It’s been over a year since our Japanese Street Fashion 2016 article. Considering the speed at which trends, brands, shops, and people come and go in the Japanese street fashion scene, an update is past due.
Harajuku — Tokyo’s one-of-a-kind youth culture neighborhood — retains its long-held title as the center of Japan’s street fashion scene in 2017. There are plenty of other hip/trendy areas in Tokyo and Osaka, but Harajuku remains the leading indicator of Japanese street fashion’s overall health and direction. Trends, brands, personalities, and shops get noticed here first — then spread outward.