Latest news with #TokyuPlazaHarajuku
Metropolis Japan
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metropolis Japan
Tokyo Pride 2025
Experience the vibrant celebration of love, diversity, and inclusion at Tokyo Pride 2025, formerly known as Tokyo Rainbow Pride. This year's event marks a significant shift, aligning with global Pride Month in June and introducing a new name to reflect its broader scope. The theme for 2025 is 'Same Life, Same Rights', emphasizing equality and human rights for all. Pride Festival: Held on June 7–8 from 11am to 6pm at Yoyogi Park Event Plaza, the festival features booths from LGBTQ+ organizations, businesses, and food vendors, along with live performances on the Pride Stage. Pride Parade: Join the march on June 8, starting at 12pm, as participants walk a 3km route through Shibuya and Harajuku, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility. Pre-registration is required for participants. Pride Night: Celebrate the culmination of the weekend on June 8 from 6pm to midnight at AISOTOPE LOUNGE, featuring music and performances. This is a ticketed event. Youth Pride: Aimed at younger generations, this festival-style event takes place on June 14–15 at WITH HARAJUKU HALL, offering resources and networking opportunities. Queer Art Exhibition: From June 6–18, visit the exhibition at Tokyu Plaza Harajuku 'HaraKado' 3F, showcasing diverse artistic expressions from the LGBTQ+ community. Human Rights Conference: Engage in discussions on critical human rights issues on June 22. Details on the venue and schedule will be announced on the official website. Yoyogi Park Event Plaza ￥Most events are free and open to the public. However, some events, like Pride Night, require tickets.
Tokyo Weekender
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
Everything You Need To Know About Tokyo Pride 2025
Get ready to paint the town rainbow for this year's Tokyo Pride. The event is expanding its programming in 2025 and shifting to June to align with the global Pride Month. That means more events, more visibility and more reasons to celebrate love and diversity in one of the world's most fascinating cities. From the iconic parade through Shibuya and Harajuku to intimate community gatherings, Tokyo Pride 2025 promises to be a joyful and important celebration of love and equality. List of Contents: Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2025: All the Essential Dates and Details Your Game Plan for the Festival and Parade Beyond TRP: Tokyo's LGBTQ+ Scene Related Posts Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2025: All the Essential Dates and Details Let's dive right in — when and where you need to be to catch all the rainbow magic. The Main Festival at Yoyogi Park (June 7-8) The heart of Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2025 beats at Yoyogi Park, where the main Pride Festival takes over the Event Plaza and Outdoor Stage, running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 7 and 8. It's completely free. There will be diverse crowds, live performances, food stalls and booths representing organizations from across Japan's LGBTQ+ spectrum. The Pride Parade (June 8) Sunday, June 8 is when the real magic happens. The Pride Parade kicks off at around 12 p.m., following the classic Shibuya to Harajuku route that transforms Tokyo's busiest districts into a rainbow river of celebration. You don't need any registration or special permission to join the parade. Just show up at the designated waiting area at Yoyogi Park's tree-lined path, and you're officially part of the rainbow festivities. Youth Pride and Other Events Youth Pride takes over at With Harajuku Hall on June 14 and 15, creating a festival-style event that is specifically designed for younger generations. Art lovers, mark your calendars for the Queer Art Exhibition running between June 6 and 18 at Tokyu Plaza Harajuku. Located on the third floor of Baby The Coffee Brew Club, this free exhibition showcases the incredible creativity within Tokyo's LGBTQ+ community. For those interested in the serious side of progress, the Human Rights Conference on June 22 will tackle legal frameworks, intersectionality and diverse perspectives on LGBTQ+ rights. Registration is required, but attendance is free. If you're ready to party into the night, Pride Night at Aisotope Lounge in Shinjuku Ni-chome on June 8 (6 p.m. to midnight) offers the perfect after-parade celebration — though this one does require a ticket. Your Game Plan for the Festival and Parade Getting to Yoyogi Park Yoyogi Park is quite accessible, which is great news when you're running late in characteristically gay fashion. The park sits just three minutes from Harajuku Station if you're taking the JR Yamanote Line, or three minutes from either Yoyogi-koen Station or Meiji-jingumae Station (Harajuku) if you prefer the subway lines (Chiyoda or Fukutoshin). When in doubt, just follow the crowds donning colorful gear. What To Expect When You Arrive Tokyo Rainbow Pride has mastered the art of organized fun. Expect a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere where respect and celebration go hand in hand. The festival area buzzes with energy, but it never feels overwhelming. Pro Tips for the Event Dress comfortably : Tokyo in June can be warm and humid, so breathable fabrics are your friend. Hydration is key : Bring water and snacks, because parade energy burns calories. Sun protection : Bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, a rainbow parasol and your gayest snap fan. Respect boundaries : Photography is welcome, but always ask before taking someone's picture. Pack light : A small bag with essentials is perfect; you'll be doing a lot of walking and celebrating. This is a 'rain or shine' event, though extreme weather might lead to cancellations. Beyond TRP: Tokyo's LGBTQ+ Scene Shinjuku Nichome: Your After-Party Headquarters Once the official festivities wind down, Tokyo's legendary gay district, Shinjuku Nichome, becomes the unofficial after-party headquarters. This compact area packs an incredible number of bars, clubs and social spaces into just a few blocks. It's intimate, friendly, and has been the heart of Tokyo's LGBTQ+ nightlife for decades. LGBTQ+ Friendly Spots Around the City There's a lot more to Tokyo's queer scene beyond Nichome. Black Bird Eatery is an intimate, international café and bar that will be holding events throughout Pride Month. Many international hotel chains have also made commitments to inclusive service, making Tokyo an increasingly welcoming destination for LGBTQ+ travelers. Community Resources and Support Organizations like Stonewall Japan, Pride House Tokyo and TELL (Tokyo English Lifeline) provide ongoing support for Tokyo's LGBTQ+ community. These groups offer everything from social events to mental health resources, proving that Tokyo's Pride celebration is just one part of a year-round commitment to inclusion. Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2025 isn't just an event — it's a celebration of community and an ongoing fight for progress. Whether you're there to march, observe, learn or simply soak up the fantastically gay vibes, you're contributing to something bigger than yourself. So mark your calendar, get out your most colorful clothes and get ready for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of love and acceptance. Related Posts Visit Japan: Tips for LGBTQ Travelers 7 LGBTQ Authors From Japan Shiba and Koji: The Japanese Dads Sharing Their Love Story With the World
Time Out
23-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Time Out
13 best indoor things to do in Tokyo to escape the bad weather
With stunning design that features a vertical rooftop garden embedded into a reflective, geometric facade, the new Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado shares aesthetic DNA with Tokyo Plaza Omotesando Harajuku directly opposite. A total of 75 shops, restaurants, bars and other businesses can be found across Harakado's nine above-ground and three basement levels. Mixed among the shopping opportunities are a number of cool experiences. For instance, you'll find an authentic sento bath with retro vibes in the basement, two floors of dining and drinking options, a free library of Japanese magazines, plus an art-filled relaxation space.
Time Out
14-05-2025
- Business
- Time Out
Test the latest in accessibility tech at Harajuku Harakado
Shopping and dining in Tokyo can sometimes be daunting without a strong grasp of Japanese, especially when it comes to communicating with store staff. But help may be on the way: At Harajuku's newest landmark, Tokyu Plaza Harajuku 'Harakado', a new pilot project titled 'Subtitles for the World' is happening now. The initiative, realised in partnership with Japanese automotive tech company Aisin, is a 'social experiment' exploring the use of cutting-edge real-time captioning technology and is aimed at bringing about a more inclusive society. Running until May 18, the trial features Aisin's YYSystem transcription app and translucent LCD display tech, which help break down communication barriers for customers with hearing impairments and international visitors alike. The transparent displays, equipped with a microphone and keyboard, visualise speech in real-time on a holographic screen. Impressively, the futuristic devices can also translate speech into over 30 languages. This system, along with tablet versions, has been implemented across 21 establishments in Harakado, including cafés, izakaya, beauty salons and retail shops. To take part in the pilot project, be sure to visit the third-floor 'subtitled information counter' located next to Baby the Coffee Brew Club. There you'll receive a neck strap indicating your specific needs, with tags such as 'I have difficulty hearing' or 'I need English subtitles'. After trying out the transcription services at various stores, don't forget to return to the counter to share your feedback. Participants who complete the post-trial survey will receive a ¥500 gift card to use within the shopping complex.
SoraNews24
01-05-2025
- SoraNews24
Fukuoka's Inaba Udon chain comes to Harajuku and we slurp up every last drop of it
Yup, we'd do just about anything for these noodles with a unique tempura topping. Tonkotsu (simmered pork bone broth) ramen is strongly associated with Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan. While ramen may be the first thing that comes to mind for many people when they think of the prefecture, that doesn't mean that other kinds of noodle dishes aren't popular. In fact, a well-established Fukuoka chain of udon restaurants known as Inaba Udon is seeking to make inroads in other parts of the country with its very first restaurant in Tokyo's Harajuku district, which opened on April 21. Conveniently, it's right next to Meiji-jingumae Station, inside the Tokyu Plaza Harajuku (nicknamed 'Harakado') shopping mall. ▼ Housed in a building that looks like this, there's no way you can miss it! Almost as soon as we entered the building, we were greeted by a sign guiding us to the new eatery on the building's fifth floor. Each floor of Harakado isn't all that big, so it's very hard to get lost. We found our way right to Inaba Udon without any issue. A quick glance around the inside showed that the entire space, including tables and counter seats, could probably seat about 20 people. Ordering is done by ticket vending machine at the start. Once you make your selection and pay, you simply wait for your order number to be announced and pick up the food. ▼ Bonus: you can order in English! We eagerly browsed through the menu options, which include a selection of both hot and chilled udon dishes, donburi (rice bowls), and special value sets combining the two. Since it was our first time eating here, we elected to start with the basics. Therefore, we chose the 'meat and tempura gobo (burdock) hot udon' for 1,250 yen (US$8.70), which is the top recommendation in the upper left of the screen displayed below. The dish comes in a 'modern' version with meat and a 'classic' version sans meat (and thus 100 yen cheaper), and we decided to go with the modern version as it was the top recommendation. We also upped the portion size to be 'extra large' and threw in two pieces of kashiwa inari sushi (mixed rice in a flavorful, fried tofu pocket) for fun. The final total came to 1,610 yen. After a short wait, the food arrived! A magnificently round disc of tempura gobo served as the visual centerpiece of the dish. Meanwhile, the inari sushi looked delectable in their fried pouches. Yup–we couldn't resist rolling the sushi to peek at the mixed rice inside. The tempura gobo had an interesting composition, being full of air bubbles. We quickly realized that it both absorbed the broth and disintegrated into the liquid very quickly. As it broke apart, it also freed several pieces of gobo encased within it into the soup. Those weren't the only gobo to be found, however, since the bowl also contained chunks of fried gobo in a manner similar to French fries, which is a popular dish in the region. We were so distracted while watching the slowly fragmenting tempura that we almost forgot about the beef, but it was also delicious. Now, onto the udon noodles themselves. They were incredibly shiny and the way that their surfaces reflected light was unmistakably different from Sanuki-style udon, the current most recognizable style of udon in the Greater Tokyo Area that's originally from the island of Shikoku. Unlike chewy Sanuki udon, the texture of Inaba Udon's noodles was soft and springy with a hint of elasticity. By the way, the restaurant provides optional condiments in the form of shichimi or ichimi pepper if you want to spice up your meal. As we ate more and more, it became readily apparent that the thickness of the soup and its flavor were changing gradually thanks to the tempura disc breaking up and spreading out. The broth itself wasn't overly sweet, but it might be considered sweet by Tokyo standards. It seemed to be soy sauce-based with accents of kombu (kelp) and dried sardines in equal proportion to its level of saltiness. In any case, it was simply delicious, and we ended up drinking up every last drop. Inaba Udon could be a fun, new udon experience for anyone in Tokyo who's only familiar with the more typical Sanuki udon served in the area. Given the restaurant's extremely convenient location in one of Tokyo's most popular districts for fashion and youth culture, we think it's here to stay for a long time. All images © SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
