Takeshita Street, Shopping street in Harajuku, Japan

Takeshita Street is a roughly 350-metre shopping lane that slopes gently down from Harajuku Station toward Meiji-dōri. Small youth-oriented boutiques line both sides, and a metal archway with balloon sculptures and green spheres spelling "TAKESHITA" marks the entrance. A second archway carries the lettering "Takeshita Street" above a dark electronic screen and pillars with flower-shaped cutouts.

In the 1990s the area began drawing young people looking for clothing that was hard to find in other neighborhoods. Some shops at the time sold items from the US and Europe that later became models for local designers.

The name comes from Takeshita-cho, the low-lying district between Harajuku Station and Meiji-dori that existed until the 1965 address reform. Since the 1990s, Sebastian Masuda's work made the street a home of "kawaii" culture; pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu grew up here, and decora figure Kurebayashi Sora also emerged from the area.

Most shops open around 11 in the morning and close by 8 in the evening, though some food stalls may stay open longer. Those who want to avoid crowds should visit on weekday mornings before the heaviest foot traffic arrives.

The street's name comes from the former Takeshita-cho district, which covered the low ground between Harajuku Station and Meiji-dori until the 1965 address change renamed it Jingumae 1-chome. The area was opened up by settlers from Oi village in the Edo period.