How to Enjoy Takeshita Street: A Trendy Hotspot for Kawaii Culture

If you’re looking for street food to eat as you go on Takeshita Street, crepes are the ultimate classic recommendation.
As you walk down Takeshita Street, you’ll spot all kinds of crepe shops.
Each place has its own menu variety and crepe texture, enough to make choosing just one a real dilemma.
The standard go-to is a whipped-cream crepe piled high with whipped cream and paired with fruit and cream.
There are also chilly, ice cream-based options, seasonal limited-time crepes, hot crepes perfect for colder weather, and more. Savory crepes filled with tuna or curry are popular too.
In fact, the first crepe shop in Japan opened on Takeshita Street.
Start with the most classic option: grab a crepe and enjoy it as you walk.

Purikura are photo booths where you can print the pictures you take on the spot as stickers, then have fun with all kinds of filters and decorations.
Since it’s a popular hangout for young women, purikura has also become a staple way to enjoy Takeshita Street.
You’ll find spots with well-equipped facilities and services, such as free curling iron rentals, costume rentals, and even powder rooms.
Some also offer “Tokyo-version frames” you can only get here.
When you visit Takeshita Street, try taking photos in different poses and styles, then add cute edits and decorations to keep fun memories from your trip.

Takeshita Street brings together apparel shops in many styles, including colorful, pop looks known as Harajuku fashion, sweet pastel “yume-kawaii” fashion, Lolita, and more.
What they all have in common is individuality.
It’s not just outfits, but also hairstyles and makeup—creative and full of originality.
Another highlight is the number of budget-friendly brand shops, not just stores that set the latest trends.
Even just looking at the lineup of unique items and the fashion-forward crowds is fun in itself.

Takeshita Street isn’t just about trendy fashion—it’s also a hotspot for trendy foods.
Another defining feature is the range of cute, Instagrammable treats, like crepes, ice cream, and cotton candy.
From colorful, pop “Harajuku Rainbow” cotton candy to super-long soft-serve ice cream and tornado potatoes, it’s packed with headline-making snacks.
Enjoy Takeshita Street while snacking on foods with bold, eye-catching looks.

It’s not just the food that’s Instagrammable—there are plenty of photo-worthy spots inside shops and outside too.
You’ll also find wall art here and there, so keep an eye out.
Bring an Instagrammable treat and snap a photo at one of these spots, and you’re sure to get a Kawaii shot.

A shop by WEGO, a lifestyle culture store with Approx. 170 locations nationwide, offering men’s and women’s apparel, fashion accessories, and more.
In addition to clothing, you’ll find a wide selection of fashion items, including bags, shoes, and accessories.

A major crepe chain founded in 1976.
A pioneer that was the first in Japan to offer the now-classic style of wrapping crepes in paper for eating on the go.
As a cutting-edge sweet representing Harajuku, long known as a hub for youth fashion and culture, it became explosively popular from the start—and now has grown to Approx. 80 locations nationwide.

One of the most popular sweets shops in the Harajuku area, it made headlines when it opened in August 2015, with waits said to reach as long as five hours.
Its signature item is a huge, colorful cotton candy that people say you’re guaranteed to see if you walk around Harajuku.
It’s still trending among middle and high school girls and international visitors, and it’s posted all over social media.
On weekends and holidays, lines form on the stairs leading up to the second-floor shop.

A smoothie specialty shop using rare, high-value domestically grown bananas.
Grown in the high-quality soil of Kagoshima, these bananas are rich in nutrients, including amino acids, protein, and more.
By generously using these domestically grown bananas—so tender you can even eat the peel—they deliver a creamier texture and melt-in-your-mouth sweetness than conventional smoothies.

Meiji Jingu Shrine was established in 1920 as a shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.
It consists of the Inner Garden, centered around the serene Inner Shrine grounds with the main hall and gardens; the Outer Garden, which includes many excellent sports facilities beginning with the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery; and Meiji Kinenkan, a comprehensive wedding venue.
An artificial forest created by planting Approx. 100,000 trees donated from across Japan has grown into a richly wooded area that feels far from the city center, with a mystical atmosphere. It’s also famous as a power spot.

A pedestrian walkway on a back street just off the main road connecting Shibuya and Harajuku.
A section of the “Former Shibuya River Promenade” stretching from around the Jingumae Police Box is affectionately known as “Cat Street,” and it draws many shops especially popular with young people.
The surrounding area is called “Ura-Harajuku,” and around Cat Street you’ll find rows of relatively small shops, such as stylish select shops and street-level stores from notable brands.
Alongside high-end brands, there are also uniquely curated vintage shops and flagship locations of brands opening in Japan for the first time, making it a center for setting trends.

Yoyogi Park is a vast park spanning 544,711.27 m², with scenery rich in water and greenery that’s hard to believe it’s in the heart of the city.
The park is divided by a road into a northern forest area and a southern open area with an outdoor stage and sports fields.
In spring, Approx. 800 cherry trees reach peak bloom, and the area around the fountain pond on the south side of the Central Plaza is especially beloved as a cherry blossom viewing spot.