Omotesando boulevard
A stone tower on Omotesando
| Overlapping the Harajuku area is Omotesando, which is also the
name of the tree-lined boulevard that is its main street. Omotesando boulevard
gets its name from the fact that it leads to the main entrance of Meiji Jingu
shrine. Many upscale fashion boutiques that cater to a more mature clientele than
the trendy shops of the surrounding area have cropped up along this street in
recent years. One after another, leading European apparel makers are choosing
Omotesando as the location for their flagship boutiques in Japan. Besides being
known for its fashionable shops, the Aoyama-Harajuku area is also packed with
innumerable beauty salons and restaurants of every genre.
The area along Omotesando boulevard will see more change in the coming years, as one of its defining landmarks, the Dojunkai Aoyama Apartment complex, is torn down and mixed-use modern buildings go up in its place. Built nearly 80 years ago as public housing after the Tokyo Earthquake of 1923, the ivy-covered apartment complex, the first in Japan to be built of steel-reinforced concrete, has remained a popular part of the Omotesando landscape with its austere, antiquated facade. But over time it has become vulnerable to earthquakes, and the apartment complex is slated for reconstruction. |
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