COSPLAYERS & SWEET LOLITAS ON HARAJUKU'S JINGU BRIDGE. PHOTOS OF JAPANESE YOUTHS, LOLITAS STREET STYLE.
Jingu is a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku to Yoyogi Park / Meiji Shrine. On Sundays especially, you’ll see cosplayers, Gothic Lolitas and other alt-styled youths congregating here.
The bridge isn’t as busy as it was in the old days of Harajuku “pedestrian heaven,” but it remains a marvelous spot to see and be seen.
What better place to be inspired before shopping for Gothic Lolita Punk clothes in Harajuku? (Maps and a store guide for your reference.)
Many of the teens bring food and hang out here all day. Most ignore the swarm of tourists that snap photos of the action.
Want to see more? Check out my post about stylish CHILDREN and Gothic Lolitas on Jingubashi Bridge.
Have you stepped foot on Harajuku’s infamous bridge?
MAY 15th in Tokyo… come party with my spooky crew at Midnight Mess! Xenophobia and Rose Noire are performing; it shall be a night of Goth/Fetish/Dark/Industrial fashion and music. The info is here and in my club guide; if you have questions, let me know in the comments.
Japanese Word of the Day: Bridge = Hashi
Song of the Day: Grendel – Industrial Zombie Dance (Goth guys dancing in a graveyard — fun!)
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SANRIO PUROLAND, HELLO KITTY THEME PARK IN TOKYO, JAPAN. STRANGE KIDS AMUSEMENT PARK, HELLO KITTY RIDES, COSTUMES & MUSICAL PERFORMANCES.
Somewhere, over the rainbow… specifically in Tokyo, Japan… there’s a Hello Kitty theme park!
The giant rainbow that shines over Kitty-land is easy to find. Take the Odakyu or Keio line to Tama Center Station, then follow the Sanrio character posters.
Once you step inside, you’ll run into these scary-cute mascots! The design is quite clever: the adults see through the letters on the hats.
The entire amusement park is Hello Kitty hell. You can’t walk two paces without coming face-to-face with the mouthless cat.
There’s not one, but several stores that sell Sanrio goods. You can find obscure merchandise, such as Tuxedo Sam plush toys. Kitty’s mom and dad lord over the main shop.
You can line up to sit next to Hello Kitty in her pink car, and explore the house that she shares with Dear Daniel. Don’t worry, they have separate bedrooms.
The rides aren’t impressive. Most of them are coin-operated one-seaters.
The stage show, however… is an LSD acid trip! An excerpt from my Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants book: Fifty dancers zoomed around the colossal circular stage, flapping their arms to a manic pop track: “Imaginaaation!” The Professor noted two nymphs with strawberries on their heads, a DayGlo Amish lady, a mustachioed man in a rainbow apron. He wrote Saturday Night Fever, then crossed it out and wrote Drag Ball + Bollywood and underlined it twice.
My Puroland adventure is one of my favorite writing pieces from my Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants book. Please consider picking up a copy here — I hope you’ll enjoy the writing and photos.
Japanese Word of the Day: Drugs = Mayaku
Song of the Day: Zilch – Electric Cucumber (featuring Hide of X-Japan!)
LA CARMINA
