Harajuku

Japan is known for its deep culture and fascinating history. However, there is another side to Japan, and this culture can be experienced in Harajuku. Harajuku is a part of Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, and it has been a popular town amongst many foreigners, as well as the young interested in pop culture and fashion.

You somehow find yourself out of Harajuku Station (JR line) through the massive crowd (this is unavoidable, expect this anytime of the year). Stepping outside, the road is packed, from edge to edge, with people. ​Great, another crowd, ​ you think. But as you look closely, this is no ordinary crowd. The variety of people, wearing colorful clothing and heavy makeup, all walking on a narrow street, somehow catches your attention. After all, you’re not going to turn back to the station and head home, right? There is no choice but to go forward, so you clutch your bag and dive in to explore more of this interesting city.

You cross the street, and find a long road that is, of course, packed with people. Looking up, there is a large sign, ​Takeshita street.
​ This is the street that many people know Harajuku for, because of the trendy shops and fashion boutiques. As you continue down the street, you are immediately aware of the change in atmosphere. Hundreds of tiny stores, tightly packed into one 350 meter street. The first thing you see is Daiso, the famous 100 yen store. Next, colorful crepes, candies, and cotton candies are sold in various stores, such as Santa Monica Crepes and Candy A Go Go. Turn around, and you see a clutter of vintage, second hand clothing stores, such as WEGO, Kinjii, and more. Clothing here is fashionable, trendy, and affordable. People that are also stuck in the crowd struggle to even enter these stores. Korean culture has been huge in Tokyo recently, so Korean makeup stores, such as Etude House, are filled with young high school girls (joshikousei, also known as jk).

Through all of the chaos for Korean makeup, you hear loud screaming a few meters down. Turning in the direction of the noise, you see a celebrity with bodyguards, trying to control the crowd, as well as hundreds of cell phones pointing at them, eager for a picture. Although you are lucky, models, actors, and TV personalities are not uncommon here in Takeshita Street. This street is so famous, many television shows feature Takeshita Street regularly, so be prepared for camaras and screaming. Personally, I have seen model Kiko Mizuhara, model MIU, and South Korean singer, Kim Hee Chul walking on the streets of Harajuku. Because the street is so narrow in width, you are somehow able to snap a picture, take a couple videos, and move on.
You’ve reached the end! You’ve seen the various and unique boutiques, stores, and cafes of Harajuku! Go ahead, take a break, but I can assure you that you’ll be eager to go back for more!

M.Kumamaru

Taking Purikura

If you are interested in Japanese subculture, the word, Purikura（プリクラ） may be familiar. But what exactly is it? Purikura is short for Print Club, and it is essentially a photo booth. It has been a trend for decades now, and it is a popular way to save memories with friends and family. Now what’s so special about a photobooth? It’s just taking pictures and printing them out, right? Not so fast, there is much more to Purikura than you might think.
Walking into the Purikura Store, dozens of various photo booths are lined up against one another. Each photo booth has a different theme, with different filters and designs. After picking the one that is best for you, the first thing you do is pay. Purikuras in Tokyo generally cost about 400 yen per photo shoot, so if you were to split the price between 4 friends, it rounds out to only 100 yen, for the memory of a lifetime.

After putting the money in, get inside, because it’s time to take the pictures! Although it depends on what photobooth you selected, you can take around 6 photos. Some booths are even included with full body shots! Now strike a pose, make a funny face, it’s all up to you! This process is very short, about 5 minutes. When the photographing process is over, the screen will instruct you to continue to another part of the booth. This is what Purikura is famous for: editing the pictures!

Here, you are free to alter your pictures however you like. Add cat ears/whiskers,
phrases, designs, today’s date, anything! Many booths allow you to enlarge the eyes, brighten
the skin, and darken the lip color. But be quick on your hands; because you usually have a time
limit of about 4-5 minutes. After editing, just press “print” and the pictures will be yours in no
time! A feature that is available in most Purikuras is the email feature. Before printing, you have
the choice to type in your email. If you choose to do so, the booth will send you all the pictures
that were taken to your phone. This way, your pictures will not get lost, and are sure to be accessible.
How was your experience at your first Purikura photo booth? It’s far different from
traditional photo booths, right? Now go see the rest of Harajuku, because Purikura is so
addicting, you might be back in the booths tomorrow!

M. Kumamaru