Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
212
9
Kiddy Land
This shop at 6-1-9 Jingumae sells gag
gifts and a great deal more than just toys,
including enough to amuse undiscerning
adults. You could spend an hour browsing
here, but the store is so crowded with
teenagers that you may end up rushing for
the door.
As you continue east on Omotesando Dori (where
sidewalk vendors selling jewelry and ethnic accesso-
ries set up shop on weekends), to your right will soon
be Cat Street, a popular strolling side street lined
with more shops selling everything from grungy
T-shirts to the latest designs by up-and-coming
design talents. On Omotesando Dori, to the right, is
also Harajuku's most famous store:
0
Oriental Bazaar
Located at 5-9-13 Jingumae, this is
Tokyo's best one-stop shopping spot for
Japanese souvenirs. Four floors offer
antiques, old and new kimono, Japanese
paper products, fans, jewelry, woodblock
prints, screens, chinaware, and much more
at reasonable prices. I always stock up on
gifts here for the folks back home.
On the other side of Omotesando Dori is:
!
Omotesando Hills
This posh commercial and residential
shopping center, designed by Tadao Ando,
houses upscale clothing and accessory
shops, as well as restaurants. Unique is
G
Hasegawa Sake Shop
(
&
03/5785-
0833
), on the third floor, with selected
offerings from sake brewers across Japan.
There's a stand-up bar, where you can
sample sake for ¥400 a cup.
Back on Omotesando Dori and continuing east, you'll
pass shops dedicated to the wares of Gucci, Fendi,
Armani, Louis Vuitton, and Tod's, but none have been
here as long as the:
@
Hanae Mori Building
Near the end of Omotesando Dori, to the
right, it was designed in 1978 by Japanese
architect Kenzo Tange (who also designed
the TMG City Hall in Shinjuku). It
houses the entire collection of Hanae
Mori, from casual wear to evening wear.
TAKE A BREAK
Harajuku and Aoyama have
more sidewalk cafes than any
other part of Tokyo. Most conspicuous is
the fancy
Anniversaire Café,
3-5-30
Kita-Aoyama (
&
03/5411-5988
), across
from the Hanae Mori Building (see no. 12,
above).
Café hors et dans,
4-11-6 Jingu-
mae (
&
03/5775-5433
), just east of
Omotesando Hills on Omotesando Dori,
has a second-floor outdoor terrace.
Mon-
toak,
a glass building next to Kiddy Land
(see no. 9, above) at 6-1-9 Jingumae
(
&
03/5468-5928
), is a hip (so hip it
doesn't even bother to hang out a shop
sign) multilevel bar/coffee shop with
comfy chairs and a second-floor balcony.
At the end of Omotesando Dori, where it connects
with Aoyama Dori, is Omotesando Station. You can
board the subway here or, for more shopping, cross
Aoyama Dori and continue heading east, where you'll
pass a number of designer shops. First, on the left at
3-18-11 Minami-Aoyama, is:
#
Issey Miyake
The clothes here are known for their rich-
ness in texture and fabrics.
To the right, at 5-2-1 Minami-Aoyama, is:
$
Comme des Garçons
Rei Kawakubo's designs for both men and
women are showcased here.
Farther down the street, on the right at 5-2-6 Min-
ami-Aoyama, is:
%
Prada
By far the most interesting design on the
block, the building looks like a giant bug
eye (to me, at least), its dome structure
comprising hundreds of glass bubbles.
Just past Prada, on the right at 5-3-6 Minami-
Aoyama, is:
^
Yohji Yamamoto
As with all Yamamoto shops, this store has
an interesting avant-garde interior.
Return to Aoyama Dori, where you'll find the Omote-
sando subway station.
8
