Harajuku

Since discovering an image hoster, it has occured to me that I`ve spent most of this blog issuing pseudo-anthropological edicts from a shaky tower of ivory in the style of the bastard spawn of Bill Bryson, Bertie Wooster & sundry pulp fantasy writers. I`m going to stop this (occasionally) and instead post some pictures, and what better place to start than Harajuku?



There it is. Looks safe enough. It`s actually very touristy. I saw more Gaijin in Harajuku than anywhere else in Tokyo. This felt slightly strange as in Oda I stick out like a six foot caucasian sore thumb.

We mock the Japanese for carrying a great number of cameras about their person, so I had a right chuckle at the coachload of American tourists festooned with the things, then a moment of clarity as I noticed that I had three on me (four if you count my phone).

Maybe one reason for Harajuku being so popular with tourists is the excessive loveliness of Harajuku Park



but I reckon it`s more to do with cosplay. This is the fabled absolutely bloody barmy fashion parade of Tokyo Teenagers.



Unfortunately, I saw nobody wearing that stuff. So keen was I to see just how dull my dress sense actually is, I think I arrived a bit too early to see the real freak show. Lots of goths



and plenty of those disturbing Lolita complex types, but no real weirdos. As I was about to leave, deciding you can`t believe everything you read, I ran into these colourful characters.



HOORAY FOR HARAJUKU!

No entry for the next two weeks as that Banks character is coming to visit, but we`re going to Kyoto, so that should help me squeeze out another entry.

Ta-ta