Tokyo · Shibuya and Harajuku
Omotesando
Omotesando was laid out ahead of the opening of Meiji Shrine in 1920, as the official approach to it, and in 1921 zelkova trees were planted along it. Most of the trees burned in the bombings of 1945, and the avenue of today is mostly trees that were replanted after the war. The original width, an avenue and not a path to a shrine, is what made it the shopping street of today.
Since the turn of the millennium Omotesando has become a showcase street for brand architecture. The Prada building in Aoyama, by Herzog & de Meuron, was inaugurated in May 2003 with a famous facade of diamond-shaped glass. Right next to it, the building that Toyo Ito designed in 2004 for Tod's, with a concrete frame that imitates the shadows of the zelkova trees, changed its purpose in 2020: Tod's left, and the French group Kering made it its head office in Japan, with a Bottega Veneta shop on the lower floors.
Good to know
- Old guidebooks write about the Tod's building by Toyo Ito. The building stands, but since 2021 it has held a Bottega Veneta shop, and that is the name to look for.
- The Prada building by Herzog & de Meuron is open as a regular shop, and you are free to go in and look at the structure even without buying.
- Behind the luxury shops, in the alleys of Cat Street, the atmosphere changes completely: small vintage shops instead of huge boutiques.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Omotesando.
- HereOmotesando
- ~2 min
QOO Vintage Omotesando Clothes and crafts
A three-floor secondhand luxury store: the basement is all Hermès, and the floors above carry Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Cartier and more
- ~2 min
Google Store Omotesando, Tokyu Plaza Omokado Shopping
Google's first flagship store outside the US, opened on 13 August 2026. Demonstrations of Pixel devices, and repairs on the basement floor, the first official service of its kind in Japan.
- ~3 min
AMORE Vintage Aoyama Clothes and crafts
A mecca of luxury vintage in Tokyo: Chanel, Hermès and Dior in a quantity that is hard to find in one place.
- ~3 min
Kiddy Land Harajuku Shopping
A long-established toy and souvenir shop, six floors of Anpanman, Sanrio, Studio Ghibli and other Japanese characters.
- ~5 min
Bread, Espresso & Cafe
A bakery and cafe known for their soft cube-shaped bread. The baked goods sometimes run out before closing.
- ~8 min
RAGTAG Harajuku (Cat Street) Clothes and crafts
A multi-story branch next to Cat Street, aimed at high fashion.
- ~10 min
Nezu Museum More to see
A collection of Asian art in a building by Kengo Kuma, but the garden at the back, with paths and a tea house, is the reason to come. From ¥1,600 with an online ticket and from ¥1,800 at the door, depending on the exhibition. Closed Mondays.
More in Shibuya and Harajuku
Appears in: Shibuya, Harajuku and Meiji Shrine: the first day in Tokyo