Harajuku is a cool place to visit on weekends when the interesting people come to hang out. I have played guitar there on several occasions in the open plaza by the entrance to the Meiji Jingumae historical site. Even as a middle aged American, I was accepted by the locals and we just had a great music jam and shared songs.
Proper pronunciation of Harajuku is difficult for Americans because there is no English equivalent for the J or R sounds. The J is pronounced like the French name Jaques. Not SH like shock or J like jock. Also the R is rolled as it would be if spoken in the German language.
by Chiaki54 October 17, 2008