Omotesando is the Champs-Elysee of Tokyo. It has opened the largest Louis Vuitton shop in Japan in 2003, and queues are frequent. It is one of the rare avenue of the Japanese capital to be planted with trees all its length. "Omotesando" means "front approach", and refers to the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park.
Harajuku 原宿
Harajuku offers the most eccentric elements of Japanese subculture. On Sundays, groups of hard-rock fans with heavy make-up and scary black costumes gather in front of Yoyogi Park.
But Harajuku is little more than an extension of Shibuya. It teems with youths on shopping spree at Laforet department store and smaller boutiques along the Meiji-dori. Harajuku seems to be swarming on every Sunday, national holiday or whenever the weather is nice.
Yoyogi-koen Park 代々木公園
Yoyogi Koen is the largest park open to the public in Tokyo (Akasaka Park and the Imperial Palace having partly restricted access). Contrarily to others like Ueno or Shinjuku Gyoen, it has a much more luxuriant flora, and is the only one really like a forest rather than a park or gardens.
Opening date
Land area
Number of trees
Variety of plants
Address
Nearest station
20 October 1967
540,529 m2
Tall trees : 15,382 / Shrubs : 92,689 / Lawn : 200,689 m2
Sawara cypress, Zelkova trees, Himalayan cedars, osmanthus, oleanders, azaleas, gingkos, cherry trees, pines, konara oaks, etc.
Yoyogi Kamisonocho/Jinnan 2-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
3min walk from Harajuku (JR line) or Yoyogi Koen (Chiyoda line), 6min walk from Yoyogi Hachiman (Odakyu line)
Meiji-jingu Shrine 明治神宮
Tokyo's largest shrine, and one of Japan's three "Jingu" (Imperial shrine), the Meiji Shrine is concealed in the middle of the Yoyogi Park.
It was built in 1920 in memory of emperor Meiji and empress Shoken, but was destroyed during WWII and rebuilt in 1958. It houses the "Yasakani no mgatama" (jewels), which is one of the three Imperial Regalia, along with the sword "Kusanagi no tsurugi" in Nagoya's Atsuta Jingu and the mirror "Yata no kagami" in Ise Jingu.
Nowadays the shrine is a popular place for traditional wedding and New Year ceremonies. Like the controverisal Yasukuni Jinja, visits by government officials are frequent.
Tokyo's largest shrine, and one of Japan's three "Jingu" (Imperial shrine), the Meiji Shrine is concealed in the middle of the Yoyogi Park.