Harajuku Kids

One of the must do's for tourists is to to check out the Harajuku shopping and the anime kids there. At Harajuku, there is a constant presence of overdressed, heavily made-up, young Japanese. They are gazed upon by foreigners and the Japanese with a combination of amusement, misunderstanding, and distance. Their shock value alone is surprising.

One of my friends at Harajuku:


I myself have been quite judgmental towards them. I have tried to understand what would motivate anyone do dress up in the morning, knowing they will be stared at, kinda ostracized by society, and photographed by gaijin. It just always seemed so demeaning to me.

However I never really appreicated what they were doing, until I heard a couple of white women talking to each other in English. They were mentioning that even though the outfits are so far from the norm, every piece of the clothing, make up, and accessories are carefully thought out beforehand. Even their hairstyles must have taken hours, they said.

After I heard that, I have tried to understand the subculture more, instead of just shaking it off and laughing at it.



I was in Harajuku by myself last weekend. Its kinda funny, I'm one of those people that don't like eating by myself at restaurants, so I stopped off at Lotteria (a fast food chain like McDonalds). Apparently that place is like Harajuku kid central. They were applying bright make up for one another, laughing, talking, etc. It was like a community of (I hate to say it...but maybe) outcasts? There isn't really a nice way to put it. But they don't fit perfectly into society.

That was the first time I saw the human side to their seemingly crazy lifestyle. I had to think, what would I do if my kid was like that? Obviously I would learn to accept him/her as he/she was. Its not necessarily a normal way to live, by Japanese standards, but who's to say it is wrong?

I think Lotteria for the Harajuku kids is like what everyone is looking for in their own lives; somewhere to belong. Its seems as though it is all about find a place to call your own, somewhere you are accepted just the way you are. I guess in some way we look down at them because in many ways we are jealous. They see no reason to hide who they really are AND they found people who love them just the way they are.

I imagine they have accomplished more than I might ever. They have accepted themselves and not ashamed to portray themselves to the world. "Take it or leave it," they seem to tell us, "but this is who I really am."