Everyone imposes fheir own interprftafion on fhe sn-ralled Harajuku girls. Despitetheir recent rise to fame,, who are the real girls behind the Hollj'wood obsession?

I3Y lEMILY KUI3O

apanese pop culture basalways (omtnanded a cultisbInllowing—its aninir/manga,video games, Pokemon, and

Hello Kitty are enjoyed all over theworld. But now, Amerieans have alsodiseovered something else thatintrigues them—the Harajuku girls.

The Harajuku girls, done up inbizarre outfits and makeup, bang out inTokyo's fashionable Harajuku disfrict.Previously little ktiown niilside ofJapan, they rose to fame when fhe leadsinger of Ska/punk band "Mo Doubt,"Gwen Stelani. featured them in herreeent solo debut all)iirn: Love. Angel.Music. Baby. A fashion ieon who isoften seen in kooky outfits, trademark

platinum blond hair and engine-redlipstick, Stefani claims these adolescentgirls as the muses for ber entire album,as well as for ber own fasbion line,L.A.M.B. Tbe singer's video from berfirst single "'Wbat Ya Waiting For?" issbot witb a distinct Japancsy flair,,supplenif^nfed by lour blat k-liquid eye-lined, pig-tailed, and cberry-lipped"Harajuku girls" prancing around inclothes by Vivian Westwood. In a recentMarie Claire interview, Stefani says tbeidea of using Japanese girls as backupdancers came to her in a dream. Theseso-called Harajuku girls appearthroughout the alhtim. even in songsthat have no apparent relation to them.The album also includes a song titled in

36 I Japan Inc Magazine

ilie girls' honor, in which Stefaniprofesses, "Harajuku girls, you got thewicked style-1 like the way that youare—1 am your biggest fan, oh."

As if video appearanees were notenough. Stefani also has Harajuku girlstrailing after her for appearances inpromotional and red carpet events.During interviews, the entourage sitbehitid the singer with studieddisaffection, and alter their facialexpressions and shift aroundperiodieally, although always seeminglyon (ue. When asked about them duringan Interview on MTV, she replied, ""Canyou even see them? I mean, are theyeven there?" claiming they are afigment of her imagination. Rumor has

it tbat Stefani's posse are undercontractual obligation to converse onlyin .lapanese in public, thus adding Iotheir foreign allure, although in real lilrthey are plain-Jane American girls whospeak perfect English.

Bystanders argue vigorously onInternet message boyr-dt- whetherStefani's adoration ofthe girls is supercool or an atrocious art of culturalhijacking. Although some love theconcept, others feel (hat the singer isexploiting a suheulture l)y packagingthe girls a la Hollywood and marketingthem to the mainstream. In fact, variousweb sites/blugs bave .-priing up tbatdedicate tbemselves to tbe discussion oftbese lour faux harajuku girls, named

Angel, Love, Music, and Baby after heralbum title. In one blog, tbe autbor bastaken up tbis controversy as a cause byselling h rG4 ("Free tbe GwenibanaFour") T-sbirts and mugs in order torescue "tbe pseudo harajuku girls"trom "serving an unspecified term inthe custody ol pop singer GwenStefani." "For freedomi" the bloggerc bants.

.'\ltb<iugh such websites are ohviouslytongLii-aiid-( lirek (surely the girls arewell-paid for their odd job), there is nodoubt that Stefani's new album andsutiscijuenf puljlicity stunts bavepuslicd tbe previously obs( ureHarajuku fasbion into the forefront ofAmerican pop culture. Wben asked

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IN A SCCIIETY THAT liXTSURPRISING TI-lyXT Tl-ll: IWHICH INCCRPCRATIiJALLURING-APPIEALS TO (

abouf tbis recent trend, Rachel Dodes,a 27-year-old journalist and a New Yorknative says: ""Harajuku girls? They areso hot here! 1 think a gaggle ofJapanese girls is the next Louis Vuittonhandhag—the ultimate accessory."Harajuku girls, like sushi restaurants,have become anotber cool Japanesecultural export and yet anotber additiiitito the image of "Japan Conl", But whoaiH' tbe real Harajuku girls, the truegirls tbat inspired an American popsinger to exalt them to the point ofobsession?

l iar i i juku as a l'a,«bi(m Mecca

I^ ^ k efore tbe Olympic Games^ ^ V came to Tokyo, Harajuku^ ^ was little more than a quief^ ^ residential neigbhorbood.

only just recovered from the destmc'tionof Wc»rld Uar II. It came into its own.liovvever. in 1964, after the govemment(•(invertcit a stret( h along Omotesandointo an Olympic Village for the athletes.The games brougbt a slew of foreignvisitors, wbich stamped the once-sleepytown with a cool, modern image.Harajuku remains I HK district offashion.

Although the word Harajuku has only

spelled fashion for Westerners in reeentyears, it bas. in fact, been a trendsetterfor over 30 years.

ln tbe 1970s, fad cultures bereexuberated a more rebellious streak.Tbe original place of congregation wasinside Harajuku s Yoyogi Park, whereup unlil the early 80s hip youngsterscalled the Takenozoku on Sundaysengaged in sue h delinquent bebaviorsas smoking cigarettes, greasing tbeirhair, and dancing. They symbolizedyoufti decadence and rehellion {evendoc umented hy an NHK program). Inthe mid-1980s, however, dancing,eigarette-tciuting youngsters gave way tothe "hando-zoku," amateur hands whogathered to showcase tbeir talent.Ycjyogi Park became an expo of streetbands from all over tbe c:ountry and wastbe birlbplace ol some of tbe mostpopular hands in Japan.

Harajukn Tarajuku remains a meecafor tbe young and fashionconscious. Its nature,however, has taken a furn

for the innocuous. For example, to theleft of Harajuku Station lies Tokyo'sanswer to the avenue of the Champs-

nara|uku I

M

Elysees, the wide tree-linedOmotesando-dori. home to very adultand mostly high-end hrands such asGucci, Armani, and Burberry. It alsosports Japan's largest Louis Vuittonstore. In front of which begin queuesthat wind down several streetswhenever a new handbag or limitededition item is launcbed. Venturing intotbe side streets of Omotesando,bcjwever, you find the equally famousTakeshita-dori. a narrow road only 440meters long. This "dori," or street, is abreeding ground for young fashion andparticularly attuned to the capriciousnature of trends, testified by tbe furiouspace in which new shops replace oldones. On weekends and holidays, theroad is packed with tourists, loeais, andfashion-conseious youngsters alike,making it cliffic:uit at times to stroll in astraight line.

As for the bando-zoku. In 2003residents wbo were fed uji witb thenoise and general iiiayhfiri < rac keddown on the Sunday jams in YoyogiPark. This was not enough to slopHarajuku from being a sbowcase town,however. Ibe young people today bavemoved just outside tbe park, ontoJingubasbi bridge, near tbe station at

38 I Japan Inc Magazine

)LS I=IEMALIE YOUTH, IT IS NOTMILOSOPHY 01= GOSURORI-

TI-IIE INNOCIENTlERTAIN OLDIER MIEN.

OAND TI-IIE

llu' entrance of Meiji Slirinc. Althoughhands occasionally play on Jingiihashi,today the hridjic mainly serves as themeeting place lor lite •"Harajuku girls."(This particular area is no longerofficially Harajuku, since it waschangerl to Jingu-Mae. hut locals stillreier to the vicinity of the hridge hy itsold name.) Unlike the wannahes inHollywood, these girls are the realthing, easily spotted hy their eye-

popping, over-the-top clothes. Theydress in Halloween-like costumes, donoutrageous makeup, and hang aroundon Sundays, nol doing much hesidessocializing with their equally out-rageously elad peers and occasionallyposing for the in<Tedulotis tourists orphotojournalists. Sonn^ ofthe girls livehours away, hut take the train in everyweek just to he seen.

"It makes me leel free," says Kuren,

who makes her own rosupiire (costumeplay) outfits. On most days, the girlswear school uniforms, and only onSundays when they come here do theyhlatantly express their style andpersonahty. ,\lthough initiallyhewildering. the fashions, yoti find,follow guidelines, and almost all tliegirls place themselves in a certaingenre. There are (gasp!) rules, despitethe superficial craziness.

A well-documented style amongstthese young girls is Gothie Lolita, orGoth Loli igosurori). It has the look of agothie Victorian bahy-doll—combiningthe look of Lolita fashion (deliberatecuteness and contrived innocence), withcertain gothie styles. According toWikipidea, this parti( ular look emergedas a yc)uth subcuhure around1997-1998 and became a weil-estahhshed genre in Japanesedeparliiieiit stores circa 2001.

There are variations of the GothicLolita look. One is the more feminine"Classic Lolita" (more traditional,girlish clothing), and the most eommonis called "Klegant Gothie Lolita" (KGL).The L(JL style is well known amongfans of bijuaru kei (visual style) hands, alorm of Japanese rock music in which

Summer "05 | 39

musicians perlorm in elahoratccostumes. The physical pecuharities ofthe EGL look were popularized hyMana, the cross-dressing leader of thenow disbanded Malice Mizer group. Hecoined the term EGL and ElegantGothic Aristocrat (RGA. for nu'n wbolike to dress up in the Victorian style),which he used to describe tbe fashionof his own lahel, Moi-meme-Moitie.The standard ''dress code" is usuallyshort (ahove tbe knee), pnl'ty atid iaty.worn with knee-high tights or fishnetstockings. Glassic Lolitas, on tbe otherhand, prefer longer dresses with morefetninine designs and do not shy awayfrom carrying stuffed animals orwearing straw bats and bonnets. EGAsusually wear lots of hlaek, red, andwhite. They sometimes carry smallprops in the shape of coffins, hats, andcrucifixes. A not-yet-doeumented genreof the Gothic look is called "punkgoth." As the name suggests, this styleis more [)unk and less rule hound(many wear pants instead of skirts).

In a society that extols female youth,it is not snr[»risitig that the philosophyof gosurori—wbi( b tncorporates theinnocent and the alluring (or angel anddevil in one body, in direct .lapanese

translation)—is app^'aling to ccrtaitiolder men. 'it 's totally sick, seeingthese old tiien hanging around yotinggirls and taking pictures of them," saysRivena Ridikir, a pretty 24-year-oldhlond from Germany and a sell-confessed manga enthusiast who studiesJapanese at Sophia LIniversity. "Theseguys ohviously have a letisb orsomething."

Rivena and her American friendJamie are two ol a handltil ol lorcigncrsin outre outfits (which tbey elaim iseveryday wear). When asked whathrought them to Jiiigtibashi bridge.Rivena replied, "1 am just here to lookaround myself, and to take somepictures. I love their styles. 1 tbink theyare wonderful—and I bate how the Westis now taking this totally undergroundthing and tnaking it cotnmercial."Jatnic adds, "Back home I was one ofthe few people who dressed this way, sosometimes I make tbe clothes myselfand sell them on the Internet."Altbougb entrepreneurial sotmding,Jamie was quick to dismiss thesuggestion that she is an\ibing abouthusiness: "Oh no. I hate capitahstn andall of that."

Another genre popular among young

girls is cosupure. a portmanteau of"costume" and "play. * Thissubculture's [)articipants dress as theirfavorite characters from manga, anime,video games, and Japanese pop musicbands. At Harajuku the cosupure girlsusually like tt) imitate ati idol from afavorite hand, although maid costucnesare particularly popular amongst mangafans elsewhere in Tokyo, such as geekcentral. Electric Town In Akihabara.spawning cafes where young waitressesdressed as maids serve a mostly maleclientele. Kuren, aged 15, sports ahand-sewn costunii' modeled after thelook of members in "Dir en (^rcy,"another prominent J-punk Rock hand.Sbe travels over an hour artd a halffrom Saitama to join a friend whotnakes a three-and-a-half-hour tripfrom Nagano by express bus. Althoughthis is ptircly a rc( reational activity formost, their dedication indicates theseriousness with wliich they approachtheir Sunday outings.

Two (ioth Loli girls, Higurakiyo andKirio, have heen coming to Harajukufor two years. Like many other girls,tbey shop at Takeshita-dori houtiquesand then re-arrange the clothes to tbeirown liking. "My parents have already

40 I Japan Inc Magazine

given up," says Higurakiyo. who, at age22, is elearly more mature andarticulate than the yitunger nienil)ers ofthe mini-community. "The only thingthey ask is that I don"t hang around otirneighhorhood dressed like this."

""My parents don't say anythingreally," says her 17-year-oldcompanion, Kirio.

Others are nol so fortunate. "My|)arents don't know," confesses Tatsu,ati adorable 15-year-old Tokyo native,who can t̂ asily pass for 12 or 13 in a|)itik anil ubite lat'ey Lolita-style dress,cotnplete with a white lacey parasol. "Iput my clothes in a hag and 1 changeoutside. It's impossible to give updressing tbis way because I really love

doing this."Her plight is not unusual; a cotnnn)n

sight tiear Harajuku Station is a l.olitaor (iotb toting a small luggage bag.

Unlike the Takenozoku in the 70s.tbese young girls tistially do not baveany polititai agenda or any sutiversiveIntent.

"I enjoy it. It's just for fun," says Uga,a cheerful, outgoing goth-jnink girl.

Mekiri agrees. "It's my bobby," shesays as both girls join friends for agroup pboto.

I • u r (I p i 1̂ I

STbe Revisionist atid tbe HealHarajukti (Jirls

pend an afternoon atHarajuku and you observe agap hetueen the Hollywoodview of Harajuku girls-

rebellious, underground, subversive,nde-breaking-and what is really goingon in the streets of Tokyo. Harajuktigirls are orderly and bave their ownrules. Their fashion bas its commercialaspects, with widely rccognizahlehrands, and fans can pun hase thestyles at on-line or brick-and-tnortarstores. And although the girls lookdrastically different from their typicalpeers, within tbeir own SUIK ulture tbeyfollow specific fasbion rules andguidelines.

Tru(^ tbey are not your averageteenage delitiijuents by any tneatis—these girls display themselves in anorderly fashion and are neither loudnor distiirl)iiig. The Harajuku girls donot share Rivena's and Jamie's distastefor capitalism and mainstream culture;if you asked their feelings a[)otttcapitalism, you wotdd Mkely elicit hlatikstares and giggles. IVorti Jinguhashihridge, the average Harajuku girlprohahly goes home, changes, and eats

dinner with ber family. Sbe will mostlikely grow tip to be a perfectlyrespectable adult. Fashion is merely away for the girls to express themselvesin a conformist society, altbougb indoing so tbey inadvertently followanother set of rules.

Although the names of their stylesmight differ, one thing all tbeinterviewees had iti cornmon was thatnone of them had ever hf;ard of GwenStefani. nor did they have any eliie tbattbeir style is being populari/ed al>road.When told tbat tbey were theinspiration for a popular singer in theUS, they were visibly exeited. "WV arevery hajipy," the girls stjuealed inunison, "i think Ameriean women areattractive, so this type of fasbion wouldlook good on tbem." added one girl.

The girls I spoke to seemed alooffrom a distance, but were, in fact nice,pfilite, vivacious teens who enjoydressing as tbey do. Everyone imposestbeir own interpretation on tbeHarajuku girls-sees them through theirtinted lenses. Gwen Stefani. like the restol tis. takes in what sbe sees in themand loves them for it. Pure love or old-fashioned Orientalism? Visit tbe Inter-net message hoards for the dehate. Jl

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