As y'all know, I'm not the world's most fashion-conscious person (gross understatement) and tend along the lines of "the clothes do not make the man". Of course, I've started wearing Guess clothing, but that's because I get a 50% discount there.
The Japanese live for fashion. Don't let the perception that they are a spiritually rich country fool you - they are as obsessed with outward appearance as much (or more) than anyone. And it's interesting that some people, mostly young, choose to express their individuality through their clothing. I've always thought it kind of stupid to show you're unique by wearing clothes designed by someone else and worn by any number of others.
On the flip side of this, it's interesting to see so many men dressed in crisp, nicely-tailored dark suits. The suit is to the Japanese what jeans are to San Francisco, and hell is being a private investigator having to tail a 30-something Japanese guy in a dark suit through the streets of Shibuya at peak hour and working against a deadline.
It's also interesting that so many straight men are not only obsessed with fashion, but choose to dress in clothes that we would consider too feminine. Tight shirts with frilly, laced edges. Shoes that almost look like stiletto heels to me. In fact, having walked around the gay area, my perception is that the straight men of Tokyo are more fashion-conscious and their dress-sense more feminine based than the gay men. It's an odd cultural quirk.
But there are also many misses. It's hard to walk up to someone and snap a pic of an outfit that just doesn't work, but I'm trying. The pic here is of a guy wearing a suit jacket with the shoulders cut out. Why? WHY? Maybe if he had shoulders like Thor, there'd be a point, but right now all it's doing is providing ventilation.
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