Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Shibuya Street Style

Shibuya is a newer, swankier district compared to its more-famous rival Shinjuku.

Japan is home to many odd things, and fashion subcultures are among their strangest and most interesting.

I spent a good part of the afternoon just enjoying the sights and snapping some of the Japanese fashionistas:

Girl tries to stop traffic with her fashion statement.



Uggs galore.

"A-are you wearing the -" "..Chanel boots? Yes."

Sharp shiny sharkskin suit.

Fur muffler, fur-trimmed heels.

High-schoolers after shopping at 109.

Obviously, hip-hop's not quite dead yet.

Japanese schoolgirls.

Black stockings were de rigeur.


Standard dark salaryman business suit.

T-t-t-t-telephone.

T-t-t-t-telephone.

Some bared their legs in the cold.

While others covered up.



The end.

15 comments:

  1. reminds me of David Benoit eheheh :)

    and them japs are really fashionable!

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  2. oh wow...People watching, at it's coolest! :-) I bet you had a lot of fun.

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  3. i don't think i'll fit-in in japan.

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  4. au contraire [with engel], i think japan would be a piece of heaven for me!
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    buti ka pa...

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  5. Fashion kung fashion!

    Love eeeeet!

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  6. parang gusto kong mag-fashion statement jan.

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  7. @ Lalaking Disente : Took me awhile to make the David Benoit connection hehe. And while black still seemed to be the dominant fashion statement, every so often you'd see striking patches of animal prints or glaring reds and neons.

    And yes, they do love fashion.

    @ Sonia : It was fun. At first I was a bit hesitant about so blatantly snapping away, but they didn't seem to mind. As a matter of fact, I think some of them rather enjoyed having their pictures taken.

    In the end, I figured, well, if there's one race that's often equated with cameras and relentless picture-taking, it's the Japanese.

    So fair's fair.

    @ engel : Bakit naman? The fashions were broad and actually, a lot of it was rather conservative. I was in a blazer and pea coat all the time and I blended right in with the madding crowd.

    It's just the Shibuya kids and the Harajuku tribes that are known for their outre fashion statements.

    You, on the other hand, would've gone hog wild over the comic book and hobby shops in Akihabara. It's like comic book geek and collector central - whole buildings crammed full of manga and comics and my personal folly: action figures.

    @ DB : Aha! Fashionista ka pala, ha!

    @ Ronnie : LOL @ Love eeeet! Alam ko yan!

    @ Ming : And of course, your fashion statement would include some animal prints and some kawaii kitty ears ^_^

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  8. i love them kokeshi dolls.... where are they?

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  9. i love the photos. you can give The Sartorialist a run for his money! LOL.

    pasalubong!

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  10. too bad we live in the tropics.

    now rudeboy, who do you think is more fashion-forward- the japs or the koreans?

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  11. @ Yj : Ohhh I saw lots of those kokeshi dolls, particularly in the souvenir shops.
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    As far as I know, they're still there. :P

    @ narnian : Awww, thanks!

    P-p-pasalubong? *rummages around for any remaining trinkets...a wasabi sachet...anything*

    @ orally : Oo nga! We're blessed with a sun-kissed climate, but it denies us the pleasure of Fall/Winter fashions.

    As for fashion-forward, while the Japanese are still very fashion-conscious, and I know of no world-famous Korean designer - at least none of the likes of Miyake, Kenzo, and Yamamoto - I think the Koreans have a slight edge nowadays in terms of fashion-forwardness.

    K-Pop and K-Fashions, like koreanovelas, are currently enjoying popularity, and the Japanese fashionistas have a slight bit of catching-up to do.

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  12. love the pics. how's the shopping? i heard it's expensive. how's the nightlife?

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  13. @ Sean : Hey there. Mmm shopping. I promised myself I wouldn't shop, considering Tokyo's well-deserved rep as 2010's Most Expensive City In The World.

    Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttttttt...

    I did the math and came to the conclusion that I could live with the exchange rate, so, uh, yeah, I picked up a few things here and there. So much so that I ended up having to buy another trundle bag just to accomodate my loot.

    I had a couple of drunken night outs and happily, that was on someone else's tab, but I've yet to fully explore Tokyo's clubs, among other things.

    That's what next year is for ^_^

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  14. hi rudeboy. hahaha! my defenses always falter when it comes to shopping, so I fully understand the "but". exploring the clubs among "other things". hmmm... i look forward to your next adventure.

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  15. i like their fashion sense hehehehe

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