Harajuku Has a New Shopping Complex with a Rooftop Vertical Garden

Editor of Tokyo Weekender writes:

The famous Harajuku intersection is becoming even more exciting in 2024.

The Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku with the mirror entrance and a rooftop garden has long been a beloved cool spot in the neighborhood. Its entrance has been dubbed one of the most Instagrammable spots in Tokyo, the rooftop garden is free to enter and escape the Harajuku crowds and the whole building is filled with cute shops. This spring, in 2024, it’s getting a sister building just opposite, at the same intersection.

Designed by architect Akihisa Hirata, the building has nine floors above ground, three basement levels, and a commercial penthouse.

The new building is also owned by Tokyu and mirrors the design of the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku with irregular shapes and a reflective facade, complete with a rooftop garden. The building is named Tokyu Plaza Harakado, taking its name from its location — “hara” for Harajuku and “kado” for corner in Japanese. And the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku is renamed Omokado to match. The names recognize the significance of this intersection in Harajuku, where every corner is filled with establishments creating Harajuku culture, LaForet (in between Omokado and Harakado) being the one with the longest history.