What do Japanese people wear?

[lottieandmia]

Dd (aged 9) came home from school with this question to answer. So I told her to write that Japanese people wear what we wear (a quick google to show this confirmed this to her)

However, it seems the teacher was after a different answer involving some elaborate costume. AIBU to think this is not a good approach?

Normal clothes?

Superdry?

Did you read my OP?? That was my point.

Is she looking for kimono? Not worn day to day though!

at Superdry.

kimono

YANBU. Japanese people wear jeans, T-shirts, suits, dresses, skirts, etc. The teacher should have asked your DD to research the traditional dress if she wanted the kind of answer that I expect s/he was after.

Kimono robes, they are formal ceremonial robes worn mainly for formal occasions.

I am surprised kimono robes didnt come up in your google search.

I would find a picture of a Morris Dancer, a kimono wearing Japanese person, a kilt wearing Scotsman and a bicycle riding baguette carrying onion selling French man and put it all on the same page labelled

Stereotypical national dress.

did the teacher mean Japanese school children? If so, surely similar uniforms to Uk

poppy at least you get me !

Kimono robes. I cannot believe that didn't come up in a search

My Japanese next door neighbour is sporting nice jeans, a pretty top, a pink cardigan and ballerina pumps today.

I just love when the professionally offended come out...

Exactly FourEyes - but she didn't say this. I think she should have.

Plenty of 'kooky' girls in London - hats, brogues, short skirts and little handbags in bright colours. And plenty of tourists in navy blazers. No kimonos.

yes I'm familiar with the kind of people who use the term 'professionally offended'

They don't actually wear kimono robes day to day though do they? If the teacher wanted to know about traditional dress that's what they should have asked.

Google Harajuku :D

It's awesome there

Yeah, I think she probably meant traditional clothes too so I'd plump for kimono. Or actually, I'd put that they wear clothes that we wear on a day to day and then for traditional events etc they wear kimono.

And just to spoil the joke, superdry is an English brand with bad Japanese on it so they don't wear it much in Japan!

I suppose if it was meant to be a long task your DD could have described a few different types of current Japanese fashion and also briefly mentioned traditional dress, which would make the same point in a slightly more teacher pleasing way.

Google cos play and send DD in with some pictures!
www.otakuhouse.com/blogs/cosplay-blog/japanese-cosplayer-hiroki-akiyoshi/

Clothes!

The teacher should have asked about national / ceremonial dress if she wanted another answer.

Depending on if this is a quick or long project, you could write an answer covering:

• every day (like us!)
• ceremonial (you could touch on when this is worn, e.g. the shichi-go-san festival for children turning 7, 5 and 3.) The weight of Princess Masako's wedding kimonos is also interesting
• school uniform (quite interesting, they are usually modelled on European naval uniform: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_school_uniform )
• Japanese street fashion: Lolita fashion, dolly kei, mori girl...

The thing is that the project is on Japan today - they all have to find out something. I think it's important to be able to do stuff like this without reinforcing stereotypes.