ギャル

Japan is well known for its many genres and sub-cultures.

They exist in the worlds of manga and animation, sport and literature.

And, sure enough, there is a mind-boggling variety of clothing and accessories that identify one as belonging to type x.

One of the flashiest is the "Gal" type.

Gal is not a static phenomenon, and magazines both follow and lead the trend. They include Egg (see below left), Cawaii, Seventeen, and others.

The basic profile of a "Gal" is a woman in her mid-teens to early twenties who dresses to be noticed. They are not "kawaii" (cute), a bit aggressive, and - by local standards - flaunt their bodies and looks.

In the 1990s, the "Kogaru" (small gal) type took Japan by storm. These were young women who were put on tv, featured in magazines, and accused of selling their bodies in order to buy brand goods. Much of of it was no doubt a media-driven, PTA fear-mongering, event. However, these girls were in their own way rebelling against Japanese norms.

The women pictured above right are the latest incarnation. They are waiting for their order in a Kyoto McDonalds. The one at right is wearing the signature Ugg boots, short shorts, and a loose fitting shirt. When she walked, the shirt flapped open and closed exposing her flat brown belly.

The other, flashier of the two is wearing a modified hip-hop look - but definitely would not identify herself as being part of the Japanese hip hop scene. Her low-slung jeans expose not an upturned bit of her butt but rather eye-catching black-and-yellow patterned panties. Her top is even more colorful.

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浴衣

Summer in Japan can be trying.

First is the six-week rainy season, which stretches from roughly June 10 - July 20. Days are muggy and overcast. Things smell. People become cranky.

That is followed by the scorching heat of high summer that lasts for roughly a month or more. Going outside is an exercise in supreme discomfort, with early morning temperatures already in the 90s.

Summer vacation is short, and anywhere you go in Japan will be crowded.

The 10-12 week endless summer of our American youth bears no likeness to the experience here in urban Japan.

However, one of the (few) pleasures of summer in Japan is the yukata, or cotton robe. Women and to a lesser degree men wear the colorful cotton robes to festivals and out for an evening.

They are light weight, easy to wear, and easy on the eye. Floral prints abound.

Wandering near Pontocho, in Kyoto, one night, I came across this group of young women bedecked in their summer finest. And that is about as good as it gets until the cool nights of late September usher in Japan's finest season: autumn.

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ゴシックロリータ（ゴスロリ）

"Gothic Lolita" is a fashion style, born in Japan, that blends the dark, brooding gothic and the light, frilly Lolita looks.

To see is to believe.

In other countries, the gothic look is an expression of alienation, teen anger, even anarchy. Piercing and aggressive tattoing are often part of the package.

Lolita is of course the young woman and title of the great Vladimir Nabokov novel. In Japan, she has been appropriated in the "Lolita complex" (rori-con). This is the phenomenon describing Japanese men who are obsessed with very young--very young--girls.

In terms of fashion, Lolita refers to hyper-cute girls in frilly pink and white outfits.

Young Japanese women have melded these different forms of alienation and created a bizarre sub-category fashion look. In highly detailed outfits, complete in many cases with Little Bo Peep umbrellas, they parade in groups in city centers.

Disclaimer: The author is not an expert on gothic, Lolita, or gothic Lolita fashion. We welcome comments and corrections from our readers.

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