleach dries your hair out a lot (mine's oily naturally so it can take it) - I find the colour is quite conditioning through and makes it feel more silky again. It's a really old video but here's how I dye my hair (the process is the same even though the video's old) - hope that helps! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yj55hNsyvRI.html
My favorites was the neon colored burgers, the light bulbs full of soda and the vending machine animal ice creams! I love you channel and how you are so intentional about sharing the most unique and quirky things about Japan! Keep up the good work!
Omg how have I never heard of b-side label before watching ur video?! I'm obsessed with stickers/decals! I'm always on the hunt for cool yet good quality vinyl stickers/decals for collecting but also to put on my car lol. After doing some research I saw they did an official Pokemon collaboration which I'm already obsessed with those too! I need the Pikachu one in my life!
They have so many amazing stickers, I could spend hours in there! Your car must look amazing! There's another one that I somehow always miss going to that's called MIJ Factory Harajuku. There's also another B-Side Label in Shimokitazawa. :-)
Cakes with Faces okay cool thanks I’m going to look them up on Instagram too! & yeah my car is a pretty wild Mix..So far I have Daenerys Targaryen stickers from game of thrones, gudetama, domo, supreme box logo, sonic, ripndip stickers (which they just opened ripndip in Harajuku if ur near there) etc
@@Tweezy786 Thanks for the rec! Just looked up Ripndip - I actually recognise the sign (with the cat giving you the finger! 😝) but I've never been in there!
Cakes with Faces yep no problem! haha & the cat is lord nermal! Lord nermal is their mascot. Their most famous clothing item is the lord nermal Pocket T-shirt in my opinion. The store looks beautiful though I wish I could have been there for the grand opening!
I really enjoy watching your videos and they are so informative and love the way you edit them very colourful and clear. Me and my friend have put out trip on hold till 2022 and we planned to do 2 days in Harajuku and 2 days kn Shibuya but I'm still finding it hard to separate. Do you know the difference between Harajuku and Shibuya? Thank you 🌸🦄🙂
Thanks so much, I'm so glad you enjoy my videos! :-) Harajuku is the home of alternative fashion - colourful and kawaii. The main street is Takeshita Street, and there are also the backstreets of Harajuku with indie boutiques. There's also Meiji Jingu shrine, which is a major shrine - very peaceful with lots of trees - and Yoyogi Park, which is full of life, and great for people-watching. Shibuya is where Hachiko Square is (the famous zebra crossing that thousands of people cross every hour). There's not much to do apart from shopping - it's more mainstream, and it's not just about clothes shopping - there's homeware, music shops, and all sorts of things. The clothes shops in Shibuya aren't as cheap as Harajuku on the whole, and are focussed towards teenage girls, and girly, cute fashion (especially in Shibuya 109), as well as mainstream fashion. There's also a new observation deck called Shibuya Sky. You probably won't need 2 days in Shibuya - but it's a fun place to go in the evening for nightlife, restaurants, games arcades and karaoke (which Harajuku doesn't have so much of). Hope that helps! :-)
@@cakeswithfaces hahaha! I have no choice (^_^) ... I have to go back every year to visit relatives! ... eventually I move back permanently (it kinda sucks but least I save money on airlines!)
It's a bit annoying when places don't allow cameras at all. Like one of the reasons you travel to places is so you can take videos and pictures of the neat things you see.
Well it certainly makes it awkward for me, but you can see why - they're businesses that need to make money to stay open, so they don't want tourists getting in the way of people who actually want to buy something.
