One of Ours

The subject of the Japanese high school uniform is one that often fascinates gaijin, especially Americans, who usually don't experience the concept of school uniforms when attending school. Japan's school uniforms are famous throughout the world, and many Japanophiles have latched onto them as an all-encompassing symbol of Japan -- J-List even sells real uniforms made by Matsukameya, a famous company in Nagoya, and they're very popular with our customers. The sailor uniform first appeared in England in the 1860's as a military uniform. English parents thought it was cute to dress children in miniature sailor suits, and so it became popular as a school uniform for children. When Japan began modernizing after the Meiji Restoration, when power was returned from the last Tokugawa Shogun to the Meiji Emperor, the first girls' schools required students to wear special kimonos called "basha-michi" (which means "a road for a horse and carriage to travel on," meaning that the uniform had to be as proper and straight as a road). As the Meiji era (1868-1912) gave way to the Taisho (1912-1925) period, Japan underwent another wave of modernization and adopting Western fashions, and in 1921, the Fukuoka Girls' School became the first school to adopt the cute English sailor uniform for their students. There are two basic kinds of girls' uniform used in Japan today: the sailor uniform (which consists of a "middy blouse" with grease catcher top and pleated skirt) and the "blazer" (an external vest-like piece over a normal blouse, with skirt). There are two kinds of uniforms for boys, too: the "gakuran" (the traditional Japanese black two-piece uniform with stiff collar and dark pants, and bright gold buttons) and the "blazer" (which basically is a dark suit). Both the traditional sailor uniform and gakuran are in the process of disappearing from Japan, supposedly, replaced in most schools by the more modern blazer type uniforms. Many private schools hire famous designers to create extra-fashionable school uniforms for their students.

There are some interesting school-related customs in Japan, including the custom of "dai-ni button" (lit. "second button"). At graduation, it's customary for a girl to ask a boy she likes to give her the second button from the top of his school uniform, which is tantamount to her confessing that she's in love with him. Often, "kohai" (underclassmen) ask for the second buttons of their "senpai" (senior or upperclassmen) as they graduate. If the boy gives her the second button from his uniform he's affirming that he also has feelings for her, even though they may not see each other again after graduation -- a bittersweet taste of young love that was never to be. If he has some other girl that he wants to give the button to, he has to apologize to the first girl and tell her that he's got someone else he loves. If you want to check out a great story of Japanese-style painful first love, check out Studio Ghibli's wonderful film Ocean Waves, one of my own favorite animated films.