I Spy With My Little Eye: Japan's Fashion Contradictions

Observations of an unfashionable mustache in a land where the modern and the traditional commingle, where simplicity and outrageousness walk side by side.
Conformity
I don't think I had seen any Japanese wearing sunglasses during my trip. Yeah, I went during autumn, but, hey, there are sunny days in autumn, too! The Japanese don't seem bothered by the sun's dazzling light. Is it because they are in the Land of the Rising Sun? I asked my Japanese friend if he wears sunglasses. He doesn't. Why? Because everyone else doesn't. If he did, he thinks he'd stick out like a sore thumb. My friend conforms to blend in.
While waiting for the train, while walking in the streets, I'd see double. Or triple. I'd see two or three (or more) friends, usually young ladies, wearing the exact same outfit or the same outfit but in different colors. We call it "twinning." The Japanese call it "Osoroi Code" (osoroi means "matching"). These young ones conform to stand out.
Photo from Tokyo Fashion
Modesty
For Japanese women, showing décolletage, even in a casual setting, is deemed inappropriate. But that doesn't mean women in Japan walk around all covered up. Because, strangely, short short skirts are not frowned upon. So ladies, when in Japan, remember: low necklines, not okay; high hemlines, a-okay. Go figure!


Photo from Tokyo Faces
Japan
Know Before You Go
Single Entry Tourist Visa for Japan
Roam Around Japan with a Swagger
An Ignoramus in Japan: Vending Machines
An Ignoramus in Japan: Bathrooms and Toilets
An Ignoramus in Japan: Manhole Covers
I Spy With My Little Eye: Japan's Fashion Contradictions (you're here!)
From Tokyo to Hiroshima (2015)
10D/9N | Tokyo, Toyama, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima
Tokyo Accommodation: Shinjuku Airbnb
Tokyo: Memorable Tokyo Eats
Tokyo: Odaiba
Tokyo: Doing Touristy Things in Tokyo
Toyama: A Hamlet Called Ainokura
Kyoto Accommodation: K's House Hostel Kyoto
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Wisdom from the Road: On exits #2
Kyoto: By the Thousands (Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove)
Kyoto, Japanecdote: Turning Japanese
Kyoto: Braving the Crowds at these UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto (Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji)
Hyogo, Japanecdote: If Only I Could Speak Nihongo
Hyogo: Day Trip to Himeji: Himeji Castle and Shoshazan Engyoji Temple
Hyogo, Japanecdote: Am I an Alien?
Hiroshima: Strolling and Snacking in Miyajima
Hiroshima: Remembering the Past in Hiroshima
Osaka, Japanecdote: How to Lose Friends
Osaka Accommodation: Osaka Airbnb
Osaka, Japanecdote: Where is Bentencho Station?
Osaka: Osaka Adlaw, Osaka Ako sa Osaka
Osaka, Japanecdote: Learn From Your Mistakes
Concentrate on Kansai (2016)
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kansai Region
Kyoto Accommodations: Guesthouse Wind Villa, Shiori Yado
Osaka Accommodations: Hotel Raizan, Hotel Mikado