Wondering Where One Might Wear A Garment Like This…
…but failing.
I spotted this, er, striking piece of clothing at the Men’s 109 in Shibuya, at the Wild Party boutique. Maybe Japanese people would be just as surprised if they saw a t-shirt in America emblazoned with that famous painting of The Death Of Buddha, but…
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Jonelle Patrick View All
Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!
Couldn’t click like.
I know – it’s a little shocking, isn’t it? It made me try and think if we do things that would be just as culturally shocking to people with different beliefs, without realizing it. You know? I mean, this was being sold as a fashion item, with no intent to offend, but wow. Zap!
I agree. I’m sure I can be a bit insulting. Our politics here in the US are divided just about in half so we are always insulting have the country. Then there are my boys who even though not teens anymore still enjoy insulting everyone. They’re in their late 30s.
Sure you do! Japanese people gasp when they see the strange kanji tattoos, the yakuza style tattoos worn by seemingly innocent young men and women and last but not least, the most “obsessed” of the otaku brigades that you keep landing on our innocent shores. Anyone who doubt me need to do no more than image google “shunga tattoo” (^-^)
Aieee, that was a mistake! Un-see! Un-see! I especially would not like to meet some of those unusual yuurei in a dark alley…
And I imagine they laugh at the clueless kanji tattoos, but I hadn’t thought about how the gangster-style ones might shock people. I guess it’s kind of like when I hear young Japanese women using hardcore English swearwords – they didn’t grow up with the taboo associated with them, so don’t realize how shocking it is.
Your comments always make me think! ^_^