Miss Filigree

The image a lot of people get when thinking about Harajuku is a quirky artsy neighborhood with lots of quirky people in interesting and unique outfits. Maybe you think of Haruka Kurebayashi or RinRin Doll. What a lot of people don't know though is that this image is quite outdated. These days, Harajuku is absolutely flooded with tourists. Most shops are fast fashion- the first shop you saw when leaving the station used to be an H&M! A really big one too. Takeshita dori is mostly small cheap shops, lots of knockoffs, and so many tourists you can barely move. I remember feeling a little disappointed when I first entered the street. So where did all the artsy resale shops go? They moved to Cat Street! Cat Street is an alleyway behind Harajuku that I think fits the image of artsy resale shops way more. There's hardly any tourists, just locals. Loads of secondhand shops, ranging from leather shoes to jewellery to clothes with a certain vibe that fit that store's brand. Th...