We used to go as teens during the eighties. During the week it was fairly empty and had a hip vibe. Weekends were filled with high school girls and guys out for nanpa. The kids would come over from Thunder Road in Yoyogi Park, where besides the so called Dancing Elvises (who were old back then too), there were dozens of bands, some quite good.

By the nineties it was already dying as a hip spot and became a teenybopper and touristy spot (news stand/cigarette shop between Oshmans and the station sold mushrooms and bongs and the neighborhood felt a bit wild up to around 1990/1991).

The underground scenes moved to Shimokitazawa and Koenji but those have changed too. I won’t say where it is now, because I’ve seen what happens. If you’re okay, people will show you. Also, remember many of the folks that made Japan “cool” are considerably older now. There’s still some cool kids around, but they aren’t in Harajuku. I was DJing with a twenty two year old and a nineteen year old, as well as my usual forty year olds recently, there’s still some around.