Harajuku, Here I come.

Harajuku. Oh where to start with that place. Well, it's a prominent fashion district for alternative teenagers. I wanted to see that place right when I first got here, but Taji insisted I hold off until Sunday if I really wanted to see some crazy stuff. I don't know how Harajuku is any other day, but on Sunday, all the cosplayers -people who dress in costume resembling anime characters, punk musicians, etc.- come out, and they dress in some of the weirdest stuff I've ever seen. Personally I think stuff like this is cool:

They're just trying to emulate the music industries look in that country (Visual Kei .I'll post a few music videos at the end of this so you can see what I mean) or they're trying to go for the lolita, cute, porcilin doll-esque look. However some take it too far and you wind up seeing things like this on the streets and trains:

I was told they dress like that to rebel against the tradition ideals of feminine beauty. It just looks scary to me.

The people up there who aren't scary are trying to go for the visual kei/J-rocker look made popular by bands out today much like these:

(The one's you think are girls in the videos, are actually men. Crossplay is very popular too)

In Harajuku there is also a bit of history too. That's right it's not all jsut strangely clothed teenagers. Right inside Harajuku is the Meiji Shrine. It is a shrine that was built in honor of Emperor Meiji, the first modern emperor of Japan, and it is beautiful. The shrine sits on land that is almost like an oasis in the dense city. It's completely forested  with many meandering paths through it so you can take a nice leisurely stroll.

The shrine itself is about a ten minute walk from the gate off the busy road. The sights and sounds of the city are completely cut off by all the trees here. It truly is an oasis.

This is the offering hall. Every New Year's, millions -quite literally- of people come here for the first prayers of the year.

In the northern end of the shrine, is the Treasure House. In this house is stored some of the personal belongings of Emperor and Empress Meiji.

It's hard to believe you go from overly made up teenagers to a beautiful shrine all within the span of a block.