Harajuku Randomness.

I decided to go to Harajuku today since I learned that it costs the same (about 300 yen ~ $2.75) to go to Shinjuku as it does to go to Shibuya from my house… and walking to Harajuku to Shibuya is just about a 20 minute stroll up north. I’m poor, so I can’t afford to run around on crazy random train rides so much yet. Heh.

From what I have learned so far (I’m just a newbie so I may not be totally correct), Harajuku is famous for clothing shops, crepe, and the extreme fashions of the people who hang out there.

As soon as I got to the station I noticed the crazy fashion statements that are mentioned in every Tokyo guide book. The pictures will speak for themselves though.

The interesting thing is, that while I was in Harajuku taking pictures of the natives, I was asked three times by other people to pose for pictures with them! Yet… another example of ‘gaijin power’ in action. A lot of foreigners congregate on this spot for obvious reasons, and some of the Japanese in the area take the opportunity not only to take pictures of the crazy faces of the people dressed up, but also to take pictures of the silly gaijin. I’m silly.

Here’s something random for ya. While I was still there taking pictures and talking to people and stuff, I noticed another Black guy walking around. I gave the required greeting, and since he seemed about my age we started the usual gaijin nakama interview. “Where are you from? How long have you been here?”

It turns out that he went to the university that I was at in Nagoya (Nanzan) last year; I was there two years ago. It also turns out that he was friends with a guy from IU that I hang out with. “Oh youuuuu’re Harvey” he says. Small world.

Anyway, yeah, Harajuku was cool. There were a lot of street musicians as well, entire bands came out and set up. Some of them got busted by the cops though. It was brutal! Shields billy clubs and everything.

Just kidding.

The cops did come though, but they just nicely told the kids that they couldn’t play with all that equipment turned on out there. The kids packed up and left without any trouble.

Whew.

-Harvey