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Tokyo Locals' Select: 6 Favorite Spots in Harajuku and Omotesando

Tokyo Locals' Select: 6 Favorite Spots in Harajuku and Omotesando

Last updated: 12 May 2020

Whether you’re visiting Tokyo for the first time, or you’re a veteran Tokyo tourist, here are five of the best shops and restaurants frequented by Tokyo-ites in every-day life. Come to Harajuku for brunch, shopping, and dessert. Let’s take a walk to some of the neighborhood’s trendiest establishments!

1. The Great Burger: Retro American Rock Café

1. The Great Burger: Retro American Rock Café

For many tourists, who want to be as relaxed as possible on vacation, waking up in time for a hotel breakfast or finding a local café may prove problematic. But here’s a solution – brunch. For that, the Great Burger in Harajuku comes highly recommended by locals.

This burger is shop full of vintage American style. Graffiti, retro payphones, neon signs and other furnishings are all items personally selected by the owner, Mr. Atsushi, during his many visits to the U.S. Adding to the atmosphere, the music and movies played in the restaurant help create a relaxed diner right out of the 1960s.

The menu features more than 20 hamburger choices. The hamburger buns are produced by a professional baker, using Kurumata’s personal recipe.

Bacon Burger, 1,250 yen
Bacon Burger, 1,250 yen

The Bacon Burger takes an already succulent hamburger patty and adds the aroma flavor juicy bacon, while the Avocado Burger is smooth and refreshing.

Avocado Burger, 1,100 yen
Avocado Burger, 1,100 yen

Of course, coming to Tokyo, you’ll want to eat traditional local cuisine, but the meticulous Japanese approach to the cooking can also bring a richer and more delicious taste to Western cuisine. So why not change things up a bit and go for an American burger with a Japanese soul.

Patrons line up outside The Great Burger even before the diner opens, so if you want to avoid the lunchtime rush, try visiting from 11:30 to 12:00 or from 14:00 to 17:00.

  • THE GREAT BURGER
    ザ グレートバーガー
    • Address 6-12-5 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
    • Nearest Station Directions: 5-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Fukutoshin Lines Meiji-jingumae “Harajuku” Station Exit 7; 8-minute walk from JR Yamanote Line Harajuku Station; 10-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Ginza/Hanzomon Lines Omotesando Station
    • Hours: 11:30 - 22:30 (opens at 9:00 on weekends and national holidays)

2. Quico: Carefully Selected Homeware

2. Quico: Carefully Selected Homeware

After brunch, take a short walk around the corner, and you’ll see the white Quico store.

In addition to selling Japanese products, Quico also offers many international items. The first of three floors features mainly clothing, accessories, and utensils, each with simple stylings.

The basement floor, features the elegant wood tone home decorations, as well as vintage Nordic furniture to complement Tokyo’s design sense.

Near the staircase, is a series of Nordic-themed products. The wood grain drawers are decorated with colorful glass flowers, which are rich in color but with the calm of Nordic design that has long been popular in Japan.

The owner personally imports the shops items, bringing a unique and creative vitality to the Harajuku store. Although the products aren’t sold for a low price, and there’s no sale season, you can be assured that those on display are high-quality pieces.

Not only does each floor present a distinct flavor of products, but each also has different music playing to fully immerse visitors in the complete Quico shopping experience.

  • QUICO
    キコ
    • Address 5-16-15 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
    • Nearest Station Directions: Directions: 5-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Fukutoshin Lines Meiji-jingumae “Harajuku” Station Exit 4; 8-minute walk from JR Yamanote Line Harajuku Station; 10-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Ginza/Hanzomon Lines Omotesando Station Exit A1
    • Hours: Mon. - Sat. 12:00 - 20:00; Sun. 12:00 - 19:30

3. Søstrene Grene: Affordable Nordic Lifestyle Market

3. Søstrene Grene: Affordable Nordic Lifestyle Market

In recent years, European home furnishing has gained a surge in popularity in Japan. Known for skillful mixing and matching, whether clothes or daily necessities, local shoppers can find what they need to create their unique personal style and enrich their homes and lives anywhere from 100 yen stores to brands from overseas.

One store, Søstrene Grene, brings countless possibilities with inexpensive lifestyle goods from Denmark.

Paper suitcases: small, 505 yen; large, 1,144 yen
Paper suitcases: small, 505 yen; large, 1,144 yen

Søstrene Grene sells everything from daily necessities to stationery and furniture, as supplies for painting and handicrafts.

There are calm and elegant candlesticks, as well as colorful storage products. With a wide degree of freedom, style, and festivity, their Nordic design stimulates creativity and imagination for home life.

Ceramic candlestick, 624 yen
Ceramic candlestick, 624 yen
Shoe storage bags, 89 yen; hangers, 116 yen (small); 138 yen (medium)
Shoe storage bags, 89 yen; hangers, 116 yen (small); 138 yen (medium)
  • Søstrene Grene
    Søstrene Grene
    • Address 4-25-13 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
    • Nearest Station Directions: Directions: 3-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Fukutoshin Lines Meiji-jingumae “Harajuku” Station Exit 1; 7-minute walk from JR Yamanote Line Harajuku Station; 7-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Ginza/Hanzomon Lines Omotesando Station Exit A2
    • Hours: 11:00 - 20:00

5. Colombin: From Paris to Tokyo, the Japanese Royal Family's Dessert Chef

5. Colombin: From Paris to Tokyo, the Japanese Royal Family's Dessert Chef

Right outside of Tokyo Metro Meiji-jingumae “Harajuku” Station Exit 4 you’ll find Colombin. Harajuku has a first-class dessert scene with shops scattered throughout the neighborhood, but if you want to try something extraordinary, there’s no place like Colombin.

Colombin is similar to Café do Flore and Les Deux Magots in Paris, and since its inception, has a long history as a gathering place for literati. Before moving to the current Harajuku store, the original Ginza location featured a ceiling mural painted by renown Japanese-French Tsuguharu Foujita, which has since been donated to the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace.

Hand made French biscuit gift box, 3,240 yen
Hand made French biscuit gift box, 3,240 yen

Founder Kuniteru Kadokura went to Paris in 1921 to study French dessert making techniques. After returning, he became the emperor's royal dessert chef. In addition to its traditional desserts, Colombin also has concern for contemporary issues. In the wake of declining bee colonies due to climate change, Colombin began beekeeping with an apiary on the building’s roof. The honey produced is used to make desserts like the Harajuku Honey Cake Roll and Honey Pudding. Both are rich in flavor and have remained highly popular products.

Harajuku Honey Maple Sugar Cake, 1,404 yen; Harajuku Cake Roll, 1,080 yen
Harajuku Honey Maple Sugar Cake, 1,404 yen; Harajuku Cake Roll, 1,080 yen
Harajuku Honey Pudding, 1,029 yen
Harajuku Honey Pudding, 1,029 yen
  • colombin
    コロンバン
    • Address 6-31-19 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
    • Nearest Station Directions: Just outside Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Fukutoshin Lines Meiji-jingumae “Harajuku” Station Exit 4; 2-minute walk from JR Yamanote Line Harajuku Station Exit 1; 10-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Ginza/Hanzomon Lines Omotesando Station Exit A1
    • Hours: Mon. - Sat. 10:00 - 21:00, Sun. & holidays 10:00 - 20:00

6. Aoyama Flower Market Tea House: Flowery Afternoon Tea in the Greenhouse

6. Aoyama Flower Market Tea House: Flowery Afternoon Tea in the Greenhouse

In recent years, adding nature into everyday life has become a trend, and classes for floral design – using both fresh and dried flowers – have become fashionable.

Since 2011 Aoyama Flower Market Tea House has been introducing the concept of living life surrounded by flowers and greenery. Just outside Omotesando Station, the shop sells flowers, bouquets, and other plants and also features an afternoon tea parlor.

Designed to create a greenhouse-like dining space, organic tea, seasonal desserts, and flowers intertwine to give Aoyama Flower Market Tea House an Alice in Wonderland feel. Some of Aoyama’s signature desserts include "Rose Jelly" and "Flower Parfait" and you simply cannot miss the “Seasonal Flower French Toast.” The warm toast is topped with fragrant ice cream, creating a delectable blend of flavors.

Top left: Seasonal Flower French Toast, 1080 yen (Aoyama shop only); Top right: Homemade Ginger Ale, 810 yen; Botom left: Herbal tea, 810 yen; Bottom right: Flower Parfait, 918 yen
Top left: Seasonal Flower French Toast, 1080 yen (Aoyama shop only); Top right: Homemade Ginger Ale, 810 yen; Botom left: Herbal tea, 810 yen; Bottom right: Flower Parfait, 918 yen

Aoyama Flower Market Tea House, is an excellent place to catch your breath while sipping tea and enjoying a light dessert.

  • Aoyama Flower Market TEA HOUSE
    Aoyama Flower Market TEA HOUSE
    • Address 5-1-2 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
    • Nearest Station Directions: Just outside Tokyo Metro Chiyoda/Ginza/Hanzomon Lines Omotesando Station Exit A4
    • Hours: Mon. - Sat. 11:00 - 20:00, Sun. & holidays 11:00 - 19:00; lunch 11:00 - 15:00 (weekdays only)

Harajuku has always attracted crowds of visitors, with its bargain stores and high-end shops. Down one winding road you can find a cup of good coffee, or turn another corner, and you’ll find a cozy restaurant.

"Here, there’s an adventure, waiting for everyone to discover.”

*This information is from the time of this article's publication.
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.

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