UCLA
Center for East Asian Studies
Japanese Youth and Popular Culture
November 15, 1999
Nikkei Weekly || Japanese Youth Culture || News File Index
Different just like everyone else
Today's youngsters often boast about their individuality; so why do they all follow the same
KAORU SAKURABA Staff writer
So-called "manual books" flourished in Japan from the late 1980s to early 1990s, telling readers how to live their lives - which clothes to wear, what hobbies to pick, how to perform their jobs. There were even systematic "how-to" books on dating, which let users prepare for romantic interludes with flow-charts dissecting the art of the date. The term "manual human beings" was coined. And the many young people of the time who were highly dependent on these manuals were criticized by their elders for their lack of individuality and resourcefulness. But today's young Japanese appear to be different. They are critical of people who cannot act and make decisions on their own, and view using manuals as a lack of creativity. The magazine industry has also become a little sick of the word. According to magazine editors, the word "manual," which once frolicked on so many magazine pages, is used only very sparsely in today's magazines.
Bored with manuals
The change is even affecting the way companies train new recruits. Namco Ltd., a video-game maker and operator of two theme parks - WonderEgg and Namjatown - is keeping its operation manual as thin as possible, covering only those issues that need clear guidelines, such as safety. "Regardless of whether they are our employees or customers, young people prefer to enjoy quick-witted conversations than to have formulaic communications based on manuals," explained a Namco official. Modern Japanese in their teens and 20s appear to thumb their noses at manuals and are valuing their own judgment in the way they conduct jobs and wear clothes, for example. "I enjoy finding shops and goods that interest me on my own. I don't feel like visiting the cool places the magazines are introducing," said a 24-year-old female employee of a Tokyo apparel maker. These days, many magazines are busy chasing these trend-setting young people to feature them in their articles and tell readers what's hot now.
Some observers believe today's young people are a counter-reaction to the generation that came before. Many young people blindly followed brand products in the late 1980s and much of the 1990s. Nowadays, that kind of blind faith just isn't considered cool. Modern young Japanese say they are interested in what they think is good, not what society accepts as good. That attitude is apparent in current fashion trends. Some Japanese youth wrap a skirt around their necks instead of a scarf. Others are making bags out of T-shirts. Tokyo's Harajuku neighborhood, a fashion mecca of young people, is full of individuals wearing unique fashions.
But some observers who pay close attention to today's youth believe they are not much better than the generations before them in making their own judgments. "We don't see the word 'manual,' but they are disguised as something else to suit the taste of today's young people. In essence, we now have more manuals than before," says Soichiro Ishihara, a columnist who follows youth cultures.
Examples of the made-over manuals are found in magazine articles, such as "Recommendations of shops where you can find the clothes that make you look different," "In the closet of fashion leaders," and "Our favorite accessory and interior shops." "Recommendations" are found all over fashion magazines, and readers appear to be following them diligently. "Once we forgot to include contact details of some shops we covered in an article. We ended up receiving a flood of inquiries from readers," an editor of a fashion magazine said.
How-to books on making clothes and accessories have also been very popular among young people. "Readers of these how-to books appear to be enjoying the feeling of creativity when in fact they only make minor changes to the examples shown in the books," said Mariko Suzuki, editor-in-chief of a popular how-to book, "Tezukuri Book (Book on Handmade Stuff)."
Follow the leader
"Nakata Hidetoshi Shin Seiki (Hidetoshi Nakata - New Century)" is a book that covers the fashion, opinions and philosophy of the Japanese Serie A soccer star. The book is now the bible for young boys who religiously copy the young soccer player.
"Manual haters who depend on manuals." That is how Beniko Kishi, president of Colon Inc., a Tokyo research firm specializing in young fashion, describes today's young people. "Modern young Japanese increasingly are becoming segmented into small groups based on their favorite celebrity, hobby or things they like. Many of these groups come up with their own manuals on how to wear accessories, what sort of wording they should choose and other things that may not make sense to outsiders," Kishi said.
Said a 19-year-old junior-college student: "The basic fashion is to combine a knit cap with hair extensions. What is 'in' at the moment is to wear a wig that has a different color from your own, such as yellow or pink." She comes to Harajuku once or twice a week to compete for originality in fashion among her peers. "We are trying to express our originality with accessories. I don't care what strangers think of me. I am happy if my friends think I'm cool," she added.
