Harajuku

Cradle of the Cutting Edge

A Parisienne's Guide to Tokyo's "Cool" Spots

photography by Naruyasu Nabeshim / text by Christine Cibert / contribution by Mamoru Suzuki

For more than 30 years, Harajuku, Omotesando and Aoyama have steadily grown to become the triple vanguard of Japan's fashion and trends.

The entire district—ever changing and constantly modernizing as new construction follows demolition—is symbolic of the electric energy of our time.

Here, unlike Europe, there is little concern for conservation, for old buildings, for vestiges of bygone eras. In a few months, demolition will take the gloomy ivy-covered Dojunkai, overlooking Omotesando's tree-shaded, pedestrian-filled pavement. Replacing it will be bright modern buildings by the famous architect Tadao Ando. Nostalgically, I am missing the "old" already. It is as though a page of history is turning. But the Japanese, or rather the property developers, have other concerns.

In the past 10 years, the great names in European luxury goods have established themselves in Omotesando, one of the world's most beautiful, most famous, and most frequented thoroughfares. Gucci, Vuitton, Missoni, Chanel, Christian Dior have arrived here one after another. They bring with them an international flavor of mature sumptuousness. Some people are delighted to see them; others are severely critical. But nobody is indifferent to their presence. Do you know of any other place on earth where people are willing to stand in queues hundreds of meters long, hour after hour, day after day—even sleeping on the spot—to avoid missing the opening of one of France's monuments to luxury, Louis Vuitton? That happened in Omotesando in August, 2002.

Meanwhile, the powerhouses of contemporary Japanese fashion, like Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons (Rei Kawakubo), Kenzo, and Koshino Junko, chose Aoyama for their headquarters a long time ago.

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