[Japanese readers are welcome!]
Nowadays, Japanese ANIME are ever popular all over the world. AKIHABARA is known to be the Holy Land of OTAKU culture, and more and more foreigners are visiting bi-annual Tokyo Comic Market (KOMI-KE). However, I don't think the one of the most favorite theme of OTAKU culture - SEIFUKU : the school uniforms - is fully understood by foreign ANIME lovers. Why they wear sailorsuit? What is the bloomer? Why girls often wear not-very-sexy dark-blue one-piece swimsuits? Those are common sense for Japanese who spend their student days in Japanese school system, but I wonder how do westerns understand them.
This article is - actually, NOT provided to solve those frustrations ;-). I did this just for my fun and English presentation practice. Nevertheless, you may found something about Japanese school uniform system - a glance of the culture and history of our country.
It also should be noted that, this article is nothing intended for adult content.
Basically, modern Japanese school have two compulsory and two advanced education systems. The former are six year elementary (SHOU-GAKKOU:age 5 - 12) and three year junior-high (CHU-GAKKOU:11 - 15), the latter are three year high-school (KOUTOU-GAKKOU or shorten for KOU-KOU:14 - 18) and two or four year college (DAI-GAKKOU:age 19 or later). Note that because of historical reasons, Children who born in 1st of Jan through 1st of April proceed to the school one year younger than others. Those are called HAYA-UMARE, early borne. This tradition leads to one-year over-wrapping ages between school grades.
Most of junior-highs and high-schools mandates uniforms (SEI-FUKU), while most of elementary and colleges doesn't have uniforms (plain clothes, or SHI-FUKU). Interestingly, those exceptions - elementary schools and girls colleges whose mandate uniforms, or junior-highs and high-schools whose don't have uniforms - are mostly private (and usually high-class) schools.
The dress code of the school mandates students to wear uniforms (if they have) in daily school life. It even encourage uniforms even in private time (whenever they go out from their home), although this part of the rule is usually ignored. Also, students wear uniforms in every formal situations - such as press conference or funeral. It should be noticed that, most of the dress code also prohibits students to wear any loudly accessories - rings, pierces, necklaces, of course tattoos.
But when comparing to the western countries, why so many Japanese school have uniforms? There are several reasons.
First, it is a Japanese social trend. Cooperation and unity are more prized than independence and originality in Japanese society. Traditionally the education system in Japan has been focused to make good member of society. Thus, almost military-like disciplines are adopted as school regulation. Uniforms are just one means of discipline to give students awareness of belonging to certain group in society, and let them practice to follow the order.
The second reason is the sense of security. Every school have different uniforms, thus the students were easily recognizable from what they wear. Uniforms, especially for girls are designed to be dark colored and low in exposure, which is intended to prevent too much sexual attraction. Also, uniforms are expected to keep students away from evil pleasures - alcohol, tabacco, midnight party and night life.
Third reason is economical. The country of Japan adopted compulsory education system long time ago, however everybody in public school were not equal. Uniforms could at least equalize the difference of students in appearance. School uniform are still helping young girls pockets today - even　though Japan is one of the richest country in the world. They don't have to spend their money to buy a lot of clothes just to avoid to be said uncool - at least in the school.
School uniform is very popular in Japan, in many ways indeed. They are almost ubiquitous - most of junior-highs and high-schools adopt uniforms as I described above. Every 1st of April, you will see students wearing fresh uniforms are taking picture with their parents in front of the school all over Japan. This is an annually ritual called NYU-GAKU-SHIKI.
School uniforms are common even in imaginary world. In comics (MANGA), cartoons (ANIME), TV dramas, movies and PC-based games, characters wear fictitious uniforms. Sometimes things get turn over - freaks tailor those fictitious uniforms in reality, then wear in public. This kind of act is called costume play or KOSU-PLAY. You will see a lot of KOSU-PLAYers around if you visit KOMI-KE place. However this practice is considered to be weird even in Japanese standard.
There is also a dark side of school uniform. The purity and cutiness of schoolgirls in uniforms are long-time obsession for Japanese men, not limited to schoolboys but includes broad range of generations. Erotic photo albums, comics, videos and even PC-based games whose features uniform wearing schoolgirls are quite common in Japanese adult market. Those are often called ROLI-CON which means Rolita-complex.
When a school mandates uniform to their students, usually they are three of kinds. One for daily school life, other two for physical training.
The climate of Islands of Japan changes significantly between extremely hot-and-humid summer and harsh cold winter. In order to face this weather pattern, they usually establish patterns of uniforms - one for summer (NATSU-FUKU), one for winter (FUYU-FUKU). Sometimes another one (AI-FUKU) is also established for season between.
Japanese like to regulate everything, so even the official date to change the uniform pattern are defined. Usually they change winter to summer in May, and does opposite in October. Those days are known as KOROMO-GAE (changing of clothes).
Japanese uniform for schoolgirls have generally two patterns - SAILORs and others. I put figures of two seasons for most of them - except modern uniforms, whose don't have distinctive seasonal patterns.
This was originally the uniform for seamen, but commonly understood as basic schoolgirls uniform in Japan (Even todays Japanese Marine Self Defense Force still adopts sailorsuit). Beloved SAILOR-FUKU are however, disappearing in recent days especially in urban area like Tokyo.
This example is a very basic SAILOR uniform. White lines on collar and cuffs are often reflect their grade (2 lines for 2nd grade in her school). The color of scarf may also varies between grades.
Blazers are second popular uniform in Japan, having comprehensive variations. Difference of colors, patterns, arrange of buttons, and variations of neckwear could be found.
This is also a very basic BLAZER uniform, likely to be an public junior-high uniform. Note that a nametag (NA-FUDA) on her chest, which shows their name, grade, class etc. This has been common in public junior-highs, but declining recently because of privacy concerns.
One-piece jumper skirts are popular for mission high-schools. It is also adopted by some public junior highs. Though somehow childish, those uniforms give gentle and well-bred appearance to girls.
In this example, she wears BOLERO jacket on winter pattern. She also wears dark high-sox, which is a common custom for high-class private schools.
Japanese girls today have sophisticated fashion sense. They feel the traditional school uniforms - heavy, dark colored and nothing resembles to their daily clothes - are uncool. Responding those requests, modern style uniforms were invented. Usually they adopt light colors and shorter skirt. While skirt length of school uniform is getting shorter, girls felt risk to expose their underwear in some circumstances. Some of them wear short pants under the skirt to prevent possible underwear exposure.
In this example, she wears LOOSE-SOX and also doesn't tighten her neck-tie band, hanging it loosely on her neck. Those "loose" style are common practice among schoolgirls since 1990s, although they (slightly) violating schools dress code.
POLO-SHIRT is another modern uniform, often worn with tartan-checked skirt. Sometimes the design of shirts are common between boys and girls - one of the act for gender-equality in modern Japanese society. Polos are generally popular from girls because it is easy to wear and care-free, while some dislike because they think polos are too childish.
Japanese education system includes physical training (TAI-IKU), and for this purpose we have another kind of uniform (TAISOU-FUKU). For school girls, the wear for their lower body have some importance.
BLOOMER is the original sportswear for women, invented by Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894) as a part of women's liberation act in the U.S. Japanese schools adopted bloomers pants for girls training wear sometime in 1920s. They are called "lantern shade" or CHOU-CHIN BLOOMER, because of its unusual loose fit looking.
CHOU-CHIN BLOOMER is now an extinct species, because tightly-fit short pants were introduced in 1960s, utilizing modern synthetic fiber. BLOOMER got popular in Japan by the influence of volleyball team uniform in Tokyo Olympic (1964).
Bloomer has been favorite for Japanese schoolboys, since it displays graceful bodyline of girls. However girls feel humiliating of such exposure, began refusing to wear bloomers in 1990s. This lead to decline of bloomer (especially junior-high and high-school in urban area) and advent of alternations.
In this example, You can see the significant difference between old (left) and new (right) BLOOMER. As you can imagine, colors on collar and cuffs and lines on bloomer may reflect their grades.
This is an answer for girls humiliation. TAN-PANs are more loosely fitting short pants, while the cuffs are long enough to hide their underwear. Some schools even adopt same TAN-PANs for boys and girls - another example of gender equality awareness.
SPATS is another alternation to bloomers. Similar to TAN-PANs but more tightly fitting. Mostly restricted to elementary schools but some junior-highs also adopt. For boys who live in a area which bloomers already extinct, SPATS are the closest thing they can see as graceful lines of bloomers.
Sweatshirts are popular trainingwear for winter seasons. Commonly known as JERSEY from its material of cloth. This is not popular for boys from its low exposure and gender equality. Worn-out JERSEYs are often worn by their moms as working wear, making its reputation further worse.
Physical tracing in school includes swimming class in summer. Every schools completed with a swimming pool, and the swimsuit is usually specified by the school - blackish dark-blue colored, low-exposure cut, one-piece swimsuit made from unusually thick cloth, sometimes have white lines on its side or big white name tag on the belly. They are called school-designated swimsuits, or SCHOOL-MIZUGHI. Sometimes shorten as SUKU-MIZU.
SUKU-MIZU are not popular for girls, considered to be uncool and not cute. While it gives almost monomaniac preference for some boys, since it is only opportunity to see whole bodyline of classmate girls.
The country of Japan have long history of child education. It began in EDO-era (1624-1867). Before that education are only for elite - nobles (KI-ZOKU) and warriors (SAMURAI). However in EDO-era, Established society were economically grown and culturally sophisticated. In order to adopt this social change, education system for young children are wanted. This is lead to the establishment of TERA-KO-YA, privately owned small schools, dispersing all over Japan. Although TERA-KO-YA system is not officially regulated, it was a forecast for things to come.
MEIJI revolution (during 1860-1870) changed every aspect of Japanese society. Education systems are no exception. First time in Japanese history, an compulsory education system for children is established by the government. It is called common junior school or JINJOU-SHOU-GAKKOU, which was prepared for elementary education ages 6 through 12. This was the predecessor of todays SHOU-GAKKOU.
The SAMURAI society of EDO-era is a highly sexually discriminated. Even MEIJI revolution didn't change much - advanced schools (CHU-GAKKOU and KOUTOU-GAKKOU) were only for boys, and they are closely related to newly formed Japanese military force (NIHON-GUN). Modern uniforms (TSUME-ERI) are adopted for those schools, whose highly resemble to military uniform. Boys in those schools are mandated to shave their heads (BOUZU-GARI) which also came from military practice. Those reputations will persist long time in Japanese compulsory education system, even after the end of WW2.
However, advanced education for girls are also wanted by modern society. Eventually many girl schools or JOGAKKOUs were established, mostly concentrated in urban area. JOGAKKOUs also adopted uniforms - however they are not completely modern. It was simplified version of KIMONO and skirt-like HAKAMA, which originally was training wear of SAMURAIs. Their KIMONO has distinctive patterns (YA-GASURI) and their HAKAMA colored distinctive reddish brown (EBI-CHA). Those were not adopted for cutieness - Indeed, the intention of those uniforms are to suppress attraction of young girls. Nevertheless, girls school students (JOGAKU-SEI) are considered to be flourishing flower in MEIJI-era.
Throughout MEIJI era, Japanese government was desperately tried to make their country "Westernized". Under such circumstance, SAMURAI-era KIMONO are seemed obsolete day after day.
In mid TAISHOU era (1910-1926), a JOGAKKOU in FUKUOKA introduced SAILOR uniform. Historical document says it was influenced from British school uniform. Sailorsuits was also the official military uniform of Japanese Navy, which make sense to the military-centric scheme of pre-WW2 Japanese school system. The SAILOR uniform was an overnight sensation. Girls all over Japan yearned this cute and modern uniform. In order to attract students, many JOGAKKOUs changed their uniform to sailors. The golden age of SAILOR had came.
Alongside with new uniform, a new hairstyle for schoolgirls are introduced. It is called MITSU-AMI or twin pigtails. The word MITSU-AMI means "Triple Knots", which describes how its made. The combination of sailorsuit and MITSU-AMI hairstyle was dominated as pre-WW2 Japanese schoolgirl uniforms.
In the World War 2 (1940-1945), everything in Japan had to be focused for the so-called "Holy War". Even schoolgirls were no exception. They are drafted as factory workers, ordered to produce weapons instead of men whose are gone to the front-line. Wearing skirt was prohibited, because they were considered impractical under such situation. Loose slacks (MOM-PE, a traditional Japanese farm-field working wear) were issued as alternatives, a big nametags (NA-FUDA) for emergency use were mandated to wear, which shows their name, home address and the blood type. Additionally head protecting cushion (BOKU-ZUKIN) were issued to prepare for air raids.
The combination of SAILOR, MON-PE, NA-FUDA and BOKU-ZUKIN was indeed, quite unusual and awkward.
After undeniable defeat of WW2, the country of Japan was occupied by American force. Sudden rush of American culture changed every aspect of Japanese culture - again, schoolgirls were no exceptions.
The Japanese school system, which is thought to be too much military centric and gender discriminated - had to be altered considerably, by the order of American occupation force general headwater (GHQ). Now the compulsory education were extended to include junior-high, and public schools had to be coeducational. Suddenly vast numbers of junior-high schools were established all over Japan. Because those school were coeducational, so the uniforms for boys and girls also had to be established.
While most public junior-highs adopted traditional uniforms - TSUME-ERI for boys and SAILORs for girls, while those military-originated scheme of the uniforms gave uneasy feelings to some parents and teachers. Japanese were humiliated of their miserable defeat, wanted to forget anything corresponding to its military centric history. Some schools began adopting uniforms based on more "peaceful" scheme, often referring to school uniforms overseas. Introduction of BLAZER has began, spreading mainly in urban area. Advent of synthetic fiber material enabled to produce stronger, colorful clothes in quantity with low price, it also helped popularization of school uniforms with considerable variations.
The only thing got stronger after the war was, women and sox
, a newspaper said.
Throughout 1950-1970 era, Japanese economy growth were almost like a miracle. However behind the economical success, young generations began asking themselves if this society is what they really want. Prices are skyrocketing, company workers (SALARY-MAN) work frantically, war is going on in Vietnam, and Japan was actually helping the war - which they were educated as most hideous act in human history. Is this country is what they were told, what it should be?
College students, especially highly educated elite are revolted. Most of them were under heavy influence of communism. It was peaceful public demonstration at first, but took no time to became organized aggressive destructive force. The whole phenomenon was called "college war" or DIGAKU-TOUSOU. Japanese government were frightened, tried to suppress revolting students with armed police force (KIDOU-TAI) in any mean, often resulted as violence. Also, they tightened the school discipline of high and junior-high school, trying to tame raging students.
They weren't tamed easily, however. Instead, they revolted in their own way - FURYO or gang students were born. There were FURYO girls too, sometimes called SUKE-BAN (originally means "Female leader of gang"). They modify uniform in awkward way, bleach and permanent waving their hair, grotesquely made up, taking smokes and drugs. Narcotics are hard to get in those days, so they relied on addictive industrial chemicals - paint thinner (SHIN-NER), especially Toluene[C6H5CH3] is the favorite ingredient. While FURYOs were headache for parents and teachers, they were the outlaw heroes for more gentle students somehow. FURYO fashion became popular in comics and cartoons.
No economy growth continues forever. The Arab OIL SHOCK (1973) suddenly stopped every growth of Japanese economy. Even mighty FURYOs had to face the harsh reality. No matter how bad they though they were, after all, they were students. They need school degree if they want to get job after graduation, and no one will hire a student with poor record and bad reputation in those after-oil shock cold economy. Outlaw style FURYOs disappeared quickly, however much subtle but sinister bulling problem (IJI-ME) was silently spreading in schools all over Japans.
In late 1980s, Japanese economy finally came out from dark shadow of oil shock. Suddenly everything seemed to have tremendous growth potential. It was just thought to be the Resurrection of unbelievable economical growth in 1960s, and this time everyone wanted to take advantage. Everybody began investment to everything. Japanese economy suddenly rose like skyrocket, producing nothing but more investment. It was later called BUBBLE-ECONOMY.
In this era, something peculiar was happen in schoolgirl culture. For a long time, schoolgirls were considered sacred in Japanese society. They are cute, they are innocent, but nobody ever openly admit they are sexually attractive. Some people always felt attracted by them, however admitting it was a kind of taboo. It must be hidden as secret obsession.
But for some reason in this bubble era, the taboo was broken. Semi-nude schoolgirls albums were appeared on bookstore. Full-nude, even real-affection scene were also shot and those books(BINI-HON, plastic wrapped book) and videos(URA-VIDEO, underground video) were circulated illegally. Even schoolgirls themselves sold their used uniforms to special shops, whose were called BURU-SERA shop - short for BLOOMER and SAILOR.
Officially they were used schoolwear reselling shops, but definitely not for girls whose looking for bargain uniform - the price of those second hand clothes are actually very expensive. Customers were all men, seeking for their obsession in the dark, narrow, dismal BURU-SERA shops - usually filled with pervasive atmosphere.
Parents and teachers were stunned. No parents want thier precious daughters to be treated as imaginary prostitute. They wanted to discontinue BLOOMER and SAILOR as the school uniform, and wanted alternatives - something very different and very new. Some turned to the world-famous dressing designers for brand new uniforms. They are called D.C BRAND uniform, while D.C is short for Designer's and Character. However D.C BRANDs often resulted to weird beings - combination of peculiar design and unusual colors. Maybe they tried too hard to differenciate from traditional uniforms.
Bubble-economy was short lived. Japanese stock and real estate market was violently collapsed in late 1990s - it was the tower of Babel built on nothing. Most D.C brand uniform were also gone with bubble. They are less practical but more expensive, and in fact doesn't looked much better than traditional SAILORs or BLAZERs.
While BURU-SERA shops were spreading all over Japan, the thoughts of school girls were also changing. They are not virtuous, quiet young ladies anymore. Their purity were on sale in BURU-SERA shops - and now is the time for them to collect the toll. In 1970s, cosmetics for schoolgirls are only considered for SUKE-BANs. However in 90s, cosmetics were getting more and more common in schoolgirls. They even went tanning shop to make their skin dark - this practice is called "face in black" or GAN-GURO. LOOSE-SOX was also invented in 90s, quickly became popular for girls all over Japan.
Schoolgirls never looked so bad, maybe except miserable MOM-PE era. Hairs were dyed in weird color ("brownish hair" or CHA-PATSU), faces were tanned dark then heavily made up, wearing uniform ever sloppy way, hiding ankle in ridiculously thick loose-sox, put their foot in flatten squashed shoes. Armed with expensive brand name accessories, they even sallied to the pleasure town, calling boyfriends with ever versatile cellphone (KEI-TAI), going KARA-OKE party and having fun until well over midnight. People called them "little bitchs" or KO-GALs. However, KO-GALs were not gangs - they were just ordinary kids whose have attitude. Indeed, girls just wanna have fun
.
But some girls went beyond just for fun. They became after school prostitutes, in order to earn money for thier pleasure and possessions. They called their prostitution as "association with assistance" or ENJO-KOUSAI and the name stuck. Customers are everywhere, and they are easy to find thanks to the advanced cellphone and Internet technology. Infamous Japanese Mafia (YAKU-ZA) soon find the market opportunity, providing girls information on Internet for customers with considerable commission charge. It is called DE-AI SITE which means "site for encounter".
Collapse of BUBBLE let the end of wild KO-GALs, however the schoolgirls of Japan were never be the same. They learned how the society sees them - half innocent angels, half prostitutes. They learned they have power to fightback. They began to speak out, and the society is now listing to them. They are changing their world in their way. However, not everything could be under control of them - the imaginary world of OTAKU.
OTAKU was once despicable name, given to people who loves ANIME rather than real life women. It was said they spend their time in fortified room (the windows were tightly shut and never be opened), watching their favorite ANIME all the day. The word "OTAKU" is simply one of Japanese word meaning of "YOU", but turned to the name of them because they have tendency to use the word OTAKU to refer anybody whey they talk to real person (Conversation is rare occasion for them, and they don't have much wit or vocabulary for it). Everybody disliked OTAKU - even they hate themselves each other, however there were great talents among them - ANIME or MANGA illustrators, figure modellers, story tellers and later computer programmers. In mid 1970s they began to exchange their creations in privately held local comic market or KOMIKETT. The rest of the world soon discovered their extraordinarily creativities, non-OTAKU people began to visit to KOMIKETT. Bi-annual Tokyo Comic Market is established in early 1980s, the market is expanding ever since. The word OTAKU is now used with some respect.
OTAKU and KOMIKETT affected every aspect in Japanese culture, especially to their favorite media - ANIME, COMIC and later PC games. Young girls, especially schoolgirls are praised heroine for most of them. They are called MOE - which means "cute", however the origin of the word is too complex to explain in here. They usually have unhumanlike huge eyes, childish proportion (sometimes accompanied with unlikely large breasts), wearing some kind of uniform - schoolgirl, housemaid (MAID-SAN), shrine maiden (MIKO-SAN) and hospital nurse (KANGOFU-SAN) are the favorite scheme.
One of the smash-hit product in recent Japan was PC games, which feature by those imaginary MOE girls. There are two classifications - one for adults (ERO-GEI or H-GEI), another for all ages (GAL-GEI), while GEI is short for GAME. The system is very simple and virtually all the same - by clicking the action keyword on the PC screen, you will have virtual date or virtual affection with imaginary MOE girls. Some of the bestseller titles - TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL (KONAMI, 1994), TO HEART (Leaf, 1997) or KANON (Key, 1999) - left huge number of fans, and they produce their fan art (second-creations or NIJI-SOUSAKU) at KOMIKE or on the Internet. Those fictitious uniforms (sometimes very unrealistic and impractical design - irony for the ill-fated D.C brands) got popularity in Japanese culture, under the name of OTAKU.
Naturally, those imaginary MOE girls are extremely idealized - they are kind, innocent, soft-spoken, having unlimited love to boys whose play with - something totally different from the real high-school girls, whose getting wilder and independent ever since. Some OTAKUs went into identity crisis, began to look for a girl in real life whose resemble to the MOE girls. They turned their attention to ever younger ages, junior-highs even elementary school girls. Pedophilic love has been found throughout in human history, but never be so widespread like in Japan today (at least I think). However, the connection between ever increasing sexual child abuse crime and MOE games popularity is subtle and hard to proof. In fact, no one is sure if there is actually a connection between them.
After having all said, I must admit that I am a schoolgirl uniform fetish (surprised?). I think nobody will deny the fact that girls looks cute in uniforms - and it looks great only with girls in certain ages. In KOSU-PLAY occasion adult women in age of 30s, even men wear schoolgirl uniform - they just don't fit, even looks like an disaster.
I love cute girls, just as every male mankind would. Please don't misunderstand however, it doesn't necessarily relate to sexual meanings. I'm totally opposing to child abuse, I don't want to buy their love via ENJO-KOUSAI. Just watching smile on their face makes me happy, and that's enough for me.
Don't pick the a lotus flower. Just leave her in the field, as she should be.
- An old Japanese proverb.
Unfortunately, most of school-uniform related sites hit by Google are adult porn content - understantable but disappointing. Those below are the few site which provide Japanese schoolgirl information in English, without nasty pop-up adult advertisements.
All the writings and pictures in this content are created by KASAI SYUJI, and I reserve the copyrights. However I won't restrict to redistribute, copy, burn to CD-ROM, printout, whatever you like - as long as the content is essentially the unaltered and the copyright notice remains.
This page is free to link you don't have to ask me for the permission. I put my point of contact below just in case - and will appreciate if you give me your impression.
By the way, here is the link-banner if you want use use;
http://www.geocities.jp/kasai_syuji/banner1.png
200x50 8bit PNG file(3.5Kbyte)