Atop almost every Tokyo visitor’s must-see list, Harajuku is one of the city’s most named-checked neighborhoods. Here’s a quick look at some of the highlights every Harajuku visitor should experience.

Takeshita Street

The first thing you’re going to want to do is get sucked into the vortex of Takeshita Street, the best place to try purikuru photo booths and observe the latest cosplay trends — from Cothic Lolita to cyberpunk.

WEGO is a popular fashion chain offering the latest trends and a section for vintage clothes. Tutuanna is where you can find interesting socks that will add an ample dose of kawaii to your outfit.

Cat Street

Cat Street is more relaxing place to stroll and shop, with stores focusing on higher-end brands.

RAGTAG is the best place to find second-hand items. Harajuku Chicago boasts a wide variety of vintage clothes, including baseball team happi coats and traditional kimonos.

Omotesando Avenue

Another famous shopping street Omotesando Avenue is a large, tree-lined thoroughfare that cuts through Harajuku and is filled with hundreds of shops and restaurants.

Sukajyan Dept, a tiny souvenir jacket store, is packed with the works of Ken Kakinuma. TOKYU Plaza Omotesando Harajuku is where you’ll find that famous mirrored entranceway that so many travelers share on the internet.

There you are, looking through your WeChat moments or your Weibo feed, and you come across a post like this: “I just got accepted to Harvard AND Oxford! Are they sure they didn’t mix my applications with somebody else?!”

This person is clearly humblebragging. The tem “humblebrag” was first coined back in 2010 by the late US comedian Harris Wittels, and it describes when someone makes a seemingly modest statement, but the actual purpose is to bring attention to something they are proud of.

The example above is a humility-based humblebrag. The person wants to tell others: “I got accepted to Harvard and Oxford!” However, they don’t want to seem too arrogant. So instead, they word it in a way to be more modest and bring down the importance of their achievements.

Although people who humblebrag think it will make them more likeable because they aren’t loudly boasting about their triumphs, a study showed that humblebragging actually has the opposite effect.

“Humblebragging backfires because it seems very fake. That ‘woe(悲伤)is me’ attitude combined with self-promotion does not lead to a favorable impression,” said Ovul Sezer. “Even simply bragging or complaining is better, because at least those messages are seen more sincere.”

Sezer’s study also found that nearly 60 percent of humblebrags were complaint-based humblebragging, with most people humblebragging about their looks, followed by their money or wealth, and finally about their performance at work.

“It’s such a common phenomenon. We all know some people, whether in social media or in the work place, who do this annoying thing,”   commented Sezer, adding that we all do it to some extent.

So, if you want to share your achievements with others. what’s the best way to do it then?

Sezer suggests that people “admit their self-promotion and harvest the rewards of being sincere”. She also suggested finding a wingman: “If someone brags for you, that’s the best thing, because then you don’t seem like you’re bragging.”

“Don’t be a helicopter parent.” This message has been repeated frequently and others try to encourage parents to back off their kids and give them greater space and freedom to explore. But it doesn't actually tell parents how they should act. What kind of parenting style should be adopted in place of the overprotectiveness of helicoptering?

One possible answer is, “Be a lifeguard parent.” That means sitting apart from the action and keeping an eye on everything that’s going on, ready to jump in if needed. This was brought up by Dr. Mariana Brussoni, a developmental psychologist at the University of British Columbia and Richard Monette, editor-in-chief of Active for Life. They think life guarding should include three parts.

Open attention is the stage parents should be in most of the time, showing a caring interest in what kids are doing, but keeping their physical distance and remaining non — intrusive (不介入的). Focused attention is when a parent perceives (察觉) warning signs and becomes more alert. Maybe it’s time to check in with the child to see how they’re doing. It might be a good opportunity to help the child think through their actions, rather than directing them. Most of the time, play goes back to being safe and the parent can return to open attention. Active intervention is when a parent needs to step in to reduce immediate risk. A child might not realize they’re close to the edge of a busy road or deep water, so the parent has to ensure their safety.

Brussoni says most of a parent's time should be spent in open attention. Days could pass，without ever entering focused attention. Active intervention should be extremely rare. It’s crucial to avoid telling kids to be careful all the time. This sends a message that the child can’t do things without parental assistance.

No one said parenting was easy, but it can be less unbearable if you let go of some control, teach your kids to do things independently, and trust them to self — regulate. Everyone comes out happier in the end.