Happy Twin Tail Day!

I'm pretty sure I posted this video to this blog before, but in honor of Twintail Day I thought it would be a great way to kick off this post.

You see, Japan loves having special days in addition to all of the holidays it celebrates. The Kobe Beef Burger I tried last week was released on January 29th. 2, 9. Ni ku. Niku. The Japanese word for meat. Get it?

And 2/2 is a bit easier, what with all the "2" s of course. Recognized as an official Day by the Japan Anniversary Association since 2012, Twin Tail Day is a chance to show off the growing popularity of what might be the cutest hairstyle ever. Check out some pics on Twitter with this link . And before you ask, yes, there IS an official Twin Tail website  (in Japanese) .

When I think of twin tails in America, all that comes to mind are Pippi Longstocking and Punky Brewster (wow, I forgot all about Punky Brewster until just now). But yes, a very large number of girls and women wear their hair in the various twin tail styles.

Did you know there are three styles of twin tails?

Sailor Moon (way above) and Mayu Watanabe of AKB48 are two good examples of the rabbit or crescent style. These tails come from a high point on the head.

Pippi Longstocking and idol / actress / singer Yuko Ogura are representative of the traditional style, starting around ear height.

And finally, the country style is a lower tail set, originating around the neck, and the Twin Tail Project identifies Anne of Green Gables as an example.

Do not ever say this blog is not educational!

Which is your favorite style, or favorite twin tail wearer? (This should make for interesting comments ...)

Japanese Culture Enthusiasts

So you might have noticed that I've been quiet lately when it comes to the blog.

I'm not exactly sure what I've been doing. But instead of moping around and typing out my miniscule problems, I'll share a video I came across today from SNL.

I've been living in Japan for almost three years now, and this skit is pretty funny. I've met several people in America like this before coming to Japan, and seen several here in Tokyo while out during the weekends. Several students at the school I used to teach at wanted a Japanese foreign language class, just so they could understand Sailor Moon and Naruto.

And it also brings to mind the opposite - Japanese kids who are "American Culture Enthusiasts" - namely the "hip hop fashion" style that continues to be popular here. Just a couple hours ago, a teenager was standing around the station with baggy pants and an oversize jacket with logos and designs similar to what you'd see either on rap stars or on gang members.

In LA or New York (or many other places) he and others might actually get hurt being dressed that way, as many teens carry or wear colored bandannas that in the States identify which gang you belong to. I've seen girls with one pants leg rolled up - another sign of being in a gang.

And there are tons of stores in Tokyo where you can buy these clothes, from the malls to Harajuku and Shibuya to Ameyoko-cho near Ueno. (I know that hip hop fashion isn't always gang fashion and vice-versa, but for boys especially it tends to run together, and like JCE's in the US, Japanese kids don't always know the difference.)

I wouldn't call myself a Japanese Culture Enthusiast by any means. I enjoy real actual life in Japan, which isn't all that different from American life in many ways. But I do like to use a bit of Japanese from time to time (though I really don't know much), I find myself following Japanese customs (bowing, sort of, for example), and I've collected a large amount of Japanese cultural souvenirs. I prefer chopsticks in many cases and I've been moving toward more and more Japanese meals. But I've never thought of myself as Japanese.

I pose a question to my readers: is being a culture enthusiast, and trying to adopt another culture's styles and mannerisms, racist? Are the characters in the video ignorant?

Crazy Kawaii: Kyary Pamyu Pamyuseum

Kawaii means "cute" in Japanese, and that one word embodies almost everything about popular culture. Fashion, accessories, mascots, style - it's all kawaii here. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a J-Pop star who got her start in the heart of kawaii, Harajuku, and has gone on to become quite successful. Her songs are catchy and fun, and the music videos are fun and relatively unique. But beyond that, Kyary's fashion style is essentially the Japanese equivalent of Lady Gaga - outrageous, cutting edge, and one of a kind.

 There are enough music videos, performances, and live appearances where Kyary has worn or included amazing fashion that an entire temporary exhibition was created. Originally displayed in 2013 in Roppongi, it returned this summer at Koshigaya Laketown mall, the largest mall in Japan. I can't find any details right now about any other locations, past or present.

 After paying your admission fee, you're given a plastic lollipop that can cause exhibits to light up or interact. And in you go!

 There are dozens of costumes on display, worn by Kyary and other performers on stage and in the music videos. The purple-top costume has a skirt made out of snack wrappers.

 Yes, photography was allowed, and encouraged. There was even a Twitter hashtag for people to share their photos.

 Most of the costumes are on stands that slowly spin around so you can see them at all angles.

 I mentioned interactive exhibits. The thing on the right is inside a box; you stick your face through the hole and your smartphone on a small stand and you can take a picture that makes it look like you are wearing the costume. There were a couple costumes like this, and were some of the "interactive" exhibits that required use of the lollipop.

 The dress on the right comes from Candy Candy, the first video I ever saw.How she ran in those heels I'll never know.

 This dress was just awesome.

 I haven't seen so much of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's music videos to know where all the costumes come from. But that pink dress mannequin is a zombie!

 I believe these are stage costumes worn by her backup performers, though I couldn't be sure. If you watched that Candy video then you might recognize some from that as well.

Behind the backup costumes was a projected stream of music videos - I timed my photo just right to catch the Candy Candy video being shown, by chance.

The exhibit was certainly packed with pastel, and I think I got enough kawaii during my visit to last a good month or more. As I mentioned before, I don't know if the museum is headed for a new location, but it certainly was a fun way to spend an hour or so!

(You Can't Really) Strike a Pose at the Kobe Fashion Museum

 I don't claim to know a whole lot about fashion, but I enjoy looking at it. I think it would be fun to dress up in period costumes and reenact old customs sometime. You know, historical cosplay. (I'm not talking about Civil War reenactments. Those might be fun too, though.) And while I don't put much thought into my personal fashion choices, I'm admiring or critiquing fashion trends I see on the streets.

image from Kobe Fashion Museum. Note that the museum's layout can change based on the special exhibition content.

The Kobe Fashion Museum's permanent collection display is a sort of Fashion 101, starting with a "History of Fashion" line of clothing along one long wall, with the remaining space divided up into techniques, designers, materials, colors, and structures. A final area has reproductions of the clothing worn at Napoleon I's coronation ceremony. Most of the clothing in this display is modern reproductions, but seem to be authentically constructed... at least, as far as a layman can tell.

Before entering the permanent exhibition, you see the special exhibition hall. On my visit, it was was packed with shoes designed by Takada Kisa. I don't know who that is, but the collection was fairly complete and showed shoes ranging from simple sandals and work shoes to high heels and boots. The museum's website shows other special exhibitions which look like they would have been/are/will be pretty interesting for those who admire clothing.

The museum might be a pilgrimage point for fashion designers given their library of fashion-related holdings, but for average people, unless you're already in Kobe, as I was, you probably won't come out here for a visit.

The Kobe Fashion Museum is located in this spaceship-themed building on Rokko Island. Admission is 500 yen, including both the special and permanent exhibitions. Hours are 10:00-17:00 except Wednesdays. It's located a little out of the way. Take the JR line to Sumiyoshi Station or the Hanshin line to Uozaki Station, and transfer to the Rokko Liner. Get off at Island Center Station and head south-east toward the giant UFO.

The Kobe Fashion Mart is nearby but has limited shopping as far as clothing goes. It seems like there are several stores for interior designers and a few stores for tailor-made suits. There's an art museum, the Koiso Memorial Museum, which mainly has works by Ryohei Koiso, a local artist. I haven't visited it, but there are some very good reviews online.