My Trip to IKEA Harajuku

There are two Ikeas centrally located in Tokyo. One is Ikea Harajuku and the other Ikea Shibuya. Both are within a couple of miles from our apartment. 

We still need some things for organizing: hangers, cutlery trays, storage bins, etc. I know Marie Kondo disapproves of buying more things to organize what you already have, and to some degree, I agree. It is easy to be seduced by all those gimmicky organizational schemes. But there are essentials that definitely do help you organize, and Ikea is one of my favorite places to go. 

It is a holiday today - the Emperor's birthday - and everyone has the day off. So we went first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. Since Ikea Harajuku is in the middle of Tokyo, it is a lot smaller than the typical Ikea. In addition to selling fewer items, it also sold very different items. 

Chopsticks and chopstick accessories: traveling chopsticks with case, chopsticks, and hashioki or chopstick rests. 

Ikea-style bentos:

The second floor Ikea cafe was also totally different, both the design and the menu. I love the dining area's covid friendly design. 

Ikea's plant-based hot dog is sold everywhere, but Harajuku also had plant based kebabs (no photo of kebab because the husband ate it) and a variety of plant based sausages. In fact, a lot of foods were sold as "plant based," including soft serve and ramen. 

There is a smaller cafe on the first floor, which sold not only Ikea's famous soft serves but also croissants, pain au chocolat, donuts, olive bread, and beetroot bread. The drink menu was also more extensive with a variety of coffees and teas. 

I can't be sure that this is unique but I have not seen it at other Ikea stores. It looks very useful. I was tempted to buy it. If you have tried it, let me know if it works well. 

Last but not least is this contraption not specific to Ikea, but nonetheless part of the experience: the toilet baby seat. It is where you can park your baby to do your business in peace. It is either in every stall or in a few of the stalls. 

My overall impression of Ikea Harajuku was that it was tailored to the local market, surprisingly so for a company as big and standardized as Ikea. Besides the items mentioned above, there were many others. I also got the feeling that it was a bit more expensive. For example, the soft serve was about $2.50, but maybe because it is plant based? The store was more urban-chic than the utilitarian, warehousey Ikea I know. We will likely visit a larger, more typical Ikea in the next few weeks. It will be interesting to compare!