I was browsing in the Kinokuniya Bookstore in Japan town when this older man came over to inspect some books on the shelf next to mine. He must have been about 60 with white hair, and he had these cute little Elton John glasses on. He looked over at me and with a gasp said, “You’re dressed like a Harajuku girl, aren’t you!” It wasn’t really a question and so I sputter out an, “um…I guess so.” I smile at him, not wanting to appear rude or anything, but I looked down at myself questioningly. White gathered skirt, hoodie, curly blond hair, and a black hair bow. Pretty normal clothes for me, today anyway. I started wracking my brain to try and remember what a Harajuku girl was.

In Twickenham England one of my favorite classes was Culture and Society in Modern Japan. At the very end of the class we were going to discuss Otaku culture and Harajuku, and it was even right there on the syllabus. We must have watched too much anime or something, because we ran out of time and missed the last lecture. However, I have at least a smidgen of popular culture knowledge, because I remember Harajuku as a shopping district in Japan for alternative styles. I remember someone in the UK telling me that Harajuku is similar to Camden Market, which is an exciting, fashionable part of town in London. Consequently, Camden Market is my favorite part of town. But of course we already knew this.

If Harajuku breeds a plethora of young and alternative fashions, then what is a Harajuku girl? This was a job for Wikipedia. Apparently “Harajuku girls” are teenagers living in Japan who come to (or live around) Harajuku and dress in one of the many outrageous styles popular in the area. The styles range from cyber punk to gothic Lolita, from ganguro to cosplay. For the record, ganguro really freaks me out with the fake tans and the long nails. *Shivers uncontrollably.*

So a Harujuku girl can be dressed in any of these fashions, and of course they can be dressed in many other styles that I didn’t happen to mention. It’s a broad term I guess. Thanks Wikipedia! Now I really want to go to Harajuku and see for myself!