Harajuku!

Today I made my first foray into the mythical shopping district--the holy grail of clothes-horses--called Harajuku. Its reputation reached America when Gwen Stefani went all wapanese on the album Rock Steady. We only walked along Takeshita street, but the experience was overwhelming. Myriad boutiques spill out into the narrow, crowded lane. They cater to Japan’s many fashion ‘scenes:’ gothloli, skater, visual kei, etc. The throng itself reflected the wide variety of tastes therein. People-watching in Harajuku is a fascinating indulgence. I spent almost an hour waiting for one of my friends to finish her cell phone registration, but I was perfectly content to simply stand in a warm shop and watch the crowd pass by.

'Loli' and 'gothloli' particularly fascinate me. Most people are aware of this trend because a) it is outrageous and b) the internet exists. However, to see a lolita--in person--is kind of an experience. For those of my readers who are unfamiliar with this particular subculture, the name is derived from Nabukov's novel. Apparently in Japan (and Mickjaggerland), this is not a hanging matter. Basically lolis dress themselves like victorian porcelain dolls. They often have long, curled hair with big round bangs. They also wear make-up and eyelashes to really sell the whole porcelain thing. In terms of color and style, there are dozens of categorized variations. Gothloli and sweetloli are two of the simplest. Gothloli looks like something out of a Tim Burton film. Sweetloli makes women look more like cupcakes--think pink and frills. And the skirts? So many petticoats! I don't have any photos of the 'sweetlolis,' but I did get a photo of this gothloli (or maybe she fits under 'classic loli'?). I have to admit, while most of me thinks the trend is a bit absurd, and at best, a novelty... I think somewhere, deep down inside, my seven-year-old self is giggling, clapping, and jumping up and down. I have yet to try the loli look, but maybe next halloween...? (Please, dear reader, save me from myself!)

In terms of regular fashion, most Japanese women wear their hair long, and especially fashionable ones have wavy, flowing extensions. They wear a variety of fashionable clothes, but they tend to include a lot of leather and lace. A shocking number of them wore shorts without any stockings. I don’t know how they didn’t freeze.

Young Japanese men tend to have carefully coiffed hair, sporting the windswept look; their pants are generally cut like kind of modified skinny-jeans (even dress slacks with suits!) and they wear long, narrow shoes--like a cross between a cowboy boot and a clown shoe. Many wear scarves and peacoats or military-looking jackets.

However, in Harajuku, men were wearing all sorts of things. I saw a guy walk past in a utilikilt. I also saw a guy wearing a kind of tunic top that I’d only ever seen as women’s wear.

In general, fashionable Japanese men can be very androgynous, and some women as well. This is particularly true of J-rockstars. Google image ‘visual kei’--you’ll see what I mean. I’ve even begun a little mental game--especially pertinent to the adverts plastered all over the train stations--in which I try to guess the gender of some of the more fashionable people around me. It isn’t always easy.

Another game of mine is recording good Engrish. There was lots of fun engrish on various t-shirts and sweatshirts in Harajuku. I definitely liked the girly pink sweatshirt that said, “you must be change believer want to see in the world.” I think MLK would approve. But my favorite, by far, was the frayed guy-sweatshirt I saw in a skater shop. It said, in big, faded capitals, “THE ONLY WAY OUT IS FIGHT.” Fight indeed.

According to Fodor's, the average Harajuku shopper is 16 years old. I think this is a misleading datum. A lot of the shoppers I saw were either 20ish or 8ish. There happen to be two different Claire's locations on Takeshita street alone, as well as a few other girls' boutiques. The schoolgirls (pictured above) were very amused to see gaijin tourists taking their photo. And yes, Takeshita street is as packed as it looks. A lot of Tokyo's entertainment districts look like this at peak hours.

To my friend Bree: check out the Vivienne Westwood Gothloli sign!