Has Harajuku Lost Its Cool?

While Gwen Stefani continues promoting her Harajuku Lovers perfumes in the US, The Japan Times reports on some local concerns that Harajuku’s reputation for being the coolest district in Tokyo is on the decline.

The latest addition to the Harajuku landscape comes in the form of a 1,500 sq meter H&M store. Isn’t it interesting how in some parts of the world, the arrival of an H&M might be deemed a gift from the fashion gods. In Harajuku, here’s what one shopkeeper had to say:

“What concerns us about big chains coming to Harajuku is that the special atmosphere of this place might be lost. People are interested in Harajuku because it is full of styles that came from the street, along with stores owned by individuals. But when a chain is expanded around the world, it winds up creating the same kind of landscape everywhere you go. People might eventually lose the need to come to Harajuku if they can just get similar goods in their local town.”

Like New York’s St.Mark’s street which was once the Punk epicenter of the East Village, all eras eventually meet their end. It’s just that sometimes we wish certain moments in time could last a little bit longer.

Read the full article: “Harajuku in Peril,” The Japan Times