After reading a lot of manga and watching a lot of anime I wonder if some of this stuff REALLY happens in japan. If you also have some questions ask away.

Regarding female fashion:
Do girls usually wear socks that are either up to their knees or up past their thighs, what blows my mind the most is how those long socks up the thighs stay up without garters. (in america girls either wear leggings, stockings, or ankle socks among other things.).

Regarding lolita fashion. How many lolitas do u really see walking in the street? Is it REALLY common or moderately common. Same goes for ganguro.

Regarding kareoke (butchered spelling) bars. Is it really extraordinarily common for there to be that many kareoke bars around and are they really that popular in japan?

Regarding school uniforms. Do MOST schools have uniforms or are there actually quite a number of schools that allow free dress?

Is valentines day really like that in japan? (you should know what I mean) and WTF is White day exactly besides the day guys repay girls.


I kno this is a long list, but im curious as whether this actually happens commonly in Japan. Again, if you also have wondered about some random stuff, post it here!

I put bolded answers to the ones I know for certain. Keep in mind I only lived in Tokyo for a month, so my viewpoints are kind of limited.


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Umm, I don't know what you mean by "that." If you're talking about girls stuffing chocolates into the guys' shoe lockers or confessing in a secluded area, I wouldn't know. I do know that girls give "giri-choco" ("pity/obligation chocolates") to acquaintances that are usually cheap and store-bought. My teacher says that girls will give more expensinve or homemade chocolates to those they like (I would think in a casual manner). White Day is March 14th, and it is just a day for the guys to repay the girls. There's nothing more to it, or at least not that I know of.

In white day, the guys give girls candys... Well, that's how it was where I lived. >_>;

And in schools you can't really do free-dressing. Everyone wears the uniforms.

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Ah well see the thing is, there's no such thing as white day in america, guys and girls give more or less what they want to each other from roses to chocolates to whatever is romantic and sweet, so when i first read about that japanese valentine tradition i was like... seriously? where did this come from.

EDIT : New question, what's more common, sailor fuku? or the blazer type uniform.

HMM

Last edited by bluegreenangel at 10:57 am, Jul 12 2012

Do girls usually wear socks that are either up to their knees or up past their thighs, what blows my mind the most is how those long socks up the thighs stay up without garters. (in america girls either wear leggings, stockings, or ankle socks among other things.).

Yes. Some people do, some people don't. That's just the way it is. But they're not loose. Those actual loose kinds of socks you see in manga? Those are only popular among the hyper-fashioned people in Harajuku. Though you do see a schoolgirl wear them every once in a while, though not that common. It's more of a fashion statement than anything.

Regarding lolita fashion. How many lolitas do u really see walking in the street? Is it REALLY common or moderately common. Same goes for ganguro.

Things like these are only common in places where they are expected to be.

Lolitas are not common at all. It's kind of a "costume" that you only see in Akihabara (the geek's district). There, some people wear it for fun (because in Akihabara it's okay), and some people wear it because it's their job. (promoting a store, giving out freebies, etc.)

Ganguro girls are a little more common. YES, they exist. You see one in the train almost everyday---overly tanned, too much make up, over-the-top fashion sense. They usually lurk around Harajuku and Shibuya--->the common fashion districts and youth districts of Japan. Soooo many of them in Shibuya.

Regarding kareoke (butchered spelling) bars. Is it really extraordinarily common for there to be that many kareoke bars around and are they really that popular in japan?

YES. Most people go to karaoke. My most memorable moments in Japan were the karaoke nights until morning. LOL. It's a local pasttime to go there at night (most are closed in daytime). The part of Tokyo where I was in, Hachioji, had like 5 karaoke bars just walking distance from the train station. Most karaoke bars have promos: you get a huge discount the more people you have with you, and you also get a discount for staying there the whole night (10pm-5am). People usually go to karaokes for "nijikai", meaning the "party after the party". Like, you have a graduation party for one of your friends in an izakaya (a bar that also serves meat), then after that you have a second party which is usually in a karaoke. "Second parties" are very common in Japan, and it's very common to spend the whole night in a karaoke, it's like an endurance test. I swear, by 3am, half the people are asleep. Then they wake up at 4, all re-energized ready to sing. Hahaha.

Regarding school uniforms. Do MOST schools have uniforms or are there actually quite a number of schools that allow free dress?
Hmmm...I don't have the statistics here, but I haven't seen a high school in Japan that allowed free dresses, and I've been to quite a few (teaching seminars and stuff). Inversely, all three elementary schools I've been to don't have uniforms.

Is valentines day really like that in japan? (you should know what I mean) and WTF is White day exactly besides the day guys repay girls.

Yes. In Japan, Valentine's day is even more celebrated than Christmas. (then Christmas is again celebrated as another holiday for lovers---like a second valentine's day) What you don't see in manga is, in valentine's day, girls can also give chocolates to all their other female friends. Nothing romantic, just a "we're-friends-so-here's-a-chocolate chocolate". I've given more chocolates to girls than to guys in valentine's day. heheh. There's also the "obligatory chocolates". Regardless of your real feelings, it's common manners to give chocolates to your boss and other people you work for.

White day is exactly one month after valentines day. The only people who celebrate it are, of course, people in a romantic relationship. It isn't as big as Valentine's at all...but it's a big day for dates. Couples just go on dates, usually the guy treats them. That's just that.








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The. Longest. Post. Ever

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Was there really a need to quote that just to say a four word reply that wasn't even relevant to the topic?

Besides, that post is nowhere near the longest post ever made in MU.


Last edited by blakraven66 at 12:02 am, Mar 6 2008

Ahhh. What you said makes me want to live in Japan, especially the valentines part =)

Last edited by kuraixdesu at 4:58 am, Mar 6 2008

Sorry, I was just REALLY bored. BTW was it necessary for you to point out the meaninglessness of my meaningless post?

I really want to go to japan so that I can experience the culture first hand.

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Not really a 'does it really happen in Japan' question, but something along those lines. I've been wondering: which set of 'manners' do Japanese people use when confronted with people from outside of Japan? By that I mean do they shake hands or rather bow? Call foreigners with -san or other honorifics? Or do they allow foreigners to call them by their first names? (I'm curious about that, since the first-name basis means a rather intimate relationship in Japanese society) Seeing that I have a pen-pal from Japan, I'm not sure whether I should address her with the honorific or rather call her by her name in the Western fashion. Confusing much and I really don't want to commit some kind of faux-pas. So, um, I'd be glad if someone could answer ^^'

Last edited by Layhe at 12:13 am, Mar 6 2008

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Japanese people are very forgiving to foreigners. You say "konnichiwa" and they'd be all like "whoa!! your japanese is amazing!! Don't worry too much about making mistakes. They don't shake hands unless it's a business setting, they usually just give a very slight bow. Though it's also fine if you try and shake hands, doesn't matter. It won't appear rude or anything. Some might even initiate the hand shaking, because they'd think maybe it's what you'd be expecting. They have the same confusion too.

Yes, they allow foreigners to call them by their first names even if you've just met (when it's not a business setting). If you're a foreigner, they automatically assume you don't know much about their culture, thus they don't impose on you the same standards that they would with a Japanese person. Just call them by their first name, they prefer that, and it's usually how they introduce themselves to foreigners anyway. Just don't attach honorifics of familiarity first (-chan) unless you've gotten to know them well already. Attaching -chan is like a cornerstone of a relationship already. (Though older people might actually call you -chan especially when you're cute. XD)



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I don't really know for this sure in Japan, but I know that in Korea, blazer type uniform is more common.

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As far as the School uniforms are concerned I've herd it's government mandate that they wear them for middle school and high school. I've seen a few elementary schools that have uniforms as well, but most allow kids to dress how they want until middle school. Just speculating on reason but I think they did this so kids would concentrate more on studies and less on things like fashion, and the social status such fashion would make apparent. As for whether the sailor uniform or blazer uniform is more popular I'd say they are about equal right now, but the blazer style seems to be getting more popular of late.

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