Hello, everybody! It's Midori from MMN's editorial team.   Harajuku is a bubble tea battleground! A new bubble tea shop opens every month, and all of them enjoy huge lines of customers. I've tried most of the bubble tea in Harajuku, and so I've compiled the perfect list for those of you who don't want to take a gamble and choose the wrong place, or those of you not planning to do a bubble tea crawl to taste test.   Gong cha - The standard bubble tea shop Gong cha has multiple stores here and there, but the one in Harajuku is extremely busy on weekends, so much so that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's the one people line up for the most.   In spite of the many subtle customisations you can have with your drink, whether it's the ice and sweetness levels  or the toppings, the staff here are extremely skilled in what they do. This might explain the long lines of people.   You can't go wrong with this place, so I recommend it to newcomers of bubble tea.     THE ALLEY - Where they have chic cups! Chic cup server THE ALLEY is close to Gong cha. Its location can be difficult for people to explain, and yet this place too is bustling on weekends!   In addition to the standard bubble tea options, this shop also sells unique drinks, like its "Bonsai Tapioca." Personally, I prefer ordering this drink "mild hot" rather than the normal cool or hot. I've burnt myself drinking hot tapioca through a straw before, so mild hot is great for me. The tapioca balls are relatively small so I think those people who've never had tapioca before will find it delicious. I recommend it on a chilly day!   Review: Trying the New Cheese Tea at The Alley in Omotesando     KOI Thé - For those of you who want to try something a little different KOI Thé serves golden tapioca balls instead of black!   The shop has a simple interior design and enjoys more male and adult and adult customers compared to other places. When compared to Gong cha and THE ALLEY it may seem as if not many people line up for this one, but their flavours are great, and the small golden tapioca balls can be sipped smoothly.   I recommend going to KOI Thé if you're a little embarrassed about going into an overly 'kawaii' looking shop or if you don't want to line up for long.   Visiting Harajuku’s Newest Tapioca Drink Store KOI Thé     NONARA PEARL - Their pink kitty is so cute! NONARA PEARL is located on the second floor of Laforet Harajuku. As of now this is the only branch, so if you're looking to try Harajuku-exclusive bubble tea then look no further. Since it's located indoors, you don't have to worry about the heat, cold or rain when lining up. It's nice to have a leisurely chat with friends when lining up. The shop also has this big piece of wall art which is perfect for an Instagram steal. In any case, I recommend visiting if you want to drink some Harajuku-style cute bubble tea.     FORTUNER tea box - A little-known good place where you can drink cheese tea! FORTUNER tea box sells cheese tea topped with cheese foam that's like a bubbly cheese cake. Though their beverages are rich and delicious the shop is a little far from the station. But that means you don't have to line up to get your drink.   Their bubble tea is addictive, so I recommend it to anyone who has already tried regular bubble tea and those who don't want to stand in line.   Drink Tea in Style With FORTUNER tea-box’s Cheese Tea Tapioca in Harajuku   The building it's in also has a shop that sells really cute bottled drinks. Check it out via the link below.   Anyone Can Become an Instagrammer With Drinks Sold at Harajuku’s Popular ‘cafe no.’     Si an ju - Seahorse tapioca! Si an ju opened just recently, you'll know it by their seahorse logo!   Their brown sugar tapioca has a coral-like design as pictured above. The tapioca here is chewy and very filling. It's also conveniently close to Harajuku Station.   Their large-grained tapioca are freshly-made and you don't have to line up as much as Gong cha or THE ALLEY. I recommend this shop to those who want to try out the newest tapioca in Harajuku.   Food Review: Seahorse Bubble Tea at Sin an ju in Front of Harajuku Station     Chakasho - Famous flavours on Takeshita Street The last entry to this list is Chakasho which also just opened recently!   It being along Takeshita Street means you can also get some shopping in too. Their drinks may be less "Instagrammable" than other shops, but their tapioca are chewy and large-grained, and the drinks are rich but easy to drink, delicious, and very satisfying.   If you've made the effort to go to Harajuku and want some extraordinarily tasty tapioca then I recommend Chakasho. They have lots of staff working there so the lines move quickly.   Harajuku’s New Bubble Tea Shop Chakasho―Review     Many shops are crowded on the weekends, some where you can be waiting over half an hour! But all of the drinks sold at these shops are tasty so you'll soon come to realise why the lines are so long. Since you've made the effort to visit Harajuku, why not try lining up at one of them?   The shops are very busy at noon on weekends so I recommend heading to a shop around opening time to avoid that.   I hope this article is helpful to both those making their bubble tea debut as well as local bubble tea masters!

Japan is going through an unprecedented tapioca boom right now, and Harajuku is no exception, with tapioca stores opening left, right and centre. With so many to choose from no matter which you go to on a weekend there will be a huge line. I visited KOI Thé, a new shop that just opened on November 25.   It’s located right near the MOSHI MOSHI BOX Tourist Information Center where you’ll find us.Head through Takeshita Street from Harajuku Station and go down the path between New Balance and Murasaki Sports.   Follow straight down and you’ll find KOI Thé on your left. Look for the big tapioca drink outside - you can’t miss it!   It’s quite spacious instead and has simple decor rather than being stylish. Guys can line up without worry too.   This is how the menu looks. You can adjust how much ice and sugar you want in your drink.I went with the classic tapioca milk tea!The tapioca balls here aren’t black but in fact golden. The reason they are gold is because they don’t use food colouring.Tapioca that is transparent like this is cute too. The balls are comparatively smaller and are chewy and taste delicious!   I ordered the drink with the normal amount of sweetness and it tastes even more refreshing than at other stores. It’s a simple tapioca drink made for adults.   If you’re a little embarrassed at lining up at a tapioca shop then I recommend getting it from one for grown-ups in Omotesando!

Hey, everyone. Midori here again from the MMN Editorial Team.   The bubble tea boom in Japan is still rife. Harajuku in particular has become a war zone with new bubble tea shops opening all the time. Si an ju is one of them and it has become popular for its delicious drink selection so I went to try it out myself! Si an ju is located just in front of Harajuku Station. Bubble tea shops in Harajuku tend to open along Cat Street or in Ura-Harajuku. Surprisingly there was even one in front of the station so it's safe to say bubble tea life is making progress. To get there, exit from Harajuku Station's Takeshita Exit, cross at the traffic lights. Turn left and you'll be able to see the outdoor shop sign. Also beyond that is Cafe Yolum, a South Korean cafe.   Related Article: Cafe Yolum: The Popular & Pretty Pink South Korean Cafe in Harajuku At the storefront is a huge and airy bubble tea monument. Now I'm getting excited! There are several tables inside for customers to sit down, relax and enjoy their beverages, but not many. The menu is fairly big and they even have options without tapioca balls. The Blue Lagoon drink sounds interesting, it has a mysterious colour. On my visit thought I ordered the shop's recommended Brown Sugar Bubble Milk.   The sauce in the cup is a brown sugar sauce which together with the decorative seahorse makes it look like a coral reef. Very beautiful! The sauce is collected at the bottom and sinking around the sides so be sure to give the drink a good mix before drinking. Compared to other bubble teas the tapioca look pretty big. They might be almost as big as the thickness of the straw.   Time to drink!   It's pretty sweet-tasting. It's sweet even for me who orders their bubble tea with the maximum sugar option. But it's not an overpowering sweetness - the brown sugar has a refreshing sweet flavour. The tapioca balls are large and so are filling The brown sugar sauce will fall and mix into the drink as you sip so it's best to take a photo right away.   I visited the shop at the same time as they opened so I was able to buy my drink without waiting, but if you go on the weekend in the afternoon the lines can get pretty long, so it might be an idea to go earlier.   A lot of bubble tea shops open at 11:00am but Sin an ju opens at 10:00am so I recommend going there if you're in Harajuku early in the morning when no others are open!   I also highly recommend it for people who like chewy tapioca balls. Be sure to pay them a visit.