Harajuku: From Meiji-jingu Shrine to Yoyogi Park, Takeshita-dori Street, and Omotesando

This walking course starts at JR Harajuku Station, visits Meiji-jingu Shrine, strolls through the woods and open lawns of the neighboring Yoyogi Park, crosses over to Takeshita-dori Street on the opposite side of the station, stops by the Ota Memorial Museum of Art to view ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and then walks along Omotesando—originally created as an approach to Meiji-jingu Shrine—all the way to Aoyama-dori Street.

History and Local Charm

The town of Harajuku developed alongside Meiji-jingu Shrine. Meiji-jingu Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, was founded in 1920. In the preceding year of 1919, the avenue from Aoyama-dori Street to Jingu-bashi Bridge was established as the primary approach (omotesando) to the shrine. JR Harajuku Station also saw an increase in passengers as the nearest station to the shrine.

After World War II, the site of present-day Yoyogi Park became Washington Heights, a residential compound for the United States military. Shops aimed at the residents began opening along Takeshita-dori Street, while military families visited Omotesando, fostering an international atmosphere. During the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Olympic Village was set up on these grounds, and in 1967, Yoyogi Park officially opened.

Around 1960, Omotesando began transforming into a fashion district, and from the 1970s onwards, shops increased along Takeshita-dori Street as well. In modern Harajuku, the serene forest of the shrine and youth culture, epitomized by "kawaii," coexist within easy walking distance.

Key Highlights

• ​Meiji-jingu Shrine​​: The sacred forest of approximately 700,000 square meters is an artificial forest planted with roughly 100,000 trees donated from across Japan. Grown over more than 100 years, it now looks like a natural forest. The Otorii gate standing at the junction of the south and north approaches is 12 meters high and 17.1 meters wide, making it the largest wooden Myojin-style torii gate in Japan.
• ​Yoyogi Park​​: Formerly an Imperial Japanese Army parade ground, then a residential area for US military personnel and the Tokyo Olympic Village, it became a public park. Beyond the Harajuku Gate on the right-hand side stands the sole remaining residential building from the Olympic Village, which was used by Dutch athletes.
• ​Takeshita-dori Street​​: A shopping street running from the Takeshita Exit of JR Harajuku Station to Meiji-dori Street. In the late 1980s, 42 celebrity talent merchandise shops lined this street alone. Today, young people from Japan and abroad visit to browse "kawaii" fashion items while enjoying crepes.
• ​Ota Memorial Museum of Art​​: A specialized museum dedicated to ukiyo-e, based on the collection amassed by the businessman Ota Seizo V. There is no permanent exhibition; instead, monthly thematic exhibitions rotate approximately 70 to 100 works each month.
• ​Omotesando​​: A 36-meter-wide boulevard developed as the approach to Meiji-jingu Shrine. During the 1945 air raids, all but 13 of the zelkova trees burned down, but replanting efforts after the war restored the avenue of trees.

Recommended Route and Estimated Time

The estimated time required is about 6 hours. Begin at JR Harajuku Station and enter Meiji-jingu Shrine. Walking from each entrance to the main sanctuary takes about 10 minutes. After passing beneath the Otorii gate and offering your prayers at the shrine buildings, take a look at the barrels of sake wrapped in straw mats (komodaru) and the wine barrels displayed within the grounds.

Head about 560 meters southwest from Meiji-jingu Shrine to reach Yoyogi Park. Enter through the Harajuku Gate, view the Olympic memorial residence, and proceed to the expansive open lawn of the central plaza under the wide sky.

Upon leaving the park, walk approximately 870 meters east toward Takeshita-dori Street on the other side of the station. The street is often very crowded, so the merchants' association recommends that visitors keep to the left side while walking. Touting and soliciting are prohibited here, so continue moving forward without stopping if approached. Upon reaching Meiji-dori Street, walk south for about 210 meters to find the Ota Memorial Museum of Art. The museum is a short way down a side street off Omotesando, and photography and video recording are prohibited inside the galleries.

After leaving the museum, walk about 140 meters west to reach Omotesando. As you walk under the zelkova canopy toward Aoyama-dori Street, the road descends once before rising again. Near the bottom of the slope where it intersects with Cat Street, look for the stone pillar inscribed with "Sando Bridge". Pass Omotesando Hills, built on the former site of the Dojunkai Aoyama Apartments, and continue to the Omotesando Intersection at Aoyama-dori Street, then turn around to look west. A large stone lantern stands as a reminder that this street is the formal approach to Meiji-jingu Shrine.

Experience Summary

The quiet shrine forest walked in the morning and the street lined with designer brand boutiques in the evening are connected along a single route originating from Meiji-jingu Shrine. A forest nurtured for over a century, a park on the site of the Olympic Village, a street of youth culture, masterworks of ukiyo-e, and zelkova trees revived after wartime bombing. End by viewing the stone lantern at the Omotesando Intersection to reflect upon the layered eras of Harajuku that you have walked through.