April 21, 2003 - page 3

We then went to You Me Town, the local mall. This was my first chance to help impart my expert fashion advice to my new friends. You see, Japanese fashion is quite different from American fashion. The difference between men’s fashion is only slightly noticeable, but the women’s fashion is drastically different. It seems eerily reminiscent of the fads of the 80’s. Current fads include the Top Gun-esque aviator sunglasses, crimped hair, and mismatched outfits. The most interesting thing that I’ve noticed is that the girls like to wear a skirt over a pair of jeans or pants. And after inquiring I learned that it’s the rave here in Japan. I helped my friends put together trendy outfits. Some of the girls really liked my ideas, while others felt more comfortable with the “kakoi” or cool Japanese clothes.

In the music store, I noticed that the shelves were stocked with many American albums and videos. Mariah Carey and Linkin Park are two of the most popular performers in the music scene, and the X2 is the current number one at the box office.

After seeing part of the town, I noticed that there was a “Western feel” to the city. I wonder if it’s always been this way? I asked some of my friends and they said that only recently had there been a resurgence in the popularity of Western culture. I’ll be back soon, and, as always here is today’s Japanese lesson:
b no Mane – Copying things Western