Fuzzy bunny ears, mismatched stockings in day-glo hues and plastic hair barrettes are not likely to be among the go-to accessories of the average American girl over the age of five, but these sorts of childhood adornments are central to many an outfit concocted by those frequenting Tokyo’s Harajuku fashion district, the subject of a photography exhibit now on view at the downtown office of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco.
Four Sundays in Harajuku features the work of photographer Andy Heffernan, who visited the area best known as a hangout for a cultishly-dedicated sector of Japanese youth who gather there each weekend to show off the painstakingly planned, often outlandishly fanciful costumes they’ve dreamed up and, more often than not, constructed and sewn themselves.
While it’s a relatively small exhibit and closed on the weekends, it’s free and open to the public. If you were looking for a perfect, fashion-infused afternoon break from the daily downtown grind that won’t cost you a thing, this is it.
Four Sundays in Harajuku is on display through July 30th at The Japan Information Center, 50 Fremont St., Suite 2200, San Francisco, CA. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5p.m. (closed from 12-1 p.m. daily).
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