Hopefully your interest for visiting the Takeshita-dori is now piqued so it’s time to learn a little more about the wild and whimsical fashions of Harajuku.

When Monique and I visited I didn’t really know the trademark styles, so I couldn’t differentiate between them unless they were screamingly obvious. In retrospect, it would have been great to know what they were so I could appreciate the experience more.

When you visit the Takeshita-dori keep an eye out for these dazzling styles!

Visual Kei

‘Kei’ is Japanese for ‘style’ and Visual Kei refers specially to the visual style of (Western) glam-rock and glam-metal musicians, reinterpreted by Japanese youth.

This was one of the first styles to emerge in Harajuku during the 80’s. The style is exemplified by bands such as D’erlanger, X-Japan or Buck Tick and is characterised by striking makeup, choppy blocked-dyed hair, elaborate clothing, and accessories (think belts…