New Harajuku Station
The new Harajuku Station in Shibuya-ku, on the Yamanote Line. The old station dates from 1909, renovated in 1924. It had character and history, but it was totally inadequate to handle contemporary crowds - visitors to the Omotesando shopping district, or the Takeshita dori groovy zone, or to Meiji Shrine. The new station, with an extra platform, has been in the works for the last couple of years in anticipation of crowds of tourists coming for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It looks like an ugly glass box on the outside, but on the inside it's bright and clean, spacious and easy to use.