Japanese high school girls are seen on weekends and holidays wearing clothes which look like school uniforms but are in fact personal clothes designed like uniforms. The girls call them “nanchatte” uniforms meaning something like wearing imitation uniforms just for fun.
School girls seem to like uniforms, imitation or real. Asked why wearing a uniform out of school, one girl said, “It’s cute.” Other girl said, “It’s pain in the neck to change clothes every day.” Yet another girl replied, “I can only wear it while I’m a student.”
It’s no longer Japanese girls alone who like to wear school uniforms look-alike. They are spilling into other parts of the world. Western girls wear them as part of their day-to-day fashion, making the Japanese government believe that they can be a good tool of its culture diplomacy.
The Waseda Guardian has learned that behind the booming imitation uniforms there is a trend in the society grown tolerant of alterations of authentic school uniforms, previously considered as an act of juvenile delinquency, and of imitation uniforms, a sort of costume play privately enjoyed among “otaku (nerd)”.
School Uniforms Inspired by Anime
In Paris, about 160,000 persons visited the Japan Expo held for four days in July 2009 for the introduction to the world of the traditional culture including Shodo calligraphy and Taiko drum as well as the pop culture including imitation school uniforms and Anime (animation).
Said Kenjiro Monji, director-general of Public Diplomacy Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Anime was the first Japanese pop culture that became popular in Europe. Then their interest extended to Manga (comic strip) and then to the Japanese language.”
“They could not wait for the next Manga to be translated and published in their languages and wanted to read in Japanese,” he said.
Kawaii Ambassador
Is composed of three women. Misako Aoki, Yuu Kimura and Shizuka Fujioka.
They were appointed by Kenjiro Monji on February 26th to promote interest in Japan.
“Since Anime characters are not always voiced over by the same voice actors and actresses in Europe as they do in Japan,” the ministry official said, “European audience is not that keen to enjoy Anime dubbed in their language but would rather enjoy it in Japanese language. That’s how they got interested in the Japanese language.”
“I heard that their interest in the Japanese fashion also originated there,” Monji said. The bureaucrat explained, “Japanese Manga is not just about story. It depicts day-to-day routines and happenings in a great detail. Naturally, girls’ fashion is of great interest in it.”
“Chibi (little one) Japan,” a scaled-down version of Japan Expo, was held in the suburbs of Paris in November 2008. The small, three-day event nonetheless was visited by 26,000 people. Monji said many were clad in costume-play outfits in general and young Japanese women’s clothing in particular.
“Costume play is the impersonation of a character in Anime, Manga or games, to be a different person, to be in the world of unreality,” Monji said. Although many, that includes Japanese themselves, are mistaken, it’s not costume play but fashion that young girls in Europe are enjoying.
“I was told that they are walking down the streets of Europe in young Japanese girls’ fashion. It’s not unreal costume play but real fashion just like Japanese girls wear school uniforms in the town,” he said.
The foreign ministry official said he interpreted it as Japanese fashion following Manga and Anime as part of Japanese pop culture sweeping over Europe.
Uniforms as Symbol of Freedom
The official said Japanese school uniforms may be “kawaii (cute)” but that does not fully explain its popularity abroad.
Takaaki Sakurai who sits on a council the Foreign Ministry consults with has been accompanying three “Kawaii Ambassador” girls to various parts of the world, making speeches on Anime, was told in Spain that Japanese school uniforms are a symbol of freedom. Sakurai was shocked to hear that, Monji said.
School uniforms represent regulation. However in Japan, Spaniards told Sakurai, the girls either wear uniforms loosely or shorten skirt length. Spaniards were said to be truly envious of Japanese girls. “I was flabbergasted,” Monji said.
Wearing the “Lolita” fashion is Misako Aoki and the Harajuku fashion is Yuu Kimura.
They are “Kawaii Ambassadors.”
Other two foreign girls put on imitated uniforms as a fashion.
Monji, who spent some time in Japanese embassy in France, said, “France is known for fashion, haute couture and everything, but young women’s fashion is not as lively as in Japan. Japanese girls are free to wear anything.”
“In fact,” he said, “French designers pay attention to Harajuku, looking for ideas.” “Without our knowing it,” the foreign ministry official said, “Japanese fashion, following Anime and Manga, has become a power to reckon with in the world.”
Pop Culture Used for Diplomacy
The foreign ministry on February 26th, 2009, appointed three Trend Communicators of Japanese Pop Culture, or “Kawaii Ambassadors,” each representing “Lolita” fashion, Harajuku fashion and school uniform fashion.
One of the Kawaii Ambassadors, Shizuka Fujioka, 20, an enormously popular school uniform model, was dispatched to attend the Japan Festa in Bangkok in March 2009.
“Some were critical that the Foreign Ministry should not bother with pop culture and that there must be better things to do,” Monji said, “but it’s not about pop culture. It’s about the Japanese culture. It’s very significant as an entry to the Japanese culture.”
Asked why school uniforms were chosen for the Kawaii Ambassadorship, the Foreign Ministry official said, “It was difficult to select. The more you learn about fashion, the more diversified it becomes. You can tell that school uniforms are Japanese by just looking at them.”
In Japan, girls of private high schools with no regulation uniform often wear one to school. That’s what interests girls world over. “You see many girls in (imitation) school uniforms in Rome or in Paris,” Monji said.