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Fashion in Japan
The Japanese have always been a very fashion conscious people, and today, you can witness a unique blend of styles from past to present on the streets of Tokyo. Even styles that died out years ago in the West have been "Japanised", and are still alive and well.
The height of Japanese fashion can be found in the district of Harajuku, especially on a Sunday (See Picture). Fashions seem to be based on eras in time, bands, and the latest European fashion house designs. Besides the Goths, punks, dolls, and brides, a look that stands out most among young people is that of the Hawaii Girls, or "Yamamba", which means Mountain Witch.
Yamamba are people, usually women, who bleach their hair as light as they can and tan their skin till it's dark brown, usually with some sort of tanning lotion. This is supposed to emulate the look of sun-bronzed Hawaiian surfer types. The clothes they wear are also reminiscent of Hawaii; usually halter-tops and mini skirts for the women, and "aloha" style shirts and jeans for the men. One necessity for the Yamambas wardrobe is the platform boot, which is often knee length and ridiculously high. The makeup that Yamamba women wear apparently resembles that of the mountain witches of children's fairytales, hence their name. This consists of white or pastel lipsticks and eye shadows, and sometimes-thick black eye liner.
Opinions on the Yamamba are mixed. Most males think that it is not such a good look as it is unattractive to them, but others think that Yamamba women are good because they are always willing for a date. Most females are disgusted by the Yamamba, which the males explain away as jealousy. However, no females I spoke o were attracted to Male Yamamba. Both sexes did agree however that the Yamamba are rather dirty people. It is said that they hardly ever bathe because the tanning lotions they use are expensive, and come off the skin easily in Japans very chlorinated water. I have also heard that because the Yamamba are hardly ever at home because of their lifestyle, they don't change their clothes often.
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