A thought about all those bright colors: the party district in Tokyo is organized per se, but as a massive melange of fluorescence visible from Mars. It makes Las Vegas look like a string of holiday lights around your dorm room window. Information grabs you by the retina and trips you over the sidewalk as you try to keep up.

If all you’re doing is getting dressed in the morning to look cool and it’s not coming from a culture that influenced your style then you’re just a character. If you’re dressed up like a skater, but you don’t skate – what are you? If you can just buy whatever you want, you haven’t really earned much.”

Harajuku** itself is Tokyo’s youth culture capital, focused on the Takeshita Dori (east from the station), a narrow street lined with quirky shops and often even quirkier fashions.