Harajuku Girls
Another must stop place in Tokyo that was on my places to visit,when we went on our recent silver week vacation was the place that my wife and I met for the first time, about 20 years ago, and that is Harajuku. Before Gwen Stefani made the term Harajuku girls popular, the webmaster for Charles Hamel.com was hanging out playing music and having the best of times every weekend for the first part of 1989.
My have things changed, and that time the area was nicknamed Hokoten which was a tv program showcasing amateur bands of Harajuku. Many bands at that time made the big time through exposure in Harajuku. Even my little rock and roll copy band was getting weekly TV and magazine exposure. In fact if you type into Google ”Harajuku 1989″ you will find a website with a picture of yours truly labeled under cool guitarist at the very young age of 24 with a white guitar and black skulls t-shirt.
Those were the days, and just loads of fun. I felt like a real rock and roll star at that time, with people stopping me for pictures and autographs. I was shocked at how much the place has changed since the days of my early years in Japan. I was under the impression that Harajuku had changed into a place where harajuku girls wore costumes and did Cosplay for fun. Much to my surprise not even that was happening. I saw maybe no more than about 5 people dressed up in costumes with half that amount being foreigners.
We did see one band playing on the sidewalk, and the 50′s group was still there dancing. Other than the things I have mentioned, there is not much else there except the busy shopping area. From what I understand the popular spot has moved to Akihabara. Which you can read about in my previous post Adventures in Akihabara.
The crowds were horrendous and reassured my mind why I would never want to live in Tokyo now. The only thing I can say that I like about Tokyo is the convenience. You don’t need a car, and there is everything that you could possibly need in a 5 block radius. I love Japan more than any place on Earth, although I am much more happier in the wilds of far northern Japan in Hokkaido.
Another thing that surprised me was the amount of people from other countries that I saw. I am not saying this is a bad thing, but 20 years ago, you rarely saw a person that was not Asian, now blonde hair and blue eyes is the norm. I must say that I was a bit disappointed in the landscape of Harajuku now. Maybe it’s because I miss the old days, but (?????) Shoganai, “It can’t be helped”. Our world is ever changing.
I can honestly say that I did not enjoy my visit to Harajuku, although it has a vast amount of sentimental feelings, and is a place that I will never forget as long as I live. And as far as Harajuku girls go, I think we need to change the term to Akiba Girls.
When I visited Harajuku in 1976 and in 1979, there were about 20 or more bands playing there. It was excellent.
Nowadays, it sounds like it sucks big time.
I’m staying in Hokkaido.
There are more bands playing on the streets in Asahikawa, during the summer!!!
I pretty much knew there were no more bands there, and was actually surprised to see the one that was playing there. But as far as I was concerned Harajuku is now known for the people who dress up in elaborate costumes and hang out there on the weekends.
Unfortunately not even that is happening any longer. I think the hang out spot has switched to Akihabara. Although Yoyogi Park is still very nice, and many people hang out there on the weekends playing soccer, frisbee, and having picnics.
Also across the street from the park was a Vietnamese festival going on, and the week after was an India Festival.