Japanese Fashion: More than Harajuku

So you’re browsing Japanese fashion and what three kinds of fashion will pop on google the most? (or at least grab your attention first)

gangyaru girls

Harajuku girls

Lolita Girls

But, do you honestly believe that the Japanese are crazy enough to go like that everyday? Of course not!!! If Japanese searched google for American fashion and found Emo, Punk, biker dudes and Goths…do you think they’d think of us that way?

This is a fatal mistake of how Japan is conceived. Along with anime, manga, technology (Akiba) etc… That’s just the surface.

This is my mission for this blog. To clear the misconceptions and popular belief held by those who are on the outside looking in. Along with my language tips and advice on how to fun with this intriguing culture.. I hope that by reading this you’ll discover the REAL Tokyo.

Notice, I said Tokyo. Because Tokyo doesn’t equal Japan. That’s misconception #1. Most everything found online come from Tokyo, but if something were to come from Nagasaki instead it becomes instantly aligned with Tokyo culture! New York isn’t Houston. Paris isn’t Nice. London isn’t Wales. Yet they’re all in the same country. Tokyo is so unique compared to the rest of Japan, that it could be it’s own country. College students traveling from outside cities to Tokyo often experience a slight culture shock.

Anyway, straying from the point. Here I’ll show you some examples of REAL Japanese fashion… and not the extremes. Straight from the Japanese websites.

First, here a site that lists the popular fashion magazines for women of all ages up to 40. Some are more gyaru.. some are more moderate. Gyaru is a the popular Shibuya style that models California with glitzy nails, dyed hair, perms, bright colors, brands and heels. They’ll go to tanning salons sometimes. However, the gangyaru style has all faded… it’s old news. So you can’t find it so much anymore.

Inside these pages here’s what you may find:

Beautiful girls!!

Cute huh? Nothing like the above pictures at all! Men’s fashion?

One of the ways for men to go

This is advertising a color variation of the khakis. The hairstyles for the men are common for college kids. Shoes can range from these sneakers to even cowboy boot style with all the chains and bling!

As for men’s jeans:

Jeans for men

Women’s jeans:

Jeans were hard to find!!

Ok, so those aren’t jeans. The truth is that women don’t wear jeans like Americans do. They’ll trade in for skirts or decorated tights.

I hope that these pictures have cleared up some misconceptions about Japanese fashion. Actually… their clothes are quite cute! This is what an average Tokyo person can be found wearing on the street. If you spot a lolita girl… it’ll happen once every two weeks if you’re not looking for them. Gangyaru girls no longer exist and have shifted to just Gyaru which idolizes doll-like faces.

Gyaru Girl

Gyaru Make-up