Meiji, Harajuku and Omotesando

Who this day is for

This day is for a first or second trip. Stops are well known, easy to reach, workable without Japanese, and take credit cards.

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Breakfast

Breakfast: Eggs n Things Harajuku, pancakes in Jingumae. It's open 8:00–21:00, with last order at 20:30, and closing days are not fixed, so check before you go. It takes VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners, and UnionPay, plus Suica and QR payments, and it has an English menu. A meal is about ¥3,000–3,999.

Route: about 2 minutes from Meiji-jingumae Station Exit 5 on the C Chiyoda Line, about 6 minutes from the Omotesando exit at JR Harajuku Station, or about 6 minutes from Omotesando Station Exit A2. From the restaurant it is a short walk to the Meiji Jingu Harajuku entrance.

Backup: bills Omotesando, on the 7th floor of Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku, the same building as Omohara Forest. Use it when Eggs n Things Harajuku is closed. It's open every day 8:30–22:00, with last order at 21:30, and the breakfast menu runs until 11:00. Walk-ins are welcome. Bookings are taken all day Monday to Friday. A meal is about ¥2,000–5,000. The English page lists the menu in English. It does not list card brands.

Meiji Jingu

Meiji Jingu comes first, because the gates close in the late afternoon. Admission is free, and the shrine is open every day from sunrise to sunset. In October the gates open at 5:40 and close at 16:40. In December they close at 16:00. Some places inside are open mainly 9:00–16:00.

Route: Harajuku Station and Meiji-jingumae Station are a 1-minute walk to the shrine entrance. From that entrance to the main shrine is at least another 10 minutes, and the same on the way back.

Takeshita Street

Takeshita Street is the pedestrian shopping street across the road from the Takeshita Exit at JR Harajuku Station. It's open daily.

Route: walk back to the Harajuku entrance, at least 10 minutes, then a short walk across to the street. No source publishes a time for that crossing.

Omohara Forest

Omohara Forest is the free rooftop on the 6th floor of Tokyu Plaza Omotesando, also called Omokado. The forest is open 8:30–22:30. The building closes on days it does not announce ahead of time. Most shops run 11:00–20:00, which is shorter than the roof. A few open earlier.

Route: from Takeshita Street, walk through to Meiji-dori and on to the Jingumae crossing. That stretch has no published time. The building itself is about 1 minute from Meiji-jingumae Station Exit 5.

Cat Street

Cat Street is the quieter shopping street between Harajuku and Shibuya. Start at the north end, by the Jingumae crossing.

Route: a short walk from Omohara Forest, at that same crossing. No source publishes a time.

Omotesando Hills

Omotesando Hills. Shops and cafes are open 11:00–20:00, though some shops keep different hours. Restaurants run 11:00–22:30, and until 23:00 on Friday and Saturday. On a Sunday before a Monday holiday, restaurants also stay open until 23:00. The building closes on days it does not announce ahead of time.

Route: a short walk from the north end of Cat Street. No source publishes a time for that stretch. Omotesando Station is the stop for this end of the avenue.

Nezu Museum

Optional, and off the walking line: Nezu Museum. It's open 10:00–17:00, and the last entry is 16:30. It's closed on Mondays, or on Tuesday when Monday is a national holiday, and also between exhibitions and over New Year. Book a timed ticket on the English ticket page. That page takes VISA, Mastercard, JCB, and AMEX.

Route: about 8 minutes from Omotesando Station Exit A5, on the G Ginza Line, Z Hanzomon Line, and C Chiyoda Line lines.

Getting between stops

1. Meiji Jingu to Takeshita Street: walk, about 10 minutes.
2. Takeshita Street to Omohara Forest: a short walk.
3. Omohara Forest to Cat Street: a short walk.
4. Cat Street to Omotesando Hills: a short walk.

Lunch

Lunch: Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Honten, tonkatsu at 4-8-5 Jingumae. It's open 11:00–22:00, with last order at 21:00, and closed only on January 1 and 2. It takes VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, and Diners, plus IC cards and QR payments. Lunch is about ¥1,000–1,999. Reservations for individual seats may not be accepted on certain days. The page does not list an English menu.

Route: about 3 minutes from Omotesando Station Exit A2.

Alternate: AFURI Harajuku, yuzu ramen. It's open every day 10:00–23:00, with last order at 22:30. It takes VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, and Diners, plus IC cards and QR payments, and a meal is about ¥1,000–1,999. Reservations are not taken. It's about 3 minutes from JR Harajuku Station, or about 5 minutes from Meiji-jingumae Station. The page does not list an English menu.

Dinner

Dinner: Harajuku Sakura-tei, okonomiyaki and monja. It's open 11:00–23:00, with last order at 22:00, every day of the year. It takes VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, and Diners, plus IC cards. It does not take QR payments. It has an English menu. Book online. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, the booking is cancelled. A meal is about ¥2,000–2,999.

Route: ride the C Chiyoda Line one stop from Omote-sando (C04) to Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku) (C03). The restaurant is about 4 minutes from Exit 5.

Alternate: Heiroku Sushi Omotesando, conveyor-belt sushi on Omotesando. It's open 11:00–21:00. It takes cards and electronic money, and it does not take QR payments. Reservations are not taken, so it is walk-in only. A meal is about ¥2,000–2,999. The page does not list an English menu.

Sources

• Meiji Jingu, visiting. Shrine visitor information and seasonal opening hours.
• Nezu Museum, visiting. Museum visitor information and access.