Pop Japan

Japanese adolescents see the worth of fashion as a way of expressing their personality. Different fashion styles have been filling the streets in Tokyo and they continuously create more unique fashion craze.

The eccentric yet fascinating fashionistas of Tokyo are always seen in parks, and in the different shopping districts like Shibuya, Akihabara, Takeshita-Dori and Harajuku. Here are the different fashion styles that you can witness among the Tokyoites.

1. Lolita - The fashion is inspired by cute Victorian Era dolls wearing petticoat dresses with matching parasols. The fashion itself also has different subtypes depending on the theme of the dress.

Photo by Oliver Ayala. Licensed under Creative Commons.

2. Visual Kei - Visual Kei is inspired by Japanese rock, punk, and pop bands. It's one of the most popular trends in Japan, with the iconic black mask.

Photo by Jacob Ehnmark from Tokyo, Japan. Licensed under Creative Commons.

3. Cosplay - One of the most popular in the global scale, cosplaying is like making your favorite anime character real. It's a bit more challenging to cosplay costumes, and you'll surely be a headturner!

Photo by Altan Dilan. Licensed under Creative Commons.

4. Street Fashion - This is the casual look which you can also see in the streets of Paris, New York, and Hong Kong. They're like real fashionistas making streets as their catwalk.

Photo by Peter Van den Bossche. Licensed under Creative Commons.

5. Yamanba - This one rare but really eye catching. The tan-skinned fashionista wears colorful dress, color her hair blond, and wear eccentric and extreme ganguro make-up.

Photo by alex de carvalho from Miami, USA. Licensed under Creative Commons.

6. Hipster - Cool, trend, stylish and a bit nostalgic look is what best describes hipsters.

7. Mori Kei - It's a fashion style inspired by forest fairies. This one looks modest and simple.

Photo by Jo Anne Bondoc. Licensed under Creative Commons.

8. Rockabilly - Remember the look of 50's bands? Well, they revived the fashion of the good old rockers. They're usually seen in the parks during weekends.

9. Dekora - This one's not as cute and demure as lolita, but the fashion suggests an obsession from bright colors and kawaii accessories.

Photo by iMorpheus. Licensed under Creative Commons.

10. Gyaru - They're like the Japanese version for bohemian get-up. They have surfer girls' hair and dark-tanned skin. The girly-glam girl always changes her style every few months.

Photo by Greg. Licensed under Creative Commons.

11. Kogals - Kogals are gyaru high schoolers who have no choice but to wear their uniforms most of the time.

Photo by Lordcolus. Licensed under Creative Commons.

12. Gyaruo - The make version of gyaru, this fashion mostly include military, rocker, biker and surfer as style pegs.

13. Fairy Kei - This fashion style revolves with anything cute from 1980s like My Litte Pony, Care Bears, and Strawberry Shortcake.

Photo by Annette Wamser from Elk Grove, USA. Licensed under Creative Commons.

The Japanese youth lives Marilyn Monroe's saying, "life's too short to wear boring clothes." Some may not understand them, on how they dress, but they don't mind. They just want to wear what they want while they can, live outside their shell and enjoy fashion!

Banner photo by yeowatzup from Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany. Licensed under Creative Commons.