Tokyu Plaza Harajuku "Harakado"

Tokyu Plaza Harajuku, inaugurated in April 2024, is facing Tokyu Plaza Omotesando whose geometrical mirrors entrance hall has been a landmark for tourists and photographers alike since 2012. The shopping facilities face each other in a diagonal line across the Jingumae intersection, at the end of Omotesando avenue (on Harajuku station’s side). Tokyu Plaza Harajuku is callled "Harakado" for and Tokyu Plaza Omotesando "Omokado", where kado (角, かど) means "corner" in Japanese.

While they are not monumental, their glass facades offer an original irregular architecture opening on suspended gardens overlooking the crowd of shoppers of this fashionable area.

The new Tokyu Plaza Harajuku is home to about 75 shops distributed over 9 levels. Eclectic fashion stores occupy the first floors, and restaurants are gathered at the 5th and 6th floors, providing a direct access to the open-air panoramic terrace.

The food court offers shared spaces where seating is free, and several food stalls catering to anyone’s food craving. There are also 2 different atmospheres:

• An indoor picnic area, with artificial lawn and deck chairs; and,
• Neo-yokocho alleys, with modern yatai food stalls and izakaya pubs, with a nicely retro decoration, serving popular Japanese dishes, like ramen 🍜 noodles and yakitori skewers.

The outdoor terrace is formed of large steps going over several levels (from 7F to 5F) giving the impression of being truly suspended above Jingumae Crossing. Vegetation is arranged to create smaller, semi-private spaces, to seat at a table and admire the panoramic view on Omotesando’s skyline. This new observation deck is free and consequently attracts a considerable number of onlookers, especially on sunny days.

Cultural and artistic attractiveness

Harakado is trying to be more than the umpteenth shopping address in Tokyo by offering several cultural and artistic initiatives, especially:

• Shibuya Font (シブヤフォントラボ) at the 7F, a place that is both a design shop and art gallery;
• Harappa (ハラッパ) at the 4F, an event venue and rest area laid out in a sustainable setting, namely lots of plants and wood furniture, around a symbolic red bonfire named in English "Bonfire of the Sun". It also hosts a digital gallery where are projected interactive installations;
• Cover (カバー) at the 2F, is a large Japanese magazines library offering 3,000 issues in stock to peruse for free;
• Kosugiyu (小杉湯原宿), a brand new sento-style public bath, in the underground B1F floor. Its interior design displays the authentic lay out of the bath facilities that were popular during the Showa Era (1926 - 1989) and before the spreading of bathrooms at home.

The building is illuminated at nightfall, beautifully highlighting its asymmetric contemporary architecture.