Today, Japan is recognized as purveyors of eccentricity; thus, we enjoy raw foods like sushi and maki. So it is not something new to see a certain group develop their own culture because of this natural Japanese desire to be eccentric. This applies not only to the youth of today but even adopted nations. Yes, that includes us Filipina women in Japan regardless of age!
This need to be unique can be attributed to the fact that this country has been a closed culture before the two World Wars occurred. Since then, Japan has contributed a lot to the world from electronics to honey dolls and more. Today, the youth of Japan is spreading street fashion through the Harajuku culture.
When you look at history, you will discover that this youth culture has its beginnings during the post war era when the Allied forces started occupying Japan as part of the terms and conditions of the country’s surrender to Allied forces. Japanese youths at the time became curious and had the first taste of different culture and eventually embraced the western goods that entered into the country. It reached to a point when fashion designers and their disciples settled in Harajuku and started to identify themselves as the Harajuku tribe. The tribe got its boosts when Japan hosted the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where thousands of tourists flock the country and more western shops opened to cater to those tourists.
At present, Harajuku has not only become the Mecca of street fashion among Japanese youth. It has been an international fashion center. Omotesando, one of the major roads in the area is now being compared to Champs-Elysees of Paris, France because big names in fashion like LV, Prada, and Channel has already set up their own shop in Harajuku. Thus, both Japanese youth and even the more mature members of the populace have embraced more inspirations as they combined old and new fashion and high as well as street fashion. The evidence of the fashion evolution is very visible during Sunday.
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