The Happiest Place I'd Be // Harajuku Stroll

Yoo, Dreamers! Feeling so bad for not posting anything about my Japan trip anymore. One year has passed and I still have so many posts queuing. I thought I'd be so excited to write all the #BigDreamerInJapan posts but nah, real life problems + poor time management. I'm trying to make it up now, before I go on another trip in the near future. So! In case you don't know, I have this special thing with Harajuku. I still see it as my happiest-place-I'd-be but I also realized the reality is not always as great as your imagination/ expectation/ anything you hear about. Will tell you why below, so keep on reading ;)

In front of Harajuku Station :)

How to Get There:Harajuku is located between Shibuya and Shinjuku station on the JR Yamanote Line.

Let's start the Harajuku Stroll (a.k.a photo diary)!

I actually went to Harajuku (Takeshita Street) twice, once in the night by myself and once in the afternoon with my friend. It's not enough actually, I haven't explored all of the stores :( I didn't take enough photos for content, I didn't visit any cafe there, but it gave me enough reason to go back, hahaha.

Some tips I can share with you before visiting Harajuku/ Takeshita Street:

- The stores are closed around 8 PM. I didn't know about this, arrived there at night (not even planned), strolled around and the stores began to close one by one. I was like, seriously? Hey, it's Harajuku! Doesn't it supposed to open until late night? lol. 

- Avoid the weekends! OMG! It's. So. Freaking. Crowded. The street was full of people (both local and tourists) and we couldn't even walk one full step, hahaha.

- Visit Cat Street. It's less crowded than Takeshita Street tho. I knew if from the manga "Cat Street" and decided to visit it with my friend's guide. 

- Make sure to find this Harajuku Moshi Moshi Box- just for a mandatory proof photo that you've been to Harajuku. Well, it's just my own opinion, lol. This Moshi Moshi Box is actually information center about Harajuku, with clocks that show time around the world, decorated in legit Harajuku kawaii way- with stuffed animal, ribbon, toys, you name it. 

- People said that one of the things you must do in Harajuku is trying the crepes. Oh well I was so rebel I didn't try it, lol. No, no, actually I wanted to but the timing just....off. When I went for the first time at night, I was thinking that I'd just eat it on the next visit. But turned out, it's too crowded on my next visit that I didn't even think about it anymore. I just wanted to get out of there as quick as I could :(

- Don't miss out Kiddy Land! It's paradise for cute characters lovers- kids or grownups. It has 5 floors and all kinds of cartoon/ characters you can imagine from Disney, Sanrio, Japanese manga/anime, Ghibli, you name it. I was sooo excited when I saw Gudetama but poor me, I didn't buy any of it. So, let me show you some snippets from the store here ;)

- Last but not least, thrift-hunting. I visited Panama Boy and I love the vintage vibe! I didn't buy anything tho, it's quite expensive even for used-clothes but the quality is also still so great.