Whatcha Waiting For?
Christopher | June 14, 2009
Forever 21 in Harajuku
Yesterday I wandered through Harajuku yesterday and stumbled upon a sight that seemed very foreign to me. The shock wasn’t people in costume hanging out at the entrance to the park. It wasn’t the sea of people going down tight side streets to browse through boutique shops. It was the people lined up to get into a store. Not just any store, Forever 21.
Yes, that’s right. Hordes of young japanese girls were lined up to shop at one of America’s most famous stores catering to bright bargain clothing that will guarantee to last you at least two washings before falling apart at the seems.
The level of excitement was astounding. It’s interesting to see people queue up for something besides something from Apple.
Update - My friend, Chiaki, is fascinated by this post. She says that queues like this really aren’t a big deal from a Japanese perspective. A mob like this doesn’t necessarily indicate that the entirity of Japan will now be swathed in bargin fashion. The novelty is what draws the crowd, and in Tokyo there always seems to be something new to grab people’s attention.
