History about Harajuku

Before the Edo period, Harajuku is one of the inn (juku) for people who are traveling through the Main Street route Kamakura. Tokugawa Ieyasu Harajuku award tenure to the ninja of Iga Province who helped him escape after the incident Honnoji Sakai.

In the Edo period, the ninja of the Iga set up headquarters in Harajuku to protect the city of Edo because of its strategic location in the south of the Main Street Koshu. Besides ninja, samurai class Bakushin also choose to reside in Harajuku. Farmers plant rice on the banks of the Shibuya area, and use a water mill for grinding grain or making flour.

In the Meiji era, Harajuku built as an important area that connects Tokyo with the area surrounding the city. In 1906, JR Harajuku Station opened as part of the expansion of Yamanote railway line. After that, Omotesando (the main road to the temple) built in 1919 after the Meiji Shrine was established.

After the opening of department stores in the 1970s, became the center of Harajuku fashion. This area became famous all over Japan after a covered fashion magazine like Anan and non-no. At that time, a group of girls called Annon-zoku often found walking around in the area of ​​Harajuku. Imitate their clothing style clothing worn magazine model Anan and non-no.

Sometime in the 1980s, Takeshita Street became crowded because people want to see Takenoko-zoku who dress weird and dancing in the streets. Once designated as a special area hikers, Harajuku became a favorite hangout young children. After Harajuku increasingly crowded, boutiques selling goods of famous brands began appearing in Omotesando sometime in the 1990s.