IN THIS VIDEO you’ll see a quick tour of the Harajuku area including Takeshita-Dori and the area around Omotesando, as well as the Aoyama Cemetery. 

IN THIS VIDEO you’ll find my return visit to the Harajuku area.  This time focusing on Yoyogi park, its musicians, dancers and cosplay enthusiasts.

Of the videos I’ve done on youtube, certainly the videos about Harajuku have generated the most interest and the most criticism.  I have a love hate relationship with the area after having lived there for two years.  But unfortunately many internetizens have an interest in Japan that doesn’t extend very far beyond the topics of Anime, Manga and Cosplay and as a result have a fairly one dimensional view of Harajuku (Harajuku=Cosplay).  In my videos I hoped to show other parts of the Harajuku/Shibuya area that go unnoticed but apparently my generally negative view of the consumerist and exhibitionist culture in the area irked some people.  Good, it should.  Personally (along with mainstream Japanese opinion) I find something a bit disturbing about 14-year-olds dressing up in overtly sexual clothing and standing around on the street for tourists and dirty old men with zoom lenses to photograph.  I also find the cookie cutter fashions of designer label clad adult men and women a bit sad. Japan imports roughly 40% of the world's luxury goods compared to 16% in the USA, a country that has double the population.  I'd rather see that money spent on local artisans and clothing makers. But look, I'm ranting again.  I can’t help it.

    But all this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check this area out.  I highly recommend a visit to this area as it has a cornucopia of destinations ranging from somber cemeteries and shrines to the frenetic beat of Shibuya streets.  I do, however, have one caveat for you: VISIT ON A SUNDAY.  This is by far the best time to check out this area, and the time when the majority of the locals are out in form, particuarly when there is a flea market or festival happening, which is nearly every weekend.

    For an overview check out the two videos on the right, but the following is a guide to some of my favorite highlights of the area.  Be sure, there is something for everyone in this area.