When I hear the words “Japanese popular culture,” the first thing that comes to my mind is fashion. Japanese fashion is diverse, eclectic, and forever changing. Japanese people have an interesting knack of taking western-based fashion concepts and ideas but then strangely morphing them into their own Japanese version.
Last semester I went to a reggae festival in Hakodateyama, Japan with my host family. One of the most interesting aspects of the festival was the diverse array of displays of fashion present within the audience. As it was a reggae festival, my imagination beforehand was one of Japanese guys in raggedy clothes with dreadlocks and numerous piercings - which there was plenty of - but there was also a very significant presence of hip-hop inspired fashion as well (for example people decked out in LRG [Lifted Research Group, a very popular hip-hop fashion brand in the US], wearing big sunglasses like you see in rap music videos and fresh, new Air Force One Nikes - also note the girl with the cornrows in the above picture, a traditionally hip-hop based fashion characteristic) and also lots of blends combining both hip-hop and reggae fashion. I found this to be a very interesting dynamic considering when one generally thinks of hip-hop and reggae, they would conventionally be thought of being as in opposition to each other, however Japanese people seem to have a very unique way of blending elements from multiple styles of fashion together. This dynamic was also reflected in the music throughout the festival: my experience with reggae is rooted in Bob Marley, the Wailors and Peter Tosh - all of which are slow-paced chill rhymes which westerners think of as being quintessential of Reggae music - however the "reggae" at the festival was completely unlike any other reggae I have ever heard - extremely high paced and much more pop-sounding. All in all the experience was very insightful into the ways in which Japanese people infuse various elements and themes from fashion and music to create new, unique popular culture.
A Japanese friend of mine who loves "hippy" fashion as he calls it. To me his interest in 1960's era fashion is very symbolic of how Japanese people have a very interesting way of importing a style of fashion from the west and then transforming it and Japanizing in various ways, as noted in the description of the picture above. In the case of this situation, this is manifested in the sense that the 1960's are long over by pretty much any definition, coupled with the fact that there never really was a "hippy era" in Japan like there was in the United States during the 1960's and 1970's. To me this demonstrates Japan's interesting ability to import fashion styles from the west, sometimes relatively out of context as in this situation - but then turn them have them fill a niche of modern-day popular culture.
Last semester I went to a reggae festival in Hakodateyama, Japan with my host family. One of the most interesting aspects of the festival was the diverse array of displays of fashion present within the audience. As it was a reggae festival, my imagination beforehand was one of Japanese guys in raggedy clothes with dreadlocks and numerous piercings - which there was plenty of - but there was also a very significant presence of hip-hop inspired fashion as well (for example people decked out in LRG [Lifted Research Group, a very popular hip-hop fashion brand in the US], wearing big sunglasses like you see in rap music videos and fresh, new Air Force One Nikes - also note the girl with the cornrows in the above picture, a traditionally hip-hop based fashion characteristic) and also lots of blends combining both hip-hop and reggae fashion. I found this to be a very interesting dynamic considering when one generally thinks of hip-hop and reggae, they would conventionally be thought of being as in opposition to each other, however Japanese people seem to have a very unique way of blending elements from multiple styles of fashion together. This dynamic was also reflected in the music throughout the festival: my experience with reggae is rooted in Bob Marley, the Wailors and Peter Tosh - all of which are slow-paced chill rhymes which westerners think of as being quintessential of Reggae music - however the "reggae" at the festival was completely unlike any other reggae I have ever heard - extremely high paced and much more pop-sounding. All in all the experience was very insightful into the ways in which Japanese people infuse various elements and themes from fashion and music to create new, unique popular culture.
A Japanese friend of mine who loves "hippy" fashion as he calls it. To me his interest in 1960's era fashion is very symbolic of how Japanese people have a very interesting way of importing a style of fashion from the west and then transforming it and Japanizing in various ways, as noted in the description of the picture above. In the case of this situation, this is manifested in the sense that the 1960's are long over by pretty much any definition, coupled with the fact that there never really was a "hippy era" in Japan like there was in the United States during the 1960's and 1970's. To me this demonstrates Japan's interesting ability to import fashion styles from the west, sometimes relatively out of context as in this situation - but then turn them have them fill a niche of modern-day popular culture.
Wow, man. I am jealous! I would have liked to see that festival. I was looking for a Japanese take on hip-hop, and I found some Japanese "ragga". Ragga is a mix of reggae and jungle/drum'nbass music. The MC's were running their mouths in Japanese and the beats were absolutely awesome. I haven't been able to figure out where the performers are based in though.
ReplyDeleteThe DJ that put the mix together is actually based out of LA. So the tracks probably come from all over.
If you go into a music store in Japan you will often find hip-hop and reggae in the same section, called "Black music." So I am not so surprised by the scenes you describe. But it seems like these two music genres are being mashed together in many parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteReal hippies didn't really look like your friend. I remember... This is more of a trendy Dead and later Phish look. But perhaps as you say, this is how the Japanese interpret the hippie look perhaps as a form of imagined nostalgia.
Your first picture is hard to see. With fashion, it seems like there is much potential for interesting photos.
hi
ReplyDeleteNice post
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Japanese is so rich about in their culture.
ReplyDeletei love dis and all
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