Thursday Doors – Harajuku

I’ve been very absent from Thursday Doors in recent weeks/months, due to various other things going on, but I’m determined to get back into it. And since Norm (who usually hosts TD) is on a break, I thought it’d be nice to support the guest hosts. 

Harajuku is a district in Tokyo that’s renowned for it’s quirkiness and bizarre-ness. It’s the “kawaii” district. I was trying to think of an English word that would adequately encompass all that Harajuku is, but “out there” is probably the closest (and that’s two words, not one).

You can basically just search “Harajuku” in Google Images, and the bombardment of colour in the results is kind of a good representation of the vibe of place.

Sensory overload was a bit of a theme all over Tokyo

Of course, when my friend and I visited, it was kind of early morning, and on a national public holiday, no less, so it seemed kind of toned down…

But in a place like Harajuku, I knew I was bound to find some impressive and interesting doors. They did not disappoint.

The clock in this photo is not actually functional (unfortunately). My phone says it was about 11am when I took this shot.

Most of the shops open quite late, but they also stay open later. (Unlike in Brisbane, where shops will open by about 9 or 10am, and close by about 5pm – sometimes even earlier on the week-end.) On the plus side, closed shops mean closed doors, which make for good photos.

I’m a bit undecided about whether this is inviting or foreboding…

Thursday Doors is usually run by Norm, but is guest-hosted by Joey this week. You should visit her blog to find links to more doors (and read some of the stuff she posts the rest of the week too!)