Today we will visit the hip and cool Harajuku, not too far from our home base of Shibuya.  Harajuku is known for trendy and often outrageous youth culture, interesting shops and, best of all, delicious crepes.  It’s not uncommon to see a group of young people dressed as vampires or gothic lolitas – completely made up right down to eye-color changing contacts – casually perusing the clothing stores, trendy shops and snack vendors here.  Sadly I didn’t get many photos that show the unusual fashions because it was so very crowded.  We must have come on a particularly busy day.  As we entered the main shopping streets, we were swept up in a surging wave of young people doing whatever it is that they do.

The train station for Harajuku is a standard part of the ever-popular JR Yamanote line, but it is fairly unique- fashioned after some sort of gothic style structure.  It features a big mechanical clock and pointed roof which are reminiscent of vampire movies.  Even as you exit the station and head towards Takeshita-dori (a famous street) you can begin to see the character of Harajuku.

As we got further away from the crowds of Takeshita-dori, we found ourselves heading towards Kiddyland, a famous toy store.  Inside, we found many treasures.  I purchased an adorable stuffed edamame bean with a face known as “Mameshiba.”  (TV cartoon character, a cross between a soy bean and a dog)

Probably my favorite part about visiting Harajuku is eating the awesome crepes.  Yes, crepes… like the french ones, but done just a bit better.  There are many shops specializing in crepes in Harajuku because the youth in the area love to eat them.  No boring strawberries and whipped cream here… there are tons of options, most of which include ice cream and various fruit or other flavors.  The crepe is made instantly on a large griddle as you order.  Ingredients are placed inside and the whole thing is wrapped up like an ice cream cone and served to you in a paper.  I can’t even begin to say how good of an idea this is.  The stores are all packed and everyone loves to eat the crepes.

This trip was a bit tiring and it was HOT today.  Really hot.  Everyone carried umbrellas and/or fans and still the effect of the summer sun was intense each time we stepped out of the shade.  So, we headed back to the hotel to cool down and rest.  Later on we headed out for Mos Burger and to explore and shop a bit.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Tokyo… I can’t imagine returning to the States after this experience.  I don’t feel that I’ve even scratched the surface of Tokyo as a tourist, let alone a photographer.  I’m no closer to understanding Japanese life than I was 2 weeks ago and I am sure we have missed many times more than we have seen.  All I know is that I feel good when I’m here, and I want to come back.

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