Harajuku: Slaves to Fashion

Harajuku
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527.

The western culture had definitely infiltrated and taken over pretty much most of Tokyo. The city was illuminated with neon lights so bright it put Las Vegas to shame. Amusingly though, we would stumble upon tiny little pockets of the old culture - A temple tucked away in a little alley way or an elderly woman in kimono walking alongside teenagers in their Duran Duranesque clothing. It was as if the old Japan was still hanging only by a thread not ready to surrender itself completely to the invasion.

On our way to the Meiji Jingu Shrine we stumbled upon, Takeshita-dori, what was considered to be the "fashion alley", a street crammed with the latest in Hip Hop wear, Punk Rock or whatever was currently in. Vendors stand outside yelling, "irrasshaimase!" or "welcome" in an unusually high pitched voice. It was here that I made my first etiquette mistake. I went to try on a dress shirt at one of the shops and asked for a dressing room. The clerk showed one to me and as I walked in he yelled out, "no!" Of course, it was because I still had my shoulder pack on so I gave it to El. Nope. He wanted me to take off my shoes. Woops!

There are two modes of fashion here apparently, One is the ultra conservative, although pricey look. Men working the reception desks at the hotels wearing tailored suits and Phillipe Patek watches. Women in hosiery with elegant suits and Louis Vuitton purses.

Or there's the flipside. Dyed hair with layers of logo'd shirts under patterned long sleeves under unstructured leather blazers with frayed jeans and black boots. Schoolgirl uniforms with incredibly thick leg warmers. Girls in boots or stilettos with striped socks and fur collared jackets.

Japanese LOVE their fashion eventhough at times it seems they march to their own drummer. We tried to make sense of their hodge podge of fashion. It could be in the high 80's, but they would be heavily layered under piles of shirts, jackets and sweaters, boots and thick socks. It's easy to spot an outsider. They would be the ones dressed sloppy or for pure comfort. Sometimes the women in high heels walked like they were hobbled or uncomfortable, "but damn I look good!" We guessed since overcrowding and the lofty prices for real estate is common, the Japanese make up for it in only the most expensive of anything. Since they can't show it off with a car (they typically walk or take the rail anywhere since parking is rare) or with a lot home accessories, they would rather wear it. Which would also make sense for the small electronics gadgetry and such. There's no sense of putting a 50" TV in a one bedroom with an entertainment center with 10" woofer towers. There's simply no room., one bath 800 sq. foot condo