Japan is known as the land of uniform. For them, uniforms aren’t just mandatory clothes you should wear everyday. They are actually more than that. One of the most common outfits you’ll see in the busy city of Japan are the school uniforms. Compared to the West, the Japanese have a different view when it comes to uniforms. For them, school uniforms symbolize "seishun" or youth. They aren’t just for school, they’re also a fashion statement.
Most schools have uniforms for their students from elementary to college. Back then, the traditional uniform for boys is black or navy pants, together with jackets with collars known as gakuran. On the other hand, sailor uniform with large collars is the universal uniform for girls. But in 1980, modern looking uniforms came into the scene influenced by the Western. Both the boys and girls wear the same color of blazer and checkered pants for boys and checkered pants for girls. Today, there are various styles of uniforms depending on the school.
There are two dates that the students are always looking forward to: June 1st and October 1st. These two dates mean one thing: uniform switch. The weather can get really hot during summer and extremely cold during winter. This is the reason why Japanese high schoolers have their seasonal uniforms. In summer, students tend to wear less clothes, usually with a white buttoned shirt, skirts for girls and pants for boys. In winter season, students come to school in their full uniforms, with neck ties and blazers.
Japanese school girls love to wear their uniforms more for several reasons.
1. It is comfortable to wear and is also considered as a formal attire.
2. It already became a part of their fashion statement. There are some students who go out of the way and tweak the manner in which they wear their uniforms, like wearing loose socks and shorter skirts for instance.
Apart from the main usage of uniforms in school, here’s where you can see school uniforms:
1. Cosplay - Since there are animes with school girls as the main character, cosplayers tend to cosplay them during conventions.
2. Typical Outfit of Teenage Girls - Have you ever seen girls in uniform let’s say for example in Disneyland and you began to ask yourself mentally why aren’t they in school? Don’t worry. These girls didn’t cut in their classes. They purposely wear their school uniforms as their outfit.
3. Japanese Famous Idols wear School Uniform - Famous Japanese Idol like AKB48 is widely known to be wearing school uniforms during their performances.
4. Funeral - Japanese school uniforms are designed so that children can wear them to formal occasions, like the funeral.
This practice may appear simple to some, but uniforms in Japan have become an important part of their culture. Not only the students practice the manner of wearing uniform everyday but the majority of the country’s population wear uniform as a sign of identification.
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