Omotesandō

Omotesandō is Tokyo's showcase of fashion and architecture, a broad, tree-lined avenue often likened to a Parisian boulevard. Running gently downhill toward the Meiji Shrine, it was originally laid out as the shrine's ceremonial approach, and its rows of zelkova trees still give it a stately, green character rare among the city's shopping streets.

Luxury retail lines the avenue. Flagship stores for the world's leading fashion houses stand shoulder to shoulder here, many of them designed by celebrated architects, turning the street into an open-air gallery of contemporary building design. The rippling glass of one boutique, the honeycomb concrete of another and the layered volumes of Omotesandō Hills, a shopping complex by Tadao Ando, make the walk as much about structures as merchandise.

The back streets tell a different story. Behind the flagships, the leafy lanes of the Ura-Harajuku area hide independent boutiques, cafes and galleries, while the nearby Cat Street offers a more relaxed, youthful counterpoint. The neighborhood bridges the polished elegance of Aoyama and the exuberant youth culture of Harajuku, which sits at its lower end.

Culture punctuates the shopping. The Nezu Museum, with its collection of Asian art and a serene traditional garden, lies at the avenue's upper end, offering a calm retreat from the crowds.

For visitors, Omotesandō is one of Tokyo's most pleasant walks. Served directly by subway, it invites an unhurried stroll to admire the architecture, window-shop and pause at a cafe, with the option of continuing into Harajuku or the Meiji Shrine's forested grounds. The atmosphere is refined but not stuffy, and the seasonal illuminations that drape the trees in tiny lights make winter evenings especially striking. Design enthusiasts often come chiefly to study the architecture, treating the avenue as a free outdoor museum of contemporary building.