Tokyo · Shibuya and Harajuku
Chicago Harajuku
Harajuku Chicago is a chain of secondhand clothing shops. The first branch opened on Omotesando in 1983 and closed on 24 March 2020, because of an urban redevelopment project on the block. If you are reading an old guide and looking for the sign with the palm trees and the beach in the Olympia Annex building, you will not find it. Three branches are still open in the neighborhood: this one, the Jingumae branch on Cat Street, and the Takeshita branch.
This branch is on the 2nd floor of a building at Jingumae 6-31-15, right next to Meiji-Jingumae Station. According to the Harajuku-Omotesando merchants' association, it carries secondhand clothes of every kind from abroad and from Japan, and also kimono.
At the Omotesando branch that closed, according to WWD, the chain sold everything from American jeans and sweatshirts to kimono, and competed on low prices. If you come mainly for kimono, obi and zori sandals, you will find a whole floor of them at the Jingumae branch, see below.
Good to know
- The chain's official website shows a Tax-free symbol, without details of the terms. Ask at the counter before you pay and keep your passport at hand.
- According to the merchants' association, new stock arrives almost every day. If you pass through the neighborhood twice on the same trip, you can drop in again.
- The three branches in the neighborhood are a short walk from each other. If you did not find what you were looking for here, go on to the branch on Cat Street or the Takeshita branch in the CUTE CUBE building.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Chicago Harajuku.
- HereChicago Harajuku
- 1 min
Omotesando Street
An avenue of zelkova trees with brand buildings by major architects: Prada by Herzog and de Meuron, Tod's by Toyo Ito, Dior by SANAA.
- ~3 min
Kamawanu Harajuku Shopping
A branch of the tenugui shop, dyed cotton towels, on the basement floor of the Ota Memorial Museum of Art (woodblock prints).
- ~5 min
Takeshita Street Street
About 350 meters of crepes, colorful popcorn and ¥300 shops.
- ~6 min
Harajuku Chicago Jingumae Clothes and crafts
The Cat Street branch, on two floors: men's and women's clothes on the 1st floor, and a kimono corner on the 2nd floor, with obi and zori sandals. According to an article from October 2024, the items outside start at about ¥500.
- ~7 min
Harajuku Gyoza Lou Food
A small gyoza restaurant in an alley, fried or steamed, with or without garlic. According to an article from 2023, payment is cash only. Not kosher.
- ~8 min
Meiji Jingu More to see
Tokyo's great Shinto shrine, inside a planted forest of 100 thousand trees.