Address: 1-11-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (Meijijingumae metro station)

In spite of being housed in a non-descript building and a non-Japanese name,  La Foret has become an icon in Tokyo.  With close to 100 shops staggered over several floors, La Foret creates the atmosphere and the excitement for breeding ephemeral fashion.  Several global brands such as See by Chloé, Helmut Lang, Top Shop and edgy Side by Side are cheek by jowl with local brands like Bulle du Savon and Par Avion.  The designers, the shop assistants, and the clientele (mainly teenagers and young women) are in a swirl with each apparently picking up ideas from the others!  Prices range from reasonable to expensive, with the more expensive stores clustered on the first three floors while a wilder beat sways the upper floors of  mostly unknowns.  After thirty years, La Foret still is the anchoring mall in Harajuku setting the trends for fashion in Tokyo and there’s no place better to savour it all than at the Parisian style café at the back where you can watch all the action over your latte!