[Update, June 8] Both Uniqlo and Ikea at With Harajuku are now open. In order to reduce the risk of Covid-19 coronavirus, the new Ikea will be limiting the number of customers in store. To enter, you must first get a ticket from the queue management system on the second floor.
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Fans of Swedish design will be relieved to know that trips to Ikea are about to become a lot more convenient with a new store that’s actually in central Tokyo. Japan’s first city-centre Ikea store will be located in the kawaii neighborhood of Harajuku and will be part of a brand-new shopping complex set to open on April 25 2020. The introduction of the mall is part of a bigger initiative to transform Harajuku, which, unfortunately, also involves the demolition of its iconic Meiji-era train station after the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
With Harajuku will feature three basement floors and nine above-ground levels housing restaurants, co-working spaces, shops and an event hall with a capacity for 300 people. The building was designed to be a ‘hangout space for the future’, where people can eat, shop, work and convene. It’s not all for public use, though, as floors four through nine are set aside as residential apartments.
In addition to its indoor shops, With Harajuku will also have an expansive terrace called ‘With Harajuku Park’, where the public can enjoy fresh air while taking in the greenery of Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Park, which are just across the road.
Harajuku’s Ikea store won’t be as big as the ones in Tachikawa or Chiba, but it will still include a canteen where shoppers can snack on its famous Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam. Other stores within the complex include Uniqlo, The Alley, Snow Peak, Maccha House and a digital beauty store produced by Shiseido called Beauty Square.
Keen to explore Harajuku before the opening of With Harajuku? Check out our guide to the tastiest, most Insta-worthy snacks and street eats in Harajuku.