Finding Solitude in Harajuku

My first day in Tokyo in May, I wanted to get something before I forgot about it. So I headed to Shinjuku and ESP Craft House. I have taken so many photos of Shibuya, and since nothing has changed since the last time, I forego taking any more. If you are curious about ESP, here is a post about it  http://blukats.blogspot.com/2016/09/finding-esp-in-shibuya.html

As for what I wanted, tear drop pick holders to replace the regular holders. I can report that they are using one of Mana's picks for the display of the new tear drop pick holder. They do look better and it seems I bought one more than I needed. As for the blue roses, I found that at Kyu Furukawa Gardens a day or two later.

My next stop after Shibuya was Harajuku and Closet Child. Nothing changed with Takeshita Dori. Still packed with tourists. As for me, I never stay on it. Once again I wandered down the tiny alleys that surround Takeshita Dori. Less crowded and much prettier with interesting bits of architecture and green trees. 

Where I found a sweet place for tea. And cake. Very pretty surroundings.

I was trying to eat sensibly, but it was Közi's birthday and this fruit roll cake with strawberry jam was really delicious. 

The tea was butterfly pea flower. I remember when I learned about butterfly pea flower, it was at that amazing meal where Chef Gregory Gourdet used it to create a beautiful blue sauce. The flavor in tea is very delicate and nice. 

It's also magical. If you put lemon in it, the color changes. 

Next will be more of what can be found just beyond crowded Takeshita Dori. I found a shrine and a lovely koi pond.

My First Day in Tokyo or Where I Get Lushed

I'm glad I have had better flights to Japan, because I would like to forget this last one. Along with some difficulty getting the right ticket for the train to Ikebukuro. But I made it and found my hotel and everything there was decent. And was all non-smoking. I am grateful for that. Something I should not have done there was pre-pay for their breakfast. Which consisted of toast, a choice of two broths and tea or coffee. I ended up not using most of their breakfast tickets, opting instead for salads and tamagoyaki hand rolls from 7-11.

Despite everything and still being very tired, I headed out. The day was too beautiful not to spend time outside.

And over to the obvious place. I decided to get this bit of shopping out of the way, because Harajuku can be overwhelming if not prepared for it. It was good to see the old station is still there, while they build the new section. It is the iconic face of Harajuku. 

The other iconic part of Harajuku is opposite of the station. Takeshita Street, with it's hundreds of tourists. My plan was to get in there, get to where I wanted to shop, and then I would be done with this for the rest of my trip. 

I'd always seen the Yellow House on my past visits to Harajuku, but this time I stopped in. The small space has walls covered with flyers from days long gone. The shop owner was there and she asked me in a bit of English why I was there. I explained and of course she responded with what she says to anyone who mentions certain bands. That she made clothing for MALICE MIZER back in the day.

I will say the fashion at Yellow House is something that I might have shopped at long ago, for a top or jacket. I do think there is a bit more quality than some of the other shops along Takeshita Dori. If anyone is looking for a punk or visual kei look, I recommend stopping in.

But my destination was some place else. The place known for years as the place to find that long sought after item. The destination for lolitas from all over the world. And for some of the rest of us, looking for elegant gothic aristocrat, punk or Vivienne Westwood clothing. Closet Child.

Shopping completed, I escaped from the maddening crowd that filled Takeshita Dori. The back streets of Harajuku are interesting. And also, a little artistic. Each time I return to Tokyo, I see more graffiti. Sometimes it approaches art.

Contrasting this is the fountain at picturesque Fontaine Street. 

Along with the bit of Japanese garden that now inhabits the back of Laforet department store. To think when I was here back in 2010 there was a restaurant in this space. 

The Vivienne Westwood shop is still at the front of Laforet. I did stop at Atelier Pierrot inside Laforet. I tried on the new Moi-même-Moitié top hat. It is cute and nicely made, but not what I was looking for.

I made it to Omotesando Dori where I hoped to find some place to eat. The Apartment Cafe was no longer there so I decided to head back to Ikebukuro. But then something grabbed my attention. 

I had seen reports online about the new LUSH store in Harajuku, and even marked it on my map as a place to check out. But since I was there, I had to go in. 

Imagine a place with wall to wall bath bombs, stretching out in rainbow colors. 

And not just one floor of multi-hued bath bombs, but two. 

LUSH LABS in Harajuku is a testing ground for LUSH with their many special Japan only bath bombs. Besides wall to wall scented bathing temptation, there is a kaiten conveyor belt that runs through the first floor. 

And yes, I could not resist the temptation. A couple of the ones I tried out included this Black Rose. It smells very nice, but I discovered it was a bit messy. The inky black water was intriguing, but having to clean the tub wasn't. It's nice that toothpaste works for that when one doesn't have anything else to use. If I had known, I would not have purchased this.

One that was less work and very relaxing was the Lavender Bag Flower bath bomb, also known as Deep Sleep. It's nice that they wrapped it in cheese cloth to catch all the little lavender blossoms inside. I would definitely buy this one again.

There were a few more bath bombs, but the one that was more photographic was the Sushi bath bomb. It's a combination bath bomb with LUSH's FUN soap in the middle. Which means you get a bit of bubble bath with this one. The scent was mikan orange which was nice. But once again there was a bit of black from the outside. Other than that, this giant bath bomb was fun.

It was nice to mark off two places I wanted to visit during my trip. Given my situation at that time, I hadn't been able to make a list beforehand so this was extra nice. And in case anyone is checking this post and wondering where LUSH LABS Harajuku is, they are on Ometesando Street next to Nike, not far from Harajuku Station. It is a fun place to visit. Their address is Japan, 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 1 Chome−13−１１ 大西ビル1階.

Happy Harajuku Birthday

 Still March 19th. I stopped at a couple other areas of Tokyo besides Ebisu. Nothing too interesting, just a little shopping. It included Harajuku. Crowded Harajuku. Takeshita Dori was packed with people as it usually is.

So I ducked down a side street. I find them much more appealing than crowds of tourists. 

You never know what you will find. Creative decorative details. 

Lovely little plazas with fountains. 

I made it to LaForet, a department store known for it's fashion. Heading back up Omotesando Dori towards Harajuku Station, I noticed a cafe. I thought I had read about it online. So I thought I would stop in at Tokyo Apartment Café. 

There were plenty of seats and the wait staff was friendly and helpful. Besides being a café, it looked like they also did a bit of bar service. Long counters for the food with liquor bottles overhead. 

If I could describe the decor, it reminded me of 1960's Americana with a Scandinavian touch. My artist uncle would have loved it, since it made me think of his home. There were a few different rooms beside the main one I was in. The one downside was even though I was in the non-smoking section, the odor of cigarettes was strong. Clearly it's not non-smoking in this place even if they say it is. It's also interesting that the café is below street level, giving a below ground view of the street.

The menu was in the form of a newspaper, which I think was a clever way to do it if a place's menu changes a lot.  

Because I had eaten lunch, I was in the mood for something else. Being it was Mana's birthday day, of course cake was needed. 

 Just a photo to give a feel of the place.

I chose Earl Gray cake. Accented with a bit of mint and a little sprinkle of powdered sugar, the cake was nice. Not too sweet, the cake was moist and light. While it might be overdoing the tea, I went with iced oolong which paired well with this. 

So not much else for Harajuku since I've been there a number of times before. Just click on the label for it and you can see other posts about the area. As to what I bought at LaForet, just a couple over the knee Moi-même-Moitié socks. I do like them, they stay up well unlike some other brands I have tried. As for what is next, maybe night time sights?

Haunting Harajuku

Hanging out at Harajuku Station waiting for my friend to show up. Across the street Takeshita Street was the usual crush of tourists. Sometimes I wonder why.

Like I said, crush.

While many of the stores there have changed to corporate chains like Disney, a few like Takenoko haven't changed over the years.

But really, getting away from Takeshita can be more interesting.

Because just one street over things are much calmer.

And there are amazing stores to check out like Bloody Mary. Behind these doors is really beautiful jewelry and the coolest looking shop.

The reason for wandering around Harajuku was we were waiting for seats at Reissue, a latte art cafe. Besides that we also put in good time window shopping at Laforet.

Finally we were able to be seated at Reissue and spent time chatting about the Moi dix Mois concerts and more.

Reissue was an interesting place with a retro-American decor and music selection.

People come to Reissue because they are well known for their drink art. Either little creatures in foam or recreating your choice of photo on the top of your drink. Along with a couple of desserts.

Having missed eating lunch I went for their chocolate cake with raspberries. Very nice.

Since we met at the Moi dix Mois concerts we ended up going for a certain musician for the drinks. Mana on hot chocolate?

And on coffee. Yeah it felt a little silly but also fun. It was a really good time. Wishing I could be back wandering the Harajuku side streets right now.

Overheated Harajuku with Art

The day after my trip to Haneda and Shibuya I was out in the heat again. No avoiding it. This time I headed to Harajuku.

Despite the weather the area was packed with people.

One of my favorite places to visit in my prior trips, the Laforet store. A little sad this time because h.NAOTO no longer is selling inside and they have closed their stores in Harajuku.

Vivienne Westwood's shop is still here.

Along with more anime style characters. These ones I recognize. They are from "Uta no☆Prince-sama♪" which is an otome game and anime series. I noticed that many of the department stores now have spaces with cardboard cutouts of different anime, manga and game characters where people can take photos, buy goods and I imagine maybe meet people related to the media. I admit I found it a little odd given that these are regular stores versus Akihabara shops.

But I wasn't there for that. My visit was to Atelier Pierrot inside Laforet. Lots of cute and pretty clothing there along with my being able to see the clerk open a box from Moi meme Moitie. I was hoping there was something in there that I was looking for but no luck. I wish I could have tried one or two things on but given that it was extremely hot I did not feel right about doing that. Maybe next time.

Back out on the street and walking to my next destination. I really think this was the hottest day I was there. Or maybe all the people made it worse along with all the concrete and asphalt. I stopped at the new Volks location but it was closed. Odd because it wasn't a holiday and it was past the time they should have opened. Probably saved me a few yen.

There are a number of interesting shops and more in the back alleys of Harajuku where very few people go. One is this Gintoki jewelry store which also has art by people like Kiyoha who creates beautiful and thought provoking cut-out art. Kiyoha has a blog here.

Just beyond Gintoki was the main drag of Harajuku, Takeshita Dori. I've had fun wandering here in the past, visiting the many stores. But in this crowd in this heat, I did not want to.

Oh Takeshita Dori, louder than ever and even more tacky. Never boring that is for sure.

I had thought about visiting the Calbee store where they bake chips right there. But long line inside was discouraging.

I did reach the other place I wanted to visit. MIJ Factory. It's a place that only sells stickers. What is cool is they offer artist ones. I bought a couple cat stickers and a number by popular gothic artist Yoh.

His "Yoh's monochrome world" manga has been running in the Gothic Lolita Bible magazine along with his artwork being featured in fashion shops. Like others who have his stickers I plan on placing them in a frame. The book I bought at a different place in Tokyo. Yoh's website is here.

So that was Harajuku. But I wasn't done for the day even though I felt done. Next stop is in my next blog.