Explosions of sights, smells and sounds. People lining the streets in constant motion. Shops, food, pets…. On Takeshita street, you should expect the unexpected.

Just steps from the Harajuki Station, Takeshita street is a few blocks of weird and wonderful Tokyo shopping. Perhaps this is not the place for serious shoppers. You will not find name brands or department stores. This street is for people who want to experience a specific Tokyo vibe. Takeshita is all about having a good time.

There is food. Multiple shops sell crepes filled with anything and everything you can think of from fruit to fish. You can get ice cream, tiramisu, and even spam crepes. I would stick to the sweets…. But that is just me.

Feeling thirsty? For a small fee you can visit a pet cafe and enjoy unlimited tea, coffee, and soft drinks while cuddling a pig. You can hold a meerkat or hedgehog. Traditionalists can play with dogs, ferrets or guinea pigs. Exotic animal lovers can hand feed capybaras or sidle up to a fennec fox.

Want to return to your childhood? No worries. You can visit the Sanrio store and say hello to kitty. Or, you can spend hours in capsule stores finding just the right miniature figure or gotcha. There are ninja costumes and themed shops connecting you with action heroes and anime characters.

Clothing shops are also represented. If you are into character apparel, sexy lingerie, kawaii culture outfits, platform shoes, or sports jerseys they have you covered. I even found a few well stocked vintage stores.

The streets are full of people and the energy is high. Teenagers outnumber adults by two to one. We scurry from shop to shop and try not to get separated. It is hard not to stop and stare. In a just few minutes I saw a girl dressed like little Bo peep, a man carrying a monkey, a child eating a crepe bigger than their hands could hold, and a grown man laying in a pile of pigs. Distracting does not begin to cover the sensation of Takeshita street. It is something that must be experienced.