Takeshita time! Hararjuku’s most famous shopping street, Tokyo’s Takeshita Street (Takeshita-dori) is full of ‘character’ – literally, there are dozens of kawaii shops, cosplay clothing stores plus animal cafes aplenty.
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Popular with Tokyo’s trendy teens and cool kids (plus tourists), Takeshita Street gets crazy busy at the weekends, but it is such a perfect place to people watch and indulge in retail therapy, or just eat yourself silly (be sure to arrive on an empty stomach).
Tokyo’s super subculture shopping district, Takeshita Street has gachapons galore, dozens of dog cafes (and an otter cafe!) plus plenty of Puri-kura photo booth machines.
Here is our ultimate guide to Tokyo’s Takeshita Street in Harajuku, Japan with photos.
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Accommodation near Harajuku
Mid-Range ($$)
Dormy Inn Premium Shibuya-jingumae
Modern 3 star chain hotel located a 10-minute walk from Takeshita Street. Facilities include a launderette and public bath. Check rates and availability for Dormy Inn Premium Shibuya-jingumae
Luxury ($$$)
The Aoyama Grand Hotel
Stylish 5 star hotel located a 15-minute walk from Takeshita Street. Facilities include a fitness center, sushi and Italian restaurants and a rooftop bar. Check rates and availability for The Aoyama Grand Hotel
Check out the best hotels in Shibuya/Harajuku via Booking.com >
You might like these Tokyo neighbourhood guides:
Akihabara
Asakusa
Ginza
Harajuku
Ikebukuro
Nakano
Odaiba
Ryogoku
Shibuya
Shimokitazawa
Shinjuku
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How to get to Takeshita Street 竹下通り
So where is Takeshita Street in Tokyo? Harajuku’s best shopping street for cosplay stores and cute cafes, Takeshita Street is in the heart of Harajuku, in the Shibuya City district of Tokyo.
Using public transport, the closest train station to Takeshita Street / Dori is JR Harajuku Station – the western entrance of Takeshita is just across the road from the station.
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When is the best time to visit Tokyo Takeshita Street?
If you don’t enjoy crowds, we would strongly recommend visiting during the week, as at weekends, Takeshita Street gets very crowded and moves at a snail’s pace. Lines snake out of all the popular shops and cafes, and walking the 400 metre stretch can feel like a life-time.
For the full experience and for those that like big crowds, visit in the early evening or on a weekend when the youth and numerous tourists descend onto Takeshita Street – it is full on but fun.
The best time to visit Takeshita Street is between 11am and 6pm daily, as mopeds and traffic are not allowed to drive down Japan’s Takeshita Street (definitely ‘take no shita’ from those moped muppets)!
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Takeshita Street opening hours
Harajuku’s Takeshita Street is accessible 24 hours a day but most of the shops and restaurants usually open from 9am in the morning until around 8 or 9pm.
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Things to do along Takeshita Street
Whether you prefer shopping or supping, gaming or grooming, there are lots of things to do along Takeshita Street.
Takeshita Food and Drink
From cute cafes to colourful candy floss, there is plenty of Takeshita street food and sit down restaurants to choose from.
Decadent Desserts
Takeshita Street has dozens of colourful candy stores and sweet treats to enjoy. Some of the most popular Takeshita food stalls and store include:
Totti Candy Factory Takeshita
A viral hit and massive on social media, Totti Candy Factory whips up candy floss / candy that is huge – their five flavour unicorn rainbow cotton candy is a best-seller.
Like the candy floss itself, the queues can be colossal – at least you’ll get a massive sugar rush at the end.
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Crazy Crepes on Takeshita Street
Crepe stuff! There are several popular Japanese crepe stalls vying for your taste buds all over Harajuku but particularly in Takeshita Street.
The most popular crepe stores are Crepes Sweet Box, Marion’s Crepes and Santa Monica Crepes.
Candied Strawberries
For something more ‘fruity’, head on over to Strawberry Fetish for a variety of fruit covered in syrup. But can you still class it as one of your five fruits a day?
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Puri-kura a plenty – Japanese photo booths
Looking to take a cute Kawaii selfie or pop into a Japanese photo booth? There are plenty of ‘puri-kara’ photo booth stores along Takeshita Street.
Purikura Noa is one of the most popular Puri-kara / photo booth stalls here. You can choose character backgrounds or cosplay outfits, plus there are even make-up stations and tables full of props and plushies – so get snap happy!
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Tokyo Takeshita Street Department Stores
Alta Harajuku
Takeshita’s best mini shopping mall has to be Alta Harajuku, which has several floors of stores, kiosks and the occasional pop-up cafe.
This is Kawaaii central where you can marvel at all your Manga favourites or choose cute as cartoon character merchandise. Check out their PopMart Robo Shop vending machine as well.
The great thing about Alta Harajuku is that it always has new pop-ups or stock everytime you visit so you never know what to expect. There is no better Alta-ternative!
Harajuku Alta is open from 10.30am to 8pm daily.
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Daiso Harajuku Takeshita Street
Here at Plan My Japan, we love Daiso Japan so much that we’ve already declared the best 20 products you can buy in Daiso Japan here >
Daiso Japan is one of the best lifestyle and discount product shops in Japan, with branches now popping up all over the world.
With many Daiso products costing around 100 Yen (£0.50 / $0.65 USD equivalent) and upwards, Daiso Japan makes it easy to fill your home, garden or school-bag with affordable items and budget buys.
The Harajuku Daiso is open 7 days a week from 9.30am to 9pm and has three floors. We stocked up on all our favourite Japanese candies here – ‘sweet’ as!
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Fine fashions and cool clothing at Takeshita Street
Paris Kids
Oooh la la! See the super busy clothing store by the main entrance to Takeshita Street?
That’ll be Paris Kids (Harajuku), one of the most popular girl’s clothing and accessory stores in Harajuku, which has been around since the 1970s.
From jewellery to hairbands, sunglasses to skirts, Paris Kids is an eternal favourite of the Tokyo youth.
Boutique Takenoko
This is possibly the coolest clothing and costume shop for women in Harajuku – here you will find opulent outfits and groovy garments, everything from punk to maid outfits. Photography is not permitted.
Love fashion? You might like our guide to Ginza, Tokyo >
Otaku Heaven – character stores and capsule toys at Takeshita Street
Gachapons Galore!
Release your inner otaku and get your gachapon groove. Takeshita Street / Dori has several huge gachapon stores, to get your cute as capsule toys.
You‘ll see gachapons everywhere in Harajuku even in front of 7-Eleven and Family Mart stores – but the two of the biggest gachapon stores along Takeshita Street are Capsule Lab and C-pla Harajuku Takeshita Street Capsule Toy Shop.
There is also a huge floor of gachapon machines inide Alta Harajuku mall.
Check out Plan My Japan’s guide to the coolest gachapon toy capsules in Japan >
Sanrio Harajuku
Well, Hello Kitty! All of your favourite Sanrio characters and Kawaii cuteness can be found along Takeshita Street at the Sanrio store from Tuxedo Sam to PomPompurin.
Make sure you save space in your luggage otherwise you’ll have a Sanrio surplus.
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Takeshita second hand vintage stores and thrift shops
Whilst it isn’t quite on the same second-hand shop scale as Shimokitazawa, you’ll find a veritable variety of vintage thrift stores here including Panama Boy, Yamahisa Used Clothing Shop and Chicago Inc.
You might like our guide to Tokyo’s super cool Shimokitazawa neighbourhood >
Universal Music Store Harajuku
One of Takeshita-dori’s newest shops, Universal Music Store Harajuju burst forth as Universal’s premier concept store in late 2023.
Over four floors of fine music merchandise await, including a whole section dedicated to the Rolling Stones, RS No. 9 Harajuku. You might recognise this if you’ve been to Carnaby Street in London, where the first RS No.9 opened.
‘Satisfaction’ indeed and a nice place to ‘Gimme’ Shelter’ on a rainy day along Takeshita Street (sorry not sorry).
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Takeshita Street animal cafes
From mini pigs to puppies, Takeshita is home to a menagerie of animal cafes. Seriously, we think this might be the highest concentration of dog cafes and animal cafes anywhere in Tokyo.
Other than the odd cat cafe, we didn’t visit any of the animal cafes in Tokyo as it just seems a bit off. Make up your own mind though.
Popular Takeshita animal cafes include…
Wakabayashi Otter Cafe
Yes, you read that right – Takeshita-dori is home to an otter cafe. There are 16 adorable otters, from Guu to Goro, Shippo to Shizuka.
Prices vary but expect to pay around 1,600 Yen for around a 30 minute session (cash only).
And don’t worry if it is cold outside as you’ll get a little ‘otter at the Wakabayashi Cafe….
Mipig cafe Harajuku
A cute piggy cafe that recreates a colourful forest inside – just don’t ask for the bacon sandwich…
Book your Micro Pig Cafe Experience in Harajuku with Klook >
Dog Cafe Rio
‘Pup’ along to the Dog Rio Cafe (lots of smaller kawaii style dogs).
Harajuku Kawaii Land Kyun Kyun Animal Petting
just off Takeshita street, this is a zoo-like cafe where you can see hedgehogs, geckos, chinchillas and more up-close.
Buy tickets to Harajuku’s hedgehog cafe with Klook >
Harajuku Mame Shiba Cafe
Stroke shibas whilst you sup ‘spresso all day long – woof woof!
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Things to do nearby Tokyo Takeshita Street
Togo Shrine
Tokyo Takeshita Street can be quite overwhelming and possibly overcrowded, especially at the weekends.
For a little retail respite, head to nearby Togo Shrine, a peaceful place of worship dedicated to Admiral Togo, a celebrated Japanese naval admiral who defeated the Russian invaders in the 1905 Russian Japanese war.
A sublime Shinto shrine, Togo Shrine is the antithesis of Tokyo’s Takeshita-dori. It was originally built in the late 1930s but destroyed in WWII bombing and subsequently rebuilt in 1965. Admission to Togo Shrine and its Memorial Hall is free. You can also visit the on-site teahouse.
Try this – Half day Foodie Walking tour in Harajuku >
Ikea Harajuku
A little bit of Sweden in Japan, the world’s favourite cut-price furniture store IKEA has a huge multi-level IKEA Harajuku store.
As you are likely travelling, we obviously won’t recommend buying any furniture here but there are some cool little bits here like plushies and travel mobile phone stands. However, if you want a cheap snack and are tired of sushi or ramen etc, this is a great place to grab some budget bites.
On the ground floor of Harajuku, there is a cheap coffee shop where you can get a cup of coffee and a cinnamon scroll for only a few Yen, plus on the first floor, there is an IKEA Harajuku canteen where you can get bigger meals – meatballs ahoy!
Vegan meatballs and hotdogs are also available, as are salads, snacks and the classic Dime Bar cheesecake. As they say in Sweden, ‘mycket bra’ (very good).
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Dig The Line Doors
A quick mention of the cool little craft beer bar in the side-street next to Takeshita Street. Dig The Line Doors has a large selection of craft beer cans (and craft on draught) which you can drink inside or takeaway.
Dig The Line Doors is a top Tokyo craft beer pub and it is a nice little bar to escape to and sit down with a beer (or three) after all the crowds and cosplay craziness.
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PEANUTS Cafe SUNNY SIDE kitchen Harajuku
Yes, there is a super Snoopy themed cafe 20 seconds walk away from Takeshita.
At PEANUTS Cafe SUNNY SIDE kitchen, you can buy themed food and drink (the 3D latte art is ace – Charlie Brown coffee anyone) plus there is shed loads of Snoopy merch (alas it doesn’t cost ‘peanuts’ to buy).
Try this – The best Harajuku Tokyo tours with Get Your Guide >
Other things to know about Tokyo Takeshita Street in Harajuku, Japan
- If you just want to get through the area quickly without the craziness of Takeshita Street, take the much quieter side-streets like Brahms Path which runs parallel to the south – you’re welcome!
- Takeshita Street is open 24 hours a day but many of the main businesses and shops open from around 9am until 9pm
- The main entrance to Takeshita Street sees the name emblazoned in bold and during festivals or seasons, they often decorate the entrance sign and streets
- As well as cool and quirky stores and cafes, you’ll find a lot of the usual chains here too like McDonalds, Doutor Coffee and the Japanese drugstore chain Matsumotokiyoshi
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