Harajuku Station

Harajuku Station is a railway station in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station takes its name from the area on its eastern side, Harajuku.

This station is served by the Yamanote Line. It is also close to Meiji-Jingumae Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, and is marked as an interchange on most route maps, although there is no physical connection between the two stations.

The station consists of a single island platform serving two tracks. An additional temporary platform is located on the west side of the station usable by trains traveling towards Shinjuku which is used when major events occur in the area, especially around New Year when many people visit Meiji Shrine.

The main entrance is at the southern end of the station. A smaller entrance leading to the centre of the platform is convenient for Takeshita Street, a famous area in Harajuku. Takeshita Street is a popular shopping street and the Takeshita Street entrance to Harajuku Station is often very crowded. This congestion creates a bottleneck on weekends when scores of tourists and locals arrive and leave the shopping areas in and around Takeshita Street.