Shopping at Harajuku: Things You Convince Yourself You Need

Sea of umbrellas down Takeshita-dori on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Harajuku. Takeshita-dori. It is the stuff that dreams are made of. The kind of dreams that are neon green, acid pink, sparkly, glittery, fizzy, kawaii, and oh-so-rock 'n' roll. I like to think of myself as a sensible person when it comes to shopping. I'm not easily seduced by shiny new products, or glitzy marketing, or anything with Hello Kitty's adorable mouthless face on it. But when it comes to Harajuku, I am hypnotised.

I nearly bought a Winnie the Pooh outfit for a dog. I don't have a dog. But in Harajuku, I found myself thinking, 'maybe I should buy this in case I get a dog in the future...?"

I nearly bought a bright pink tutu. I am 21 years old. I stopped taking ballet lessons when I was 6. But something about Harajuku makes a tutu seem like a respectable wardrobe staple item.

Then of course, I wanted to buy shoes that would go with the bright pink tutu. I thought the lime green ones were rather pleasing to the eye.

Or, how about a sweater brandished with the smiling face of a monster wearing a hair ribbon? So cute! So hip! So Harajuku.