Ura-Harajuku Streetwear District

裏原宿ストリートウェア地区

Ura-Harajuku (Back Harajuku) is the birthplace of Japanese streetwear culture. The back streets between Cat Street and Meiji-dori concentrate the original BAPE, Undercover, and NEIGHBORHOOD boutiques that defined the movement in the 1990s.

Ura-Harajuku — literally "back Harajuku" — refers to the web of narrow streets behind the main Takeshita-dori and Omotesando boulevards, roughly spanning Jingumae 3-4 chome. This is where Japanese streetwear was born in the early 1990s: Nigo opened the original A Bathing Ape store here, Jun Takahashi's Undercover launched from a nearby basement, and NEIGHBORHOOD, WTAPS, and Visvim all established their first retail presences within a few blocks of each other.

The district has evolved since its peak cultural moment, and some of the original founding shops have relocated or expanded to larger spaces in Aoyama or Daikanyama. But the density of independent boutiques, vintage shops, and emerging-designer pop-ups remains unmatched anywhere else in Tokyo. For fashion enthusiasts, a half-day walk through Ura-Hara — starting from Cat Street, zigzagging through the side streets, and ending on Meiji-dori — is the essential orientation to Tokyo street fashion.

Practical info

Address: Jingumae 3-4 chome area, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001
Hours: Most shops open 11:00-12:00, close 19:00-20:00
Nearest station: Meiji-jingumae Station (Chiyoda, Fukutoshin lines), 3-minute walk

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