The Strangest Japanese Styles
Japan has always been on the edge when it comes to hairstyles and clothing; however the styles that are popular now are very strange to Westerners. That’s because many of them are theme based, like the Sweet Lolita style that is basically like dressing like a five-year-old girl complete with teddy bear. Then, there are the other styles that are more functional, like the skirt that turns into a vending machine. Of all the styles that are popular in Japan right now you will notice some of the most popular are platform shoes, lots of makeup, and dark tans. Be sure to check out each photo in detail to see the strange hairstyles and accessories that go along with these looks.
Vending Machine Skirt
Yes, seriously, this does exist. The point is to have this clothing on so in case you are targeted for a rape/mugging or some other violent crime you can simply turn yourself into a vending machine. I’m not sure how long it takes to transform and if someone is chasing you how that all plays out. But, if you are interested in a skirt that turns into a vending machine there is one available.
Sewer Cover Purse
The point of this purse is not style. It is to ward off would-be thieves who want your purse. I guess you act like you are going to hit them with it… Or, maybe in the dark it isn’t so obvious that you have all kinds of things inside this bag and a small Japanese woman could actually fool a would-be attacker into thinking she is just carrying this sewer cover along for protection.
Glow in the Dark
Clothes that glow in the dark would have been super cool in 7th grade. But for adults? I’m not so sure. Maybe it does look cool while dancing in a dark and crowded club. Or maybe it just looks, well, weird.
Very Colorful
This is certainly a very colorful outfit. The look is quite popular in Japan, though.
Origami Dress Anyone?
This dress looks like some kind of mixture of origami and a napkin at a fine restaurant.
Japanese or Austrian?
Apparently this new Japanese style called Sweet Lolita is all the rage. But, it doesn’t look Japanese at all and it really looks like something straight out of the Sound of Music!
Goth/Punk Attire
What are those? Lace up leg warmers? Also, what is the girl on the left wearing on her head? Is that a hat? And why is the girl on the right going to such effort to dress gothic while wearing a super conservative jacket?
Gothic Lolita
These girls really walk around like this. The goal is to be gothic yet feminine. An interesting mix.
Gothic Guys
Is he wearing a corset? The black lipstick certainly matches his attire, but that’s about all it does.
Strawberry Shortcake
This seriously looks like Strawberry Shortcake to me. But, it is all part of that Sweet Lolita style going on in Japan.
Present Day Japan or 1800s Southern USA?
I think this came from the set of “Gone With the Wind”. But these frilly umbrellas are very popular with the sweet Lolita trend.
PVC and Lace Gloves
These gloves are made of PVC and lace. How sexy?!?
Bondage Pants
Every man needs his very own pair of bondage pants complete with a million zippers!
Color Coordinated
From her hair to her toes she is color coordinated. It is kind of like Punk Little House on the Prairie.
Little Girl Inspired
Check out her hair! As if the poufy dress, teddy bear and the little girl socks weren’t enough! Teddy bears have become popular accessories with women dressing in this style.
Blue/Red Hair
Blue hair, blue makeup, PVC dress, dreads. What’s not to like?
Vinyl
I think everything they are wearing is vinyl!
Ganguro Girl
This is another Japanese style that is popular. It is called Ganguro and it is not to be confused with Yamanba. This style is also all about dark tans, blonde hair, and the Barbie style. The tans and makeup are in stark contrast to one another. Notice the platform shoes and short shorts.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:52 pm
The Strangest Japanese Styles…
Straaange Japanese fashion!…
January 31st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
My Eyes!!!!
January 31st, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Strange Japanese Fashions | CommentURL.com…
basicallyblack.com
Japan has always been on the edge when it comes to hairstyles and clothing; ho…
January 31st, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Except for the Lolita style which is uniquely Japanese, It’s like they did a terrible job imitating American styles that were terrible to begin with.
January 31st, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Somebody should mention that this isn’t the Japanese norm by far. I’m sure less than 1% of the population actually dresses like this. But, they sure are crazy when they do it!
January 31st, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Dumb!
January 31st, 2008 at 7:25 pm
sweet lolita and gothic lolita are awesome ^_^
January 31st, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Lovely stuff. Most of the extreme fashion choices can be seen at Yoyogi park in Tokyo any weekend. That’s Harajuku station. If you like Japan stuff like this, have a look at Kevin Cooney on youtube, or at tokyocooney.com. He’s been a resident for 6 years and does comedy and reports from Tokyo.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Japan, and although I’ve seen a few of the styles mentioned above (i.e. sweet lolita), these were only in big cities like Tokyo, and then only in some neighborhood. Most active are Harajuku, Akihabara, Roppongi, Shibuya… (I’m sure I’m missing a few). For the most part, most people are conservative when it comes to fashion. The difference is that the people that do express themselves in this way don’t hold anything back, hence the over the top “costumes”.
February 1st, 2008 at 12:14 am
I don’t even know what to think… Except, that I’ve never seen an Asian with dreads!
February 1st, 2008 at 9:32 pm
wow, i would never wear that out to public
February 1st, 2008 at 9:47 pm
WHOA! those pants and gothicness looks sick
February 2nd, 2008 at 1:35 am
I actually like most of the styles shown here, but one I will never be able to keep hold of my lunch with is Ganguro. That style is disturbing and any ganguro girls need to be shot on sight.
February 2nd, 2008 at 3:17 am
so they finally discovered exstacy in japan! good for them. i especially like the bondage girl
7th from the bottom. rave on, japan!
February 2nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Its called “cosplay”, short for “costume play”. This is generally only something done on weekends to break out of the rigors of the pressure to work hard, be productive and blend in during the workweek. Hundreds dress up and flock to local parks and stations to be seen and even more show up to look.
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:13 am
Weird…
Wonder if they think our styles are weird…
February 3rd, 2008 at 9:51 am
i don’t personally think the vending machine disguise is really necessary. granted there IS crime here in japan, but it’s still pretty low compared to the US.
(though admittedly what crime there is, isn’t usually reported much).
and my own personal thoughts on the glowing clothing… if it wasn’t so baggy i wouldn’t mind some of it. it’d be great to wear at night when biking, to let drivers see me.
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooss!
February 5th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Just.. how exactly can you tan that darkly?
February 5th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Hey, our fashion styles suck worse crap than this. At least this tries to be original and doesn’t have all the stuck-up snotty dames in the business.
And how can you not love glow in the dark clothes?
It’s normal for someone’s interests to move on from one thing to the next. But “outgrowing” something and classifying it as something only kids would do isn’t a sign of maturity, it’s a sign of being an intolerant prick.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I feel I should note that the “Lolita” style is called that in reference to “Lolita,” a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov.
Via Wikipedia: “The novel is both internationally famous for its innovative style and infamous for its controversial subject: the book’s narrator and protagonist Humbert Humbert becoming sexually obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl named Dolores Haze.”
That is to say, the point of the “Lolita” fashion is to dress up to look like a little girl. It’s a pedophilia thing, an issue rather more blatantly rampant in the subcultures of Japan than in the USA (though whether it’s just as subtly rampant here is up for debate). The look is popular not just in Japan, but in the whole Gothic movement - USA and Europe included. Go to any gothic clothing store online, and you’re almost sure to see a section devoted to “Lolita”-style clothing. Creeps me the hell out. Sorry, but I’ll take my partners as adults, please. (Bring on the leather, though! ^_^)
As for the “Very Colorful” section, I also read something about that, and unfortunately cannot remember where, or I would provide a link. I was given to understand that the style is primarily adopted by young girls who have been forced into a particular type of sex work, as a way of trying to maintain their sense of self and individuality in the face of clients and a world that objectify them and erase their personhood.
Lastly, does anyone else think that the “Ganguro” looks like a mocking parody of bleach-blonde, faux-tanned, US magazine models? That’s what I thought of, at least.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
obnuquious!
February 10th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Uber Own DUDETTEZZZ!!!
February 11th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Neo-Japanese traditions are weired, but still I enjoy looking at the funny stuff they do.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 am
yea asians dress retarded… someone needs to tell them they are “ahead” of the curve, they fell off the curve along time again and think they are all cartoon characters of something.
February 28th, 2008 at 2:09 am
Tripp pants are from NYC, I have a pair. Though they do not glow. I am jealous.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Guess I’m just strange. I thought the glow in the dark clothes were odd but all lotia’s and ganguro styles are very normal for me. I have one of those dresses…
March 1st, 2008 at 3:00 am
jamie, the colorful outfits are of the decorer fashion. it originated with tomoe shinohara, a singer, actress, and fashion designer, and is simply a subculture fashion. it’s highly likely that the story you read was an exaggeration, at best.
i’ve been following these fashions since junior high, haha. they’re not really all that common, it’s like looking for crust punks here. there are certain areas where they gather to shop and hang out and feel a sense of community, but it’s hardly representative of all japanese fashion.
i adore it all though. even ganguro. it’s terrifying, but damn, those girls must be incredibly ballsy. i can admire that.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:00 am
[…] Some Strange Japanese Styles […]
March 8th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
japan got nuked… whats your excuse?
March 12th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
haha please don’t think everyone in Japan is like that!! I’m sure you can tell by looking at the background that the majority of the people wear regular clothes
Plus that ganguro thing was years and years ago >_
March 24th, 2008 at 1:22 am
I WISH.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:31 am
I love these fashions! We should have more of this stuff in America. Except for Ganguro, that I could live without.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
BAD ACID!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
if you really looked into the whole sweet lolita thing, it’s actaully sweet victorian. Has nothing to do with that weird novel.
Sweet lolita grows on you, but don’t go too far.
look up some more sweet lolita stuff and stores, you’ll find it rather cute, elegant and timeless as opposed to american clothing, which everyone dresses up like they just got out of bed and if anyone tries to dress up amazingly, they fail, miserably. has nothing to do with gone with the wind or little house on the prairie.
This fashion is actually related to Marie Antoinette, queen of fashion,tho a little naive but amazing sense of style.
so i like the sweet lolita style, i would rather call it a more modern take on the victorian with a little more cutesy added.
the other japanese style is a little on the edge.
but please don’t dis the sweet.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:51 am
I saw this once on a joke “Motivational” poster: “Japan, making 85% of the world’s weird sh** since 1952″
And so they continue to top themselves.
Those were just women’s fashions. Wait until you see automobile “modifications” and men’s ummm… “fashions”. The freaky stuff the men do make the “Lolita” stuff look tame.
Seriously, Japan is like they vomited out the 1950’s through 1980’s all mixed in together, with a large dose of WTF?! added in for balance. Where as the west changes styles completely every few years, Japan just keeps adding to the existing styles and not replacing them. They just morph into something more bizarre, kind of like their freaky Anime stories, oddly enough.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:40 am
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June 26th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Most people who wear this type of thing is japan are kids who want to break away and be different. Japan is all all about the conformity and about being a productive cog in the corporal machine that is japan
The rave scene in japan is cleaner then the one in america…you won’t see anyone doing drugs at a rave in japan
THe lolita fashion has nothing to do with the Nabokov book.There is nothing sexual about it. Lolita in japan is a word for a child and most lolitas don’t know the book exists…lolita fashion is not about attracting the opposite sex but reminiscing on a simpler time in life and being like a princess
Most of these people only wear this stuff on sunday because saturday is a work/school day also
the “very colorful” people are called decora
July 20th, 2008 at 5:58 am
O.o
Okay, let’s start from the top…
The first two have nothing to do with any kind of subculture or style. But, yeah… Japan makes weird crap like that quite a lot. If you google, you’d probably find several websites dedicated to following the latest strange Japanese ‘inventions’.
The ‘Glow in the dark’ pants, aren’t glow in the dark. The top and bottom pictures have reflective strips on them. Most sewing stores stock a couple of rolls of them. And it’s not a Japanese style.
The middle picture is UV-reactive. I’m not sure, but I think it’s done by printing a UV-reactive dye onto it, or something like that. Basically, it glows under ultra-violet (black) lights. They’re pretty popular among people who listen to post-industrial music, a genre that even the Japanese have -very- little influence in.
The ‘Very colourful’ is called decora. Supposedly, most of them enjoy the sound of the plastic accessories clanging together. I can relate, I guess, since I like to wear metal rings around my wrists for the sound they make…
I’m not sure if the last picture is even decora… it looks like a high-fashion attempt to mix decora and hippy. O.o
Granted, if someone -said- those exact words to me, I’d imagine something far less endearing than that, I’m sure.
The ‘origami dresses’ are simply strange. Things like that somehow turn up on catwalks though. It’s common, if not expected. I don’t think there are many people dumb enough to buy those. o.o It wouldn’t be nice to discriminate against Japan because they have bad designers. Every country has bad designers. LOTS of them.
Gothic and punk, which are two entirely different subcultures, have nothing to do with Japan. Japanese people often wear both styles with a few particular aspects that are stereotypically Japanese, but most of those aspects are taken from revivals of old western styles such as neo-victorian clothing.
The comment on gothic lolita being about looking “gothic but feminine” is strange. Gothic culture is all about romanticism and androgyny is very common in it. I don’t see how one can see it to not be feminine…
The ‘gothic guys’ are not, in fact, gothic. The first one is dressed as a clown, the second picture is Visual-Kei, and the third picture is neo-victorian.
As has been pointed out, the bondage pants pictured are American. Bondage pants originated from people wearing their suspenders hanging down. I think suspenders are also American…?
In the third picture down under the ‘blue/red hair’ title (which I don’t understand, don’t people dye their hair where you come from? O.o), the one on the right looks to be both industrial and post-modern. An intriguing combination of non-Japanese cultures.
The hair and makeup in the fourth picture appears to belong to the ‘freak scene’. Freak scene is a subculture that’s so old it that it hasn’t even been commercialized. That’s a truly rare find, indeed. Although the jacket looks very Michael Jackson, which just creeps me the hell out. It’s bad enough -he’s- dumb enough to dress like him.
The ganguro subculture was made to rebel against the traditional Japanese view of beauty (They revered pale skin, hence the white makeup of a Geisha), ganguro’s soon found out about western ideals about tanning, and from that came the American ‘barbie’ fashion associated with the look. Presumably, the Tropical/Pasifica fashion was adopted from the obvious parallels between tanning and tropical islands.
As for the PVC, that’s one thing I can’t say is ‘understandable’, but I hate leather and furs too, so I’m no doubt biased on that matter.
I don’t think any of these subcultures are particularly ‘popular’, OR much different from western alternative subcultures. (alternative meaning, alternative. Not just a word used in advertising repulsive swag.)