5. Tourism

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2015 hit nearly 20 million, up 47% over 2014. The Japanese government has set a goal of increasing that number by at least another 50% in the next decade.

Most tourists who arrive in Japan find Harajuku near the top of the must-see places in their guidebook. If Harajuku itself isn’t on a given itinerary, there’s a good chance that nearby landmarks Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park will be. Harajuku has long been popular with tourists, but the result of this new boom is that the neighborhood has experienced an unprecedented influx of visitors in a relatively short time period.

As more and more tourists flock to Harajuku, the percentage of “locals” on the street continues to decreased. This has changed the atmosphere of the neighborhood in ways that people who live and work in Harajuku are still trying to understand.

Monthly visitors to Japan in graph form.

Tourists Are Changing Harajuku

Star Trek’s “Prime Directive” - visitors should not interfere with alien civilizations - has gone unheeded in Harajuku. As tourist numbers increase, the actual physical makeup of Harajuku is changing to accommodate them.

A year ago, Harajuku didn’t have an official Visitor Center. Now it has two. Last year, a “Kawaii” theme restaurant opened in the heart of Harajuku. A Disney Store opened on the famous Takeshita Dori shopping street. The famous LaForet Harajuku Department Store created a food floor to lure tourists who may not be interested in fashion. A number of shops hired non-Japanese staff to deal with influx of Chinese-, Korean-, and English-speaking customers. And one of Japan’s most trendy teen fashion brands opened a spacious Harajuku store largely targeting the decidedly non-trendy tourist market.

It’s not possible to say that any of these changes are objectively “good” or “bad”, but it’s undeniable that the wave of tourists is dramatically changing the very definition of what Harajuku is - and to whom Harajuku appeals.

The Sex Pot Revenge boutique in Harajuku, now gone.

Independent Boutiques See Foot Traffic, Not Sales

The tourist boom has been great for restaurants, souvenir shops, international brand shops, and other businesses who appeal to one-time visitors. However, Harajuku’s reputation was built not on brand shops and gift shopping, but on the street fashion scene and one-of-a-kind boutiques that have long thrived in the area. While many visitors find Harajuku’s quirky boutiques interesting as a tourist attraction, many independent shops report that very few of these tourists actually purchase anything.

It’s not surprising that most tourists aren’t buying subculture items created for a very specific niche audience. While some independent boutiques - especially those in the “Japanese streetwear” space - have reported huge increases in sales, the more extreme, quirky, avant-garde boutiques upon which Harajuku’s international reputation was built are the shops at which tourists are least likely to spend money.

These quirky Harajuku boutiques find themselves in the position of being a major draw for tourists to the area - without being able to see much benefit from those tourists. Quite the opposite of a benefit, the large number of tourists - potential customers for more “mainstream” shops and restaurants - drives rent prices up, putting financial pressure on the small shops. The high volume of tourists can also scare away the real customers that these shops depend on for their survival (see below).

Harajuku Girl, not a Disney Character.

Harajuku Zoo

Harajuku is known as the “youth capital” of Japan — a place where young Japanese can go and experiment with fashion in a safe environment, make friends who share their interests, and generally do their own thing. Most Tokyo guidebooks rave about the “crazy” fashion that tourists are sure to see in Harajuku. That leads some tourists to approach the area with the same attitude as a visit to Disneyland or the local zoo.

Many Harajuku street fashion kids don’t mind having their photo taken or being gawked at - some even enjoy it. But there are also a large number of kids who want to be able to dress up in subculture fashion and enjoy their day in Harajuku without being bothered.

With the huge tourism influx, it has become increasing difficult for Japanese young people dressed in subculture fashion to spend time on the street in Harajuku without being constantly approached or covertly photographed. This constant unwanted attention ends up making Harajuku feel less like a safe place for fashion experiments, and leaves some kids feeling uncomfortable while walking around Harajuku.

We have especially seen this discomfort from people in Tokyo’s lolita community, one of the Japanese subcultures who is least likely to want to be photographed or bothered by people who are not part of their group.

The longterm effects of Japan’s tourism boom on Harajuku and the Japanese street fashion scene are hard to predict at this stage. There is definitely a backlash building on the street, but no one sees Harajuku returning to its pre-tourism atmosphere any time soon.