japanese street fashion

<Tab/>Living in the United States for two and half years, I have been surprised how
influential Japanese pop culture has been on some aspects of American culture now. I see many
people wearing shirts and caps with Japanese calligraphy on it. I hear a lot of things about
Japanese animation. I see a lot of articles talking about Japanese pop culture. More recently, a
movie called "Lost in Translation" written and directed by Sofia Coppola was all about Tokyo
culture.
Many American young people seem especially interested in Japanese street fashion. Teenage
magazine "ELLE" shows Japanese street fashion in Harajuku where most young people hang out.
The magazine "Teenvogue" shows photos of an American girl with young people in Tokyo. The
weekly magazine, "The New Yorker", had seven very interesting pages about the fashion scene in
Tokyo. It discussed special issues of teens and their cultural view. This paper will discuss why
Japanese young people are so wild about fashion and it will included little bit of history and my
experiences because I was also crazy about fashion when I was in Japan.<Tab/>
The fashion community in Japan in the 1950's, wiped away a dark atmosphere of war. Japan's
fashion sense by global fashions which began in Paris, fashion in the 1950s was upbeat, colorful
and stylish. Moreover a specific fashion style came into being when movies such as "The Holiday
in Rome" captured Audrey Hepburns fashion statement and became extremely popular. While
high economic growth progress, attention to the fashion industry also grew. The music world also
came to life in the 1960s with the rock'n'roll age. The Beatles visited Japan in 1966. The MOZZU
emerged after the Beatles came to Japan and the combination of music and men's fashion shocked
the Japanese culture. The fashion which symbolizes soul nature called for freedom and dissidence
(by wearing bellbottom jeans and hippy shirts) and continue from the 60s into the first half of the
70s. Then, the view on the fashion of the young man began to change as the trend of the times
changed a lot. The student movement wore jeans from the second half of the 60s and this hippy
fashion statement spread around the world. The Jeans symbolized freedom, resistance, and were a
dissident symbol of fashion for a young-man. This was especially true in Japan. Jeans became a
part of the workingman's culture during the first half of the 70s. Young men began to wear jeans
as outdoor sport fashions on an everyday basis in the mid-70s. The fashion of the 1980s from
which the buff bubble economy began is the time when fashion brands, such as a
designer/character brand, and brand-name goods attracted attention. Then in the late 80s, bubble
business would gather in popularity. As you can see, Japanese fashion has been always influenced

by western cultures and history. However, In the early to mid 90's things were beginning to change
in Japan. Young people started to seek more originality and unique style.
<Tab/>Aoki Shoichi is a well known photographer of Tokyo street fashion for his magazine
"FRUITS". Aoki's magazine "FRUITS" has sold more than 100.000 copies worldwide. He has
been taking pictures and documenting young street fashion around Harajuku town in Tokyo which
is well known as the shopping district since 1996. Since he started documenting the Harajuku
trends Aoki has seen quite a few changes. "They are much freer in expressing themselves and can
think for themselves. They even decide their own hairstyles now. In the mid 90's it was truly
revolutionary when people started to dye their hair and choose their own color. You eventually
saw all kinds of colors: green, red, anything" ("Street", par50.).
<Tab/>So why are young Japanese so serious about fashion? In Japan today we still have the
authoritarian, socialistic style, working man mentality and the guiding principle of this seems to be
"The nail that sticks out will be hammered down." People who display too much individuality or
assert themselves too forcefully are disliked. In other words, we have a society that considers it
best to fall in line with the average. This feeling remains strong, so even though many people may
not find that way of doing things interesting, most Japanese end up conforming to these
expectations anyhow. Consequently, there are now many Japanese youngsters who think
themselves that when they become adults they will have nothing more to look forward to than the
uninteresting, boring life of a salaried employee. They abhor this kind of society and want to enjoy
themselves to the fullest while they are young. They look to fashion as a way to express their
obsession for self-expression and individuality. I believe that is why they are so ardent about
fashion.
Perhaps my way of explaining things is a bit too cynical. But it is against the backdrop of these
conditions that when magazines or other mass media outlets introduce DJs, designers, stylists,
graphic designers, beauticians, and other professionals as people who are engaged in creative jobs,
enjoying a life of freedom doing what they want to do, and making good money; these people are
transformed into fashion leaders. They are said to have "charisma," and young people want to
emulate their styles, what they recommend, and so on. That is very evident in the "street scene."
These individuals who exude "charisma" have been under the influence of various cultural and
fashion trends abroad. The "street fashion youngsters" in turn really go for the T-shirts or

whatever that such fashion leaders create or recommend. As evidence, the Japanese young
fashion magazine "SEDA" shows what those with "charisma" wear as fashion. Now we have
reached an age in which these charismatic fashion leaders are not only introducing trends from
abroad but also beginning to diffuse Tokyo-generated fashion worldwide.
Aoki also accentuated the meaning of clothes for young Japanese. Unlike in the West, clothes are
not a social statement in Japan according to Aoki, "instead of expressing yourself, it is a way of
communicating with the members of your group. A message without words. You show your
feeling, your awareness of fashion. It has no social context whatsoever. They don't care at all
about how other people in society or how other groups see them" As a consequence, there are
many types of fashion style groups in Japan such as Hrajuku girls (the name of town in which
young people hang out.) and Shibuya girls (also the name of town in which young people hang
out.). Aoki said "Harajuku girls would never become friends with Shibuya girls. It is a different
universe." ("Street" par58.).
<Tab/>When I was in Japan I was fascinated by fashion because everyone was also crazy
about fashion. I always looked for clothes that everyone others did have it so I cold feel different.
Tokyo is a city where everyone seems particularly good at catching news about the latest fashion
trends, and young people in particular are ardent in their desire to be in the know. So it quickly
becomes known what is hot and what is not. There is always something new come up. Last year,
"there were over 1,000 new drinks launched by distributors and marketers on this tiny island.
There are more magazines titles per capita in Japan then anywhere in the world" (Jay 58).
<Tab/>Through my paper, I realized that a lot of young people know that they have to
change their fashion when they start to work in the real world. So I think that's why they are so
ardent about fashion. I believe that if you go to Japan, you will care more about fashion because
everyone will care about your fashion.