Left and right of Shibuya

Covered the area around Shibuya (meaning train stations nearby) today, more precisely Harajuku, Yoyogi, Ikebukuro and Roppongi.

I started at Harajuku, where the "Harajuku girls" are probably themost popular "sights" on weekends. Cosplayers, lolitas (cute/goth) and kimono/yukata clad people meet here to pose for hordes of (wannabe)photographers and to confuse some tourists.
Today some kind of official shooting was going on as well, as there were guys with TV cameras taking interviews.
Harajuku girls and co:

Passing harajuku girls

The madness from above

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Right behind the gathering area lies the Yoyogi park, a popular area for cycling, relaxing, walking, jogging and all kind of social events. There were groups rehearsing for performances, training their moves (martial art and other) or just picnicking and sunbathing.

Yoyogi park

Yoyogi park entrance

Yoyogi park map

Yoyogi park

There were all kinds of musicians around as well:

Yoyogi musician

From the entrance you can see this stadium for sporting activities.

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Next to this park is the Meiji shrine, dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and his companion, the Empress. They played a very important role in Japanese history, but I won't give you a lesson on that now, there are enough sources out there. Lets just say they worked towards an Japan open to the world and established the mentality of "learning from the best without loosing the Japanese spirit". Basically Japans trait of picking something up from the market, enhancing/altering it and turning it Japanese.
The Emperor seemed to have a thing for the French, thus the wine he received as a sign of goodwill (on the other side of the road are the classical sake barrels you see at shrines).

Meiji shrine

Meiji shrine wine

Meiji shrine

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Did a quick sidestep to Ikebukuro but wasn't in a shopping mood. Otherwise the Sunshine 60 might have tempted me, a 60-storeyed building of shopping malls and offices.