1. What is traditional fashion?

    The kimono is a floor length robe-like garment with rectangular sleeves.  It is bound at the waist with a sash, or obi.  Depending on social or marital status, each kimono can vary.  Every kimono is beautifully decorated with many colors, patterns, and/or designs.  The kimono is often worn with a special type of shoe called a geta.  A geta is a traditional Japanese wooden soled thong.  During the Edo period, it is said that kabuki theatre influenced many of the clothing and hairstyles of the time.  Another type of dress is the yukata, which in recent years (particularly beginning in 1989, when people were trying to increase the wear of traditional clothing) has become everyday wear for people in the summer.  The yukata is best described as a lightweight summer kimono.

2. What is Modern Japanese fashion?

    In class, we defined modern culture as specifically Japanese, unique, yet changed and/or modified by Western Culture.  It is somewhat difficult to describe what modern fashion in Japan is.  Because of the non-stop changes in fashion trends, one can argue that there is no Modern fashion.  But when you look at what people are wearing, you may find a fun mix of Japanese and Western fashions.  Although yukata and kimono were intended as traditional Japanese wear, they are now making a comeback.  As an article on the Internet from June 30, 1998 states, it is an "Old look with a new twist."  Kimonos and yukatas are being given a makeover in order to fit the tastes of many people in the younger generation today.  Another example of a modern trend in fashion is the schoolgirl fashion call loose or baggy socks.  When an American company manufactured a certain brand of socks, it became very popular among the Japanese schoolgirls.  The Japanese schoolgirls originally wore the socks folded neatly to their ankles, but soon developed their own style by creating the "leg warmer" look.  The two-foot long socks are now glued to their legs and are let down to droop around the ankles.  Many modern fashions in Japan may still be considered somewhat Western, although the Japanese have clearly incorporated them into their daily wear with their own style.

3. What is Western fashion?

    When we defined Western culture, we said it was imitated or repeated here in Japan, but it was not really modified.  Western fashion is what is seems like most Japanese people wear on an everyday basis.  Everything from Gap jeans to designer suits, to Nike footwear and more is what you'll most likely see if you take a stroll around any part of Tokyo today.  Many people nowadays tend to prefer Western and modern clothing because it is easy to move around in and comfortable.  Western clothing in Japan can also be bought at relatively cheap prices, which makes them more appealing to many Japanese people.  When a fashion magazine came out in 1946 that showed Japanese women how to make their own clothing by using old kimono fabric, they favored this way of life because there were more styles and kimonos just didn't seem to "work for them" anymore.
 

4. What is the history of traditional fashion?

    Traditional Japanese fashion in Japan about a thousand years ago.  It is believed that traditional fashions originated from the Chinese, Korean and Mongolian fashion.  Around the 5th century, the loose shirt/baggy pants style adapted itself to Japanese culture and lifestyle.  From that look, two major fashion styles appeared.  One stayed the simple shirt and trousers while the other was more and more layers of flowery, flowing garments.  Because of the strong social hierarchy in Japan, the clothing would usually represent different classes of people.  The first style was usually worn by the lower classes, while the aristocracy preferred the second.  Through the years, particularly up until the 13th century, the lower class people favored their clothing because of its "ease of movement."  At the same time, people in the upper class perfected their robes with elegant lines and new colors in order to fit the tastes of the time period. The two styles mixed in the 13th century due to military aristocracy.  In the 16th century, the kosode, an undergarment, transformed into the kimono.

5.  When did Western fashion first "come into play."

    Western fashion first played a major role after the Meiji Restoration in 1868.  The first signs of Western clothing was when the government made a ruling that civil servants (soldiers, policemen, mail workers, etc.) should wear Western dress.  The clothing they wore were uniforms fashioned after European work dress.  While the men wore those clothes, women did not take part in the modernization of clothing until they began to accessorize with items such as ankle boots, shawls, parasols, ribbons, etc. Eventually, most Western styles made their way into Japan through advertising.  Many of the popular items that many people wear today include jeans, specific brands of shoes and more.

6. How has the popularity of wearing kimono increased or decreased?  Why?

    The popularity of wearing kimono has certainly decreased mainly because of two reasons.  The first was because of World War II.  At the time, Western clothes were worn more often because they were easier to make and required less material.  The second cause was the economy crisis in 1973.  Because of it, the prices on kimonos went up.  The quality was also a factor in the rise in prices.  Even though kimono is not usually worn on a daily basis anymore, a survey by Shinso Ohashi, president of Bushoan-brand kimonos says that 80% of women would like to wear kimono.  The catch?  Because of World War II, the young women are intimidated to buy kimonos because they simply don't know "what they should buy, how to combine the elements that make up a kimono wardrobe, or how much they should expect to pay for a kimono and accessories.

7. How much does a nice kimono cost in comparison to a nice (Gap, Levi's, etc.) pair of jeans?  How might this affect what people wear on a daily basis?

    A nice pair of cotton jeans from a store such as the Gap cost around ¥7,800.
A nice, silk kimono costs around ¥1,000,000.  You can buy a kimono for everyday wear that costs around ¥100,000.  This extraordinary expense makes it much less appealing to Japanese women to wear kimono on an everyday basis.  Even so, kimonos are usually worn on festivals and holidays.

8. How much money do people spend (annually) on traditional fashion/clothing?

    An article in the Japan Times from Monday, March 8, 1999 states that in 1997, the yearly average of monthly expenses per household on Japanese clothing was between ¥1,000-¥1,500.  This is down from the 36 year high in 1982 of at ¥2,000.

9. How much money do people spend (annually) on Modern/Western fashion/clothing?

    The same article in the Japan Times from Monday, March 8, 1999 states
that in 1997, the yearly average of monthly expenses per household on Western clothing was around ¥8,000.  This too is down from the high of just over ¥10,000.

10. What are common clothing trends in Japan?

    At this time there are many clothing trends in Japan.  Like I mentioned
before, the loose socks are a major craze for Japanese schoolgirls.  Another current schoolgirl fashion is flower ornaments.  Girls tend to clip the ornaments into their hair or onto their bags.   A major trend among many adolescent girls is the "Amuro Fashion."  The look, modeled after a craze stared by one of Japan's most popular singers, Namie Amuro (hence the name), is to wear thick soled mules, or high boots with platform heels.  Another fad spreading throughout Japan is to bleach your hair and dye it brown. It is quite in fashion to have a suntan, so Japanese girls will sometimes show it off by wearing satin shirts and miniskirts.  Another recent trend is fake fur and fake animal print clothing.  Because of school dress codes during the week, you'll often find many girls ranging in all ages wearing animal print gloves, scarves, bags and more on the weekends.  This year, the trend is leopard print.

11. Do different forms of fashion represent different things, and does that change the reason for why people buy them?

    One of the main reasons certain fashions trends are carried out is because
some people in Japan usually will buy clothing because it is a trend.  For instance, the loose sock look is only staying "in style" because more people want to have the "in" look.  Another example is that in one store, the animal print fashion is selling 50% more than it did last year, where it wasn't as popular as it was this year.  This is not to say that people in Japan don't in vent their own style because that is where you get your mix of Western and traditional.  So basically, many items of clothing are only bought because they are a trend.

12. Is anything being done to promote traditional, Modern or Western fashions?

    Ever since the first fashion magazine came out in Japan promoting Western
styles, Western clothing have be advertised greatly through the media.  Because of the great decrease in traditional style clothing, some things are being done to reincorporate them into Japanese daily life.  Shinso Ohashi and his brand of kimonos realized the problem with younger generations and wearing kimonos so his company is marketing "ready-made" kimonos at fairly reasonable prices.  They are selling very well. Yukatas are also being made to appeal to younger people.  There are new styles coming out and new varieties of yukatas.

13. Why will traditional Japanese fashion continue to persist even if it will not be the most prominent form of fashion?

    Traditional Japanese fashion will continue to persist because of two main reasons.
One is that kimono and yukata are gaining popularity throughout the world.  In Connecticut, there is a company that sells them.  Sales are already fairly popular over the Internet.  The second reason is this; according to Mitsue Koike, professor of fashion history at Ochanomizu University: “Kimono will continue to live as the formal costume in Japan because it makes us nostalgic.”

List of Sources
Books/Almanacs
Suzuki, Hitoshi, and Goto, Yoko.  Japan Almanac 1998.  Tokyo Japan: Asahi Shimbun, 1997.

Magazines/Periodicals

Hara, Yumiko.  "Self-expression through Dress."  Japan Quarterly.  April, 1986, 202-206.

"A Little Revolution in Kimono."  Japan Quarterly.  October, 1987, 405-409.

"The Trends in Japanese Fashions."  The East.  August, 1984, 21-24.

Encyclopedia

Ishimaya, Ikira.  "Clothing." Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan.  1983 edition.

Terai, Minako.  "Kimono."  Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan.  1983 edition.

Newspaper Articles

Dash, J.R.  "Kimono Gaining Popularity Overseas." Japan Times.  March 8, 1999, 3.

Nakamura, Akemi.  "Evolution of Japan and Kimono Fashion."  Japan Times.  March 8, 1999, 1, 3

World Wide Web Sites

"Animal-Print Fashion."  "What's Cool in Japan."  1998.  http://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidswebs/cool/ 98-10-12/animal.html (March 19, 1999.  10:40 AM)

"Baggy Socks (Schoolgirl Fashion." "What's Cool in Japan." 1997. http://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidswebs/cool/ 97-4-6/fashion.html (March 19, 1999.  10:38 AM)

"Old Look with a New Twist: Casual Summer Kimonos Make a Comeback."  1998.  http://jin.jcic.or.jp/trends/honbun/ntj980628.html (March 19, 1999.  10:43 AM)
 
 

    Fashion has changed in various ways throughout the history of Japan.  Three major forms of it exist: traditional, modern and Western.  In my opinion fashion is becoming completely modernized.  While I think that traditional and Western fashions play a large part in Japanese life, I think that modern is the most pervasive form because through the research I have done, it appears that the Japanese people like to create their own styles and adaptations of many things.  According to our class definition, "modern" means that something is still Japanese, yet unique to the culture as being modified or influenced by Western characteristics.  Common trends in Japan are one major "ingredient" that describes fashion.  I found through my research that while some "in" fashion styles have been created through altering traditional clothing and Western clothing, others are simply the Japanese people's own ideas, mixes and kinds of fashion.  Two examples of modifying traditional and western clothes are a) making yukatas, the summer kimono more appealing to the younger generation by producing styles that "fit the trend at the time," such as specific patterns, colors, or appearance, and b) taking Western fashion styles, such as uniforms, shirts/pants and fabrics and modifying them to fit the environment and tastes of the Japanese people.  The Japanese like to create their own styles by adding their own touches.  Through the baggy socks look we see that while and American (represents Western) company manufactured and marketed the socks, the Japanese made up the style of gluing them to your leg and let them go down to cover your ankles.
 
 

    Fashion in Japan has been changing very rapidly due to many cultural events that have taken place.  In the "early days," fashion trends changed due to time periods.  Many more recent events that have changed the way the Japanese look at fashion include the "opening of Japan to the outside world, changes in the government and laws, technological and industrial revolution (jobs requiring uniforms and specific articles of clothing), World War Two, economical crises and more.  As many of the incidents took place, fashion changed drastically.  We can see that traditional wear became less popular while the Japanese particularly favored influences from the Western world.  This is because Japanese found non-traditional styles of clothing much more easy and comfortable to move around in and also more economically preferred.  As Kimono prices went up, the Japanese found it much more cost effective to use cheaper Western styles and fashions.  So, Minister of Culture, do not fear, for traditional fashion is not disappearing.  Fashion in today's modern Japan is merely changing.  What we consider traditional now will always be traditional, but as time passes by, what we consider Modern and Western will also share titles of more Japanese origin.  So in all, nothing ubiquitous will be forever, but it won't die.

Prepared by Bari Schwartz, from Mr. Hoover's 8th Grade social studies class on April 13, 1999.