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bakuhatsufallinlove · 11 days

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U.A. High School Field Trip Around Japan: Day 5 Translations

This is Day 5 of Shonen Jump’s special commemoration of My Hero Academia reaching one hundred million copies worldwide, which is being rolled out daily across one-week in each prefecture’s newspaper.

The schedule:

April 4th, Day 1: Hokkaidō & Tōhōku regions

April 5th, Day 2: Kantō region

April 6th, Day 3: Chūbu region

April 7th, Day 4: Kansai region

April 8th, Day 5: Chūgoku & Shikoku regions

April 9th, Day 6: Kyūshū & Okinawa regions

April 10th, Day 7: Nationwide release

You can see the illustrations on their website here, where they are released digitally the day after the newspaper release.

Here we go!

Chūgoku Region

Tottori

Photo credit: twitter user aoao_rice

Ashido: "Ohoo~! Have I got a scoop on a summer fling!?" All Might: "I have come to rubberneck!! ...not! Let's go, Young Ashido!" Yaoyorozu: "Since Kaminari-san has overslept again this morning, please be careful as the class representative." Iida: "Indeed! After all, disturbance of life's daily rhythm is no good." Narrator: "The class president was simply communicating with administration."

Hakuto Coast is a magnificent beach beside a shrine famous for being the location of the so-called "first love story" wherein the white rabbit (the shrine's namesake, 白兎) played matchmaker for deity Ōkuninushi and princess Yagami after Ōkuninushi advised the rabbit on how to heal its wounds. The shrine specializes in matchmaking charms and the area is considered a "lovers' sanctuary."

Shimane

Photo credit: twitter user akamenago

Shouji: "What an incredible slope!" Iida: "Aah, this will be hard, but at the top of that slope a spectacular view of the ocean and a sense of accomplishment await you... Give it your all, Engine!! You can do this!" Kaminari: "You're empathizing with the engines!?"

Eshima Ohashi is famous for being photographed in ways that distort its true slope gradient, making it appear insanely steep. It's steep, but not insanely so! I guess Iida identifies with engines.

Okayama

Photo credit: twitter user mayori_nu3sei

Best Jeanist: "Don't give me the cold shoulder. Just say the word and I'll coordinate any number of jeans outfits for us!" Bakugou: "I WAS JUST PASSING BY, ALL RIGHT!!!" Kaminari: "Now, now, now..." Mineta: "C'mon, you can be honest!"

Kojima Jeans Street is a popular tourist destination in Kurashiki City, as it has been dubbed the birthplace of blue jeans in Japan from its first production in the 1960s. Kacchan is in denial--accept your fate and wrap yourself in the weft of rich indigo!!

Hiroshima

Photo credit: twitter user chugokunp_u35

Kaminari: "Hey! Just a minute ago it was on land, now it's under water!?" Bakugou: "It's just high tide, ain't it!!" Sero: "Ohh, right, the whole thing with the moon's gravity. So, it sinks once every day?" Bakugou: "High tide comes twice a day, don't it!! Go back to kindergarten and start over, you pieces of trash!!"

Visiting Itsukushima Shrine, whose torii entrance appears to be floating in the water at high tide and is made out of decay-resistant camphor wood. The shrine buildings themselves are built up so as to not be submerged.

Yamaguchi

Photo credit: twitter user mizyuki_1010

Todoroki: "This is from my father. Please enjoy at your leisure." Kirishima: "'Ssanks for tha' provisions!!" Uraraka: "Todoroki-kun, you know, you should say thanks!" Todoroki: "It's delicious, thank you." Uraraka: "I meant thank your dad!"

They are eating kawara soba, a unique dish in Yamaguchi which is cooked on a hot curved roof tile.

Shikoku Region

Tokushima

Photo credit: twitter user mgmg_hrak

Kaminari: "Wheeeey..." Sero: "I'd rather be a dancing idiot than a wheeey idiot!" Crowd: "Both are idiots, so why, oh why, not dance~!" Ashido: "Let's go, everyone!! We're all part of this!"

Tokushima's Obon festival includes the Awa dance, wherein huge crowds of people dance in procession over a period of three days. Here's an example! They also often sing a song, dating back to a popular tune from the Edo period, which says both dancers and watchers are idiots, so if you don't dance, it's your loss!

Kagawa

Photo credit: twitter user ZqGuesaki72

Uraraka: "It's anybody who's seen it, right? They won't have money problems for the rest of their life!" Izuku: "That's a crazy face, Uraraka-san!!?"

The Zenigata Sunae in Kan'onji City is a sand sculpture depicting an old Japanese coin, called kan'ei tsūhō. It was originally constructed in 1633 by the local people to welcome a daimyō. According to legend, anyone who sees the coin will live a long and happy life and never have problems with money.

Ehime

Photo credit: twitter user chiccoinocico

Todoroki: "What's this kind of thing about? Are we, like, BFFs now?" Kirishima: "You said it, Todoroki! (red-faced)"

This is JR Shimonada Station, an unstaffed train station along the coast which offers beautiful views of the ocean. Kirishima is a sweetiepie, and apparently easily flustered, hehe.

Kōchi

Photo credit: twitter user _baby_hr

Uraraka: "I'm gonna take a picture!" Dark Shadow: "Aieee!" Hagakure: "All righty~!" Sero: "Looking at this kinda thing, it's like seeing a monster in a dungeon." Jirou: "Use delicacy!!"

Ryūga Cave of Kami City is one of the biggest limestone caves in all of Japan; formed over a period of 175 million years, ancient artifacts from the Yayoi period (~300 BCE to 300 CE) have been found within it. Sero, how could you be so cavalier! Dark Shadow is a good boy!!

That wraps up Day 5, see you for Day 6!

#translations #ua high school field trip around japan #mha one hundred million copies tour

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kyurizeu · 1 year

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𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲 (𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞)

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》 Genre: Fluff

》 Summary: A little coffee break doesn’t hurt, unless you don’t want to meet a cute guy…

》 Warnings: Food.

》 Pairing: Nishimura Riki X Fem!reader

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You were on a summer trip before going back to school to Hanlim arts school for the last year.

On your trip to Okayama Japan to meet your little cousins you heard about this amazing coffee place at the mall so you decided to go check it out with your Little cousin Ruka.

you went into the cafe and as you scrolled your eyes through the delicious menu your eyes encountered the most delicious one of all, a blonde boy smiling at you.

You blushed but showed no expression.

“You need help choosing? He called out to you standing behind the register. You looked at him as he threw an apron on his shoulder walking towards you. “She isn’t Japanese she didn’t understand you” Ruka chuckled to the boy.

Suddenly he spoke up in Korean: “Well that explains why you looked kind of lost..”

“Excuse me?” You laugh a little

“I suggest you choose one of the ice coffees.. or i make one of my special drinks for you.” He turned towards you leaning down a bit “Surprise me coffee boy” you smiled jokingly and he walked back into the kitchen.

A few minutes later he came smiling with a strawberry smoothie for Ruka and a pinkish drink with a Lemon slice on the glass for you. “Here you go! One strawberry smoothie and one surprise”

You thanked him and as he left you saw that he wrote a note on a tissue he gave you . “number ~ Coffee boy”

You looked up to see him quickly glance at you with a shy smile.

#nishimura riki #niki fluff #niki x reader #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen fluff #enha fluff #niki imagines

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belindarimbi13 · 5 months

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Doramitsu in Latest Pazuribe Special Event: Having A Trip* to Okayama

*by that, I mean, having a date

Draken was the one who proposed the idea of visiting Okayama, suggesting to go to a shrine called Ryusenji Temple.

It's very interesting that the temple was to enshrine Dragon-related Gods, it was like the Twin Dragons was paying homage to the shrine with their namesake. (I would also like to remind you all, that both Draken and Mitsuya's name contain Dragon in them).

#headcanon unlocked: doramitsu visiting places with dragon in its namesake #I can't believe pazuribe gives me more material than the original canon source #doramitsu #draken x mitsuya #twin dragons #ken ryuguji #draken #mitsuya takashi #takashi mitsuya #tokyo revengers #ドラみつ #pazuribe #tokyo revengers game

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nutzgunray-lvt · 7 months

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Best Jeanist Headcanon (Part 1)

In response to my post about Quirk marriages and how underutilized the idea was in the story, @doodlegirl1998 brought up a personal headcanon of theirs that Best Jeanist is the product of such a union. I wound up loving it so much that I decided to conduct my own elaboration on this theory.

Given from what we've seen so far (the ONLY time we've seen this 🙄), Quirk marriages seemed to be prevalent in wealthy families that had possession of powerful Quirks. Quirk marriages came into being during the 2nd-3rd generation of Quirks, back when the world was still reeling from societal collapse/AFO's reign of terror. Maybe they came into place to have their child be the one to rebuild Japan, bring Japan under their control, or just to make sure their Quirk lived on through the collapse. My point is, I don't think it's a coincidence that Quirk marriages came into place not long after the Dawn of Quirks.

Now, back to Best Jeanist, I'd even go as far as saying that Best Jeanist is a second-generation Quirk marriage child (admittedly because it's a cool idea). One of his grandparents saw the potential in either their Fiber Master Quirk or their Quirk that would one day form the Fiber Master Quirk (a fabric related Quirk), and arranged their own marriage to someone with a similar Quirk. This grandparent had managed to secure their wealth in Okayama during and after the collapse, or they were middle-upper class social climbers.

Either way, this would result in the conception of Best Jeanist's father (to respect @doodlegirl1998's theory).

Given how there's no official timeline set in stone, we're not told when exactly heroics schools were founded and became held to the high standard that they are today. But given how Quirk marriages appear to be exclusive to heroes (again, we're never told otherwise 🙃), I'd say that Best Jeanist's paternal grandparent was perhaps a vigilante who saw potential in their Quirk, and upon seeing how their son inherited the fabric controlling Quirk, they had him train to be a future hero - whether this made him among the first students at UA or Shiketsu, or he had him undergo brutal training at their hands.

Given how I brought up the family's possible wealth, I'd also headcanon Best Jeanist having at least one or two siblings - one being Quirkless and the other having a lessar form of Fiber Master. With this being back when Quirklessness was much more common of a thing, I'd make Best Jeanist's grandparent force their Quirkless child to succeed them in managing the family wealth (essentially a public face for the family) and also force their other Quirked child to become a hero. As the two grew up, Best Jeanist's future father accepted the role pushed onto him while their sibling didn't, leading to estrangement between the two.

With his father being an adult, he was arranged to marry a wealthy woman with a telekinetic mastery over carbon fibers. This would result in the conception of Best Jeanist, who happened to have the Fiber Master Quirk.

Given both his family's weath and the type of family he was born into, Jeanist's life was not up to him to decide. As soon as his Quirk awakened, he was immediately put under the tutelage of both his father and grandparent to hone his Quirk. They'd also only let him socialize with those deemed "acceptable" enough in order to both widen and secure their network of high ranked society people. In reality, he'd wanted to potentially use his Quirk to operate his own fashion line. It wouldn't be the first time someone did that, but it was still uncommon enough for it to potentially get his name out in the open. Also, it was just a cool idea that was perfect, given the Quirk he had. While they would be blatantly unrelenting that he one day become a hero, his mother would be a different kind of manipulator. She would guilt trip him into conforming to this training with the classic, "other children aren't lucky to have such an involved family as you!" and "how could we not nurture such amazing potential? You'd be a third generation hero that's keeping up the family tradition!"

I'm assuming that at this point and time, UA was becoming an incredibly reputable school, so I'd also think that they'd have him undergo numerous tutoring sessions to one day take and pass the written exam. They'd hire Quirk counselors to iron out the kinks of Fiber Master, give him mock interviews (of course he was getting in as a recommendation student!), and make him undergo mock run after mock run of the practical exam.

Eventually, it all paid off in the eyes of his family. Best Jeanist not only secured an invitation to take the recommendation students' exam, but he scored second overall, guaranteeing his spot at UA.

#best jeanist #tsunagu hakamata

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magnoliandew · 1 month

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Finished my Doffy bag on my last trip to Okayama ♡

#op doflamingo #doflamingo one piece #donquixote doflamingo #ita bag #cafe #parfait #doffy one piece

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vagabundler · 1 year

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⛩🎎 During our tour through Japan we made a stop in the historical-idyllic city of Kurashiki (Japanese 倉敷市, -shi). The Edo-era merchant town is located in Okayama prefecture and the former Bitchū province of Honshu, the main island of Japan. Kurashiki means something like “village from warehouses”. There are still dozens of buildings (Kura) preserved, which represent a symbol of the city due to their typical facades. It’s worth a visit. It is best to stay for a few days in the nearby Okayama and make a day trip by train to the cultural site - Kurashiki - [JAPAN🇯🇵] _____________________________________________ . . ↘️ Check out the reportage about the amazing place: http://vagabundler.com/japan/kurashiki/ ↗️ . . #japan #nippon #kurashiki #kurashikibikanhistoricalquarter #risingsun #okayama #edo #samurai #asiatravel #honshu #travelphotography📷 #religion #funnylittle #picoftheday #asia #vagabundler #travel #instagood #adventure #photooftheday #naturephotography #travelgram #konichiwa #travel #travelblogger #temple #japantrip #buddhism #buddhismus #history (hier: Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter 美観地区) https://www.instagram.com/p/Coo7_5vLy4U/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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foxcassius · 2 years

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literally every time i have a phone call with jiwon i just cry a lot bc 1) the connection sucks so bad and its frustrating to the point of insanity let alone tears 2) i miss him so much i feel like im going to throw up and 3) there is nothing i can do to fix either of these problems.

#especially because i get paid shit here #and one of the girls who lives in my town was like 'do we get paid that differently i mean i can save and travel still'#but im like literally how. how are you managing to afford that. i can barely afford food gas and 2 trips okayama to sit in a room.#t

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thebahwrites · 1 year

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No pressure tagged AS FUCK BY THESE FUCKOS: @halbarrytrashcan @thestarlitnight and @forsty I’m coming into your houses and throwing pool noodles at your heads Rules: Tag 10 (or less) people you want to get to know better!

Relationship Status: MARRIED AS HELL, I married my high school sweetheart, we have been literally together for 15 years (16 in December)

Favorite Colors: Black (Jet, Basalt, Onyx, Midnight), Pink (all shades), Red (Rusty)

Song(s) Stuck In My Head: Twinkling Lights - Annalise Emerick, I love you,Goodbye - Of Sea and Stone, happy for you - Jasmine Thompson

Three Favorite Foods: French fries, Steak Tartare, Tarte Tatin

Last Song I Listened To: Twinkling Lights - Annalise Emerick

Dream Trip: So many places I desire but Top 1 currently would a month+ in Japan to make Sapporo - Tokyo - Hamamatsu - Nagoya - Nara/Osaka/Kobe - Okayama - Fukuoka YES AMBITIOUS I KNOW but tbh if I could just make Sapporo/Tokyo/Osaka I’d be happy.

Last Thing I Googled: blue bell flavors (for fanfic reasons)

No Pressure Tagging: @enthyrea @auprintempss @redfurrycat @minion-on-board @nervouswreckss @minhkhoa-khan

I won’t tag more but if u wanna do it...

#bah answers #little games #tag game #also yk kinda poly but last breakup was terrible so we're still recovering from that

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parttimedragonslayer · 5 months

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10k training updates. I haven't been great at putting the updates here, but I have been keeping a diary, even if I might not write the entry til a day or two later.

Day 9 (Day 11) - Completed 10 November 2023

I swapped today’s cross training and tomorrow’s rest day because I’m going hiking tomorrow. So today was rest day.

Day 10 (Day 12) - Completed 11 November 2023

Cross training today (swapped with yesterday’s rest day). Some girls I met from Okayama University took me to visit Smile Rock, one of the local sites. I wasn’t sure what to expect as it was called a hike, but it also seems pretty accessible. I prepared for a serious hike so I was a little disappointed when it was just a bit of a walk around for about 40 mins. I suppose that technically meets the needs of my cross training, but I do feel like a little bit of a slacker. All that said, the actual sightseeing part of the trip was amazing. Great views, a cool rock, a bunch of cats and I even hung out with people and managed to be somewhat social and not entirely awkward the whole time.

Day 11 (Day 13) - Completed 12 November 2023

This was the first run that was starting to get close to the types of runs I was doing before. 2 mins on 1 min off. The run felt pretty easy and I ran for about an extra 5 mins at the end. I found a loop that I can run that makes a 5.5km circuit. So PR for distance today too! Part of the route I took today is the actual 10k race course. I want to scout the entire course on my bike soon. I know vaguely where it goes, but I want to follow the actual path as much as possible while training to get used to any hills.

Day 12 (Day 14) - Completed 13 November 2023

Cross training today and I went to the gym for a weights session. It’s been almost 2 weeks since I last did weights as I’ve had other things to do for cross training. I did 10 mins on the treadmill for warm up, deadlifts and the push press machine. I started on some lunges but was saved from having to finish them by Steve finishing up his workout at that point. I hate lunges. It’s been almost three weeks since I’ve done deads so I think I’m going to feel it tomorrow.

Day 13 (Day 15) - Completed 14 November 2023

Really pushed myself to run in the morning before work today because I don’t like taking away from evening hang-out-with-the-husband time to run. Also I have four classes today so there’s a good chance I’ll just be too tired or have a headache at the end of the day and chances of bailing are high.

So I did the morning run. It was very cold. 5 degrees. It wasn’t too bad though once I got going, which is promising. I’ve been a little worried about running in full winter. The run itself was easy. I only did the prescribed amount, no more. I surprised at how short the 30 second rest breaks felt.

Started feeling the DOMS from deads later in the day, so I have another reason to be glad I ran in the morning. The idea of running in the cold evening with post deadlift DOMS, ergh…

Day 14 (Day16) - Completed 15 November 2023

Scheduled rest day. I’m wondering if I should run though as I have English Camp the next two days which I think means early start and late finish. There’s a high risk I won’t run because of that so maybe I’ll run tonight instead.

Day 15 (Day 17) - Incomplete 16 November 2023

I should have run yesterday. As predicted I didn’t run today because a) I had to get up early for English camp, and b) when I got home I was super tired and didn’t want to, so I didn’t.

Day 15 (Day 18) - Incomplete 17 November 2023

Didn’t run again because of English camp. These camps really take it out of my, mostly because a lot of my day is spent around the other ALTs and I just can’t deal with people anymore. Especially noisy Americans. I end up drained and headachey.

Day 15 (Day 19) - Complete 18 November 2023

This run was scheduled for 8 intervals of 2:30 run, 1:00 min walk. This was about what I was doing before starting the program so I knew this would be a fairly straightforward run, and it was. It was super cold too, probably the coldest I’ve ever been running, about 5 degrees, I think. I’m going to need to get some gloves and a headband that can keep my ears warm for future winter runs. My poor ears were so cold they were hurting.

Day 16 (Day 20) - Complete 19 November 2023

Cross training today was hiking and it was amazing! We headed out to the local hiking mountain where we’ve been before, with no expectation of how far we’d climb. It’s been a long time since we went there and the last time we only made it to the halfway point. But today we made it all the way! It was such a fun hike too, with some actually difficult bits here and there where you actually have to scramble up rocks and use the ropes that are placed there in order to pull yourself up. It was so much fun! I can’t wait to do it again.

Day 18 (Day 21) - Complete 20 November 2023

Decided to skip rest day and try to catch up a little. Today was the first day of the conference and I got home a little early so I went out as soon as I got home. I took a slightly different route to what I have been lately. I’m glad it was still light because it ended up being through some windy back roads that I hadn’t expected.

The run itself was easy - only 8 intervals of 1 min on, 1 min off so I tried to push a bit on the run intervals. I also finished with some extra running, about 12 mins straight, which I’m still surprised I can even do.

Day 17 (Day 22) - Completed 21 November 2023

So today ended up being rest day instead. I had fully intended to just continue on and do a cross training session today, but I didn’t. It’s a pretty lame excuse too. Steve messaged me about 4pm saying he was heading to the gym. I had been planning to go with him when I got home, but even that slight change was enough for me to say “my plans are ruined, might as well not even do anything now!”, because that’s just how I am.

Day 18 (Day 23) - Incomplete 22 November 2023

I intended to run today, even though it’s cross training day, but I didn’t. I don’t really even have an excuse. It was the last day of the conference so I think my mental battery was just completely drained by having to socialise so much.

Day 20 (Day 24) - Complete 23 November 2023

I know my next session was meant to be cross training, but I felt like running today instead. Today is a national holiday so I have no excuse. It was sunny out, actually a little warm so I only had to wear a t-shirt, I didn’t need to worry about long sleeves. This last week or so has just been a bit squiffy training wise, what with switching days around and English camp and conferences.

This run was the first time it’s really pushed me past what I’d already been doing before starting this program, so I was a little apprehensive, but still pretty confident that I could do it. It was 6 intervals of 4 mins run, 1 min walk. I was worried that I’d be out of gas for the 4 min intervals but I was mostly ok. The last two intervals I was starting to feel like it was a push but I got through it ok. I felt more drained at the end of this run than I have any so far, so I think I’ve found the point where this program is going to start to get hard. There’s some big jumps coming up - like 5 min intervals, to 10 minutes, to 3km no stopping all in the space of a week. This might be where I tap out. Not that I want to, but historically that’s what’s happened. The program makes a big jump that I can’t keep up with and I quit. This time, if I can’t keep up with the intervals I’ll just repeat days as much as I need, or add intermediate steps in there. Like 7 min intervals, or 2kms without stopping. I have extra time - there’s 65 days left of the program and 92 days until the race, so that leaves me room to slow things down and add in additional training if I need it. What I shouldn’t be doing is using those days for extra rest days, unless absolutely necessary.

#running #runblr #10k training #10k diary

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ryqoshay · 7 months

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Melody Air: Fly High - Castle

Primary Pairing Trio: YuuAyuSetsu Rating: G Words: 661 AU: Airline Fandom: Love Live Nijigasaki Parent Fic: Melody Air: Fly High Time Frame: Sometime after the main story Event: Promptober 2023 Event Source: Idol Fanfic Heaven channel on Discord Prompt: Parallel

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Author's Note: Primary entry for the 3rd

Summary: The trio is touring castles by air

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“If I may have your attention, dear passengers.” Setsuna’s voice came over the comm. “We are now approaching Ki Castle, an ancient mountainside castle built during the Yamato dynasty and home to Onra the demon for over a millennium. Also…”

Ayumu looked through the windshield to see the kilometers of aged stone wall and dozens of structures along and within them. She loved views like this, but for as much flying as she did for a living as an attendant, it was only when flying with her girlfriends in Setsuna’s Cessna, The Chaser of Blue Skies, that she could properly appreciate them. That was the difference between working on a large commercial jet and flying a tiny prop plane as a hobby.

She continued to take in the wonderful views of the Okayama prefecture as Setsuna continued to rattle off trivia about the castle they were visiting today. Most of facts Ayumu already knew as she had helped Yuu and Setsuna with their fanatic delve into researching the castles of Japan before this trip. But some facts were new, so it seemed Setsuna must have done even more research on her own; not like that came as a surprise of course.

The three young women were in the middle of a weeklong tour of ancient castles, ruins, and historic sites around Honshu. There were so many things to see in such a short time, not only did they have to limit the journey to the main island, but they also only flew over many of the sites, only visiting those that were short distances from airfields where they could land and store Chase.

Okayama had a small airport, transport to the castle, and a hotel downtown where they were able to get a discount as employees of Melody Air. As such, this was their last stop for the day. A quick flyby before looping back to the airport. They would then spend the afternoon touring the castle before heading into Okayama for a late dinner and to sleep for the night.

“Oh, the West Gate.” Yuu said as Setsuna banked Chase into a turn. “There were so~ many pictures of it online, but they’re nothing compared to seeing it like this.”

“There is a huge wooden model of the West Gate in the visitor center.” Setsuna explained. “And the real thing is a 400 meter hike away from there.”

Ayumu could hear Yuu’s distasteful expression through the tone of her seemingly neutral hum without needing to turn around in her seat to see it. Surprisingly, Yuu hadn’t complained much about all the walking the trio had done in the last few days. Of course, knowing her childhood friend for so many years, Ayumu could tell Yuu was keeping such things mostly to herself so as not to spoil Setsuna’s excitement.

“And now that we are West of the castle, I would encourage my passengers to look to the East.” Setsuna continued her enthusiastic tour guide bit. “You will see a lovely contrast of the old structure against the background of the modern Okayama skyline.”

“There are historic sites in the city proper though, right?” Yuu asked.

“Well, yes…” The tour guide façade faltered a little. “But I think the Ki Castle is still the oldest in the area… uhm…”

“I’d say most of what we can actually see from this distance and angle are more modern.” Ayumu said, thinking about the twenty to thirty floor parallel columns that towered over the comparatively squat castles and shrines.

“Ne, Ayumu-san.” Setsuna offered as she leveled the plane. “Would you like to try landing again?”

Ayumu felt her pulse quicken. She had only recently started practicing landing and was still a little nervous about them.

“You’ll be fine, Ayumu-san.” Setsuna assured, seeming to read her as well as Ayumu just read Yuu. “I’ll take over if it gets too rough.”

Ayumu took a deep breath before nodding. “Alright.” She said and took the yolk.

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Author's Note Continued: I am definitely going to have to come back and expand this chapter when I add it to the Fly High collection proper. I did far too much research into historic castles and ruins in Japan to leave it all on the cutting room floor as I cram exposition and a tiny bit of plot into the event limits. Not complaining, mind, it was a lot of fun.

That said, most of that extra research I really need to work into a geeky rant for Setsuna. I love writing her being a overenthusiastic nerd. She's just so cute when excited over stuff.

And finally, this marks three days now where I've managed to get three prompts into not only just entry, but my primary entry for the day. Twenty eight days and eighty four prompts left in my self challenge for the event. I'm still hesitant to adamantly hold myself to getting old prompts into my primary entries as I didn't do that last year and only had to deal with one set of extra prompts. As I've said before, we'll see how it goes.

#YuuAyuSetsu #Takasaki Yuu #Yuki Setsuna #Uehara Ayumu #Melody Air #Love Live Nijigasaki #fanfic #Promptober 2023

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kokiafans · 1 year

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KOKIA in flashback - 2006

The year of 2006 is an exciting one for KOKIA. She has gone abroad to perform before, but now she makes it all the way to Europe for concerts in Paris, France and represents Japan at MIDEM 2006, the World Music Market, in Cannes. Her new album aigakikoeru ('listen for the love') even gets a French/European release in November, ahead of the Japanese release next year and with an exclusive track. It is not her first album this year; she has enough songs to compile her first best of-album, resulting in the release of Pearl and Jewel, collecting her best of songs and promotional videos respectively.

Although KOKIA has been creating music for games and (animated) series and movies since the beginning of her career, the start of 2006 puts the spotlight on her with the single Ai no melody/chouwa oto ('melody of love/sound of harmony'), the opening and ending song for the movie Origin: Spirits of the Past (Giniro no kami no Agito in Japanese). Especially Chouwa oto ~with reflection~ turns into a much-requested hit, with KOKIA still regularly performing this song almost 20 years later. It is a new version of Chouwa, the first song on her album trip trip from 2002, which incorporates KOKIA-go ('KOKIA-language') by reversing the syllables of the Japanese lyrics.

And last but most definitely not least, 2006 is the year KOKIA becomes independent. In May, she decides to start her own private office, anco&co, which she runs to this day, in order to more freely express herself as an artist rather than being tied to the Japanese music scene. Aigakikoeru is her first release after her independence.

She starts her 47 Stories concerts this year, intending to visit all 47 prefectures of Japan, although in the end doesn't manage to get to all 47.

◆ Lives and events ◆

January 5 Giniro no kami no Agito (Origin: Spirits of the past) New Year's special event (Kawasaki, CLUB CITTA)

January 21 KOKIA Live in France: Bonjour Paris Bonjour mon ami! ('Hello Paris, hello my friend!') (Paris, L’espace Saint Martin) ※ First performance in Paris

January 23 MIDEM 2006 JAPAN NIGHT (Cannes, HOTEL MAJESTIC)

【KOKIA album tour 2006 Thank u!】 February 9 - Aichi, Electric Lady Land February 10 - Osaka, BIGCAT February 17 - Tokyo, DUO MUSIC EXCHANGE

February 26 Song for Winter Lovers in FACTORY (Sapporo Factory Atrium)

June 14 KOKIA 2006 keep moving vol.1 (Roppongi STB139 Sweet Basil) ※ 2 performances in 1 day. First live after going independent. Monthly performances spanning half a year.

July 1 at! Music Live (Queen's Square Yokohama) ※ 2 performances in 1 day

July 14 Enoshima Live Party 2006 (Enoshima Yacht Harbor Terrace)

July 24 KOKIA 2006 keep moving vol.2 ~birthday party~ (Roppongi STB139 Sweet Basil)

July 29 MAKE a day 06 in TIVOLI (Okayama, Kurashiki Tivoli park, Plainen stage)

August 12 First Izumo Legends festival (Shimane prefecture, Izumo city, Hamayama park) ※ Performed as a surprise guest

August 16 KOKIA 2006 keep moving vol.3 ~my favorite songs~ (Roppongi STB139 Sweet Basil)

August 27 6th Yuukyuu no mori ('forest of eternity') Shirakami festival (Akita, Goshonodai Fureai Park)

September 10 KOKIA concert ~47 stories in Shimane~ (Big Heart Izumo)

September 21 KOKIA 2006 keep moving vol.4 ~chello ni idakarete ♪~ ('embraced by the cello') (Roppongi STB139 Sweet Basil)

September 23 Kunimi mountain base music festival '06 (Nagasaki, Kunimi forest park)

October 14 Barefoot Kugenuma '06 Barefoot Concert (Prefectural Shônan Kaigan park, Surf Village, beach in front of the water plaza (mizu no hiroba)

October 22 KOKIA 2006 keep moving vol.5 ~neoclassic~ (Roppongi STB139 Sweet Basil)

November 27 KOKIA 2006 keep moving vol.6 ~finale~ (Roppongi STB139 Sweet Basil)

December 2 YAMAHA Stadium Mini Live (Shizuoka, Yamaha Stadium) ※ A capella opening live (Amazing Grace) and mini live after the match

December 8 KOKIA 47 stories in concert in Fukui (Mikuni cultural Miraikan)

December 24 KOKIA 2006 Christmas Dinner concert ~1 nenkan no jibun no gohoubi ni~ ('a reward to oneself after a full year') (Tokyo, Hotel Grand Pacific Meridian Palais Royal)

◆ Releases ◆

January 1 Release of the single Ai no melody/Chouwa oto ~with reflection~ ('melody of love/sound of harmony') (Victor Entertainment) ※ Both songs were used in the theatrically released animated movie Giniro no kami no Agito (Origin: Spirits of the past) as the ending and opening theme respectively

February 1 Best of album Pearl ~The Best Collection~ (Victor Entertainment) ※ First best of album. First released in France and Spain on January 20 with an European version (Discmedi)

February 1 Release of the DVD jewel ~The Best Video Collection~ (Victor Entertainment) ※ First video release. Collection of best music clips.

November 29 Release of original album aigakikoeru (listen for the love) (Wasabi Records) ※ First album after independence. Release in France ahead of Japanese release.

◆ Other releases ◆

January 7 Release of Giniro no kami no Agito (Origin: Spirits of the past) original soundtrack (Victor Entertainment) ※ Recorded the opening theme chouwa oto ~with reflection~ ('sound of harmony') and the end theme Ai no melody ('melody of love')

January 18 Release of the Yuki Ootake album Nemuru Kujaku ('Sleeping peacock') (King Records) ※ Composed the song Tokai no hitsuji (‘sheep of the city’)

March 24 Release of the Shirakami mountain region image song collection Shirakami no shi ('Poems of Shirakami') ※ Recorded and sang Yuukyuu no mori ('Forest of eternity')

April 19 Release of Iruka wan no koibito (‘lovers of the dolphin bay’) original soundtrack (Rock Records) ※ Japanese version of the soundtrack of the popular Taiwanese drama. The songs I catch a cold and shiroi yuki ('white snow') were used as background music in the drama. (Taiwanese version released on January 1, 2003.)

June 7 Release of compilation album THANK YOU!! (Victor Entertainment) ※ Victor version of the compilation album of the 39 (sankyuu ('thank you')) project by Fuji TV's Mezamashi TV ('wake-up TV'). Performed Kawaranai koto ~since 1976~ ('things that won't change')

June 7 Release of compilation album Arigatou THANK YOU (Ponyo Canyon) ※Ponyo Canyon version of the compilation album of the 39 (sankyuu ('thank you')) project by Fuji TV's Mezamashi TV ('wake-up TV'). Performed Arigatou... ('thank you...')

◆ Books ◆

August 30 Release of the piano score Arigatou... ('thank you...') (anco&co)

◆ Other ◆

April Sang the commercial song for KOMATSU Ltd.

May 21 Started the company anco (independent)

July 14~ Sang the song Tatta hitotsu no hada e hen ('just one collection for your skin') for the POLA cosmetics APEX-i commercial

August Shiawase no hanataba ('bouquet of happiness') is used as image song for the Red Feather Central Community Chest of Japan

October 2 Start of her internet radio program KOKIAyakkyoku ('musical medicine') (until March 20, 2012) ※ Live internet radio program held every first and third Tuesday of the month

#KOKIA #25 years of kokia in flashback

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osharenippon · 2 years

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How Ivy Fashion Shaped Oshare Culture

A common thread connects lifestyle-oriented brands, dokumos, and the contemporary Japanese fashion world: the historical menswear brand VAN.

“Shopping hauls,” #OOTD (outfit of the day), “what’s in my bag,” “my nightly beauty routine,” daily vlogs, traveling vlogs… Seeing life-sized influencers and ordinary people sharing their purchases, day-to-day life, and lifestyle tips is a popular form of content on global social media, from the days of blogging to Youtube, Instagram, and now, TikTok.

In this, Japan has been far ahead of the curve. Decades before the existence of social media, Japanese fashion magazines were already using relatable personalities to explore these topics.

The role of professional models in magazines, for example, isn't only to look beautiful on their pages. They also serve as muses to readers, sharing a glimpse into their daily looks, shopping habits, glamorous trips, and beauty tips. Publications are also full of non-professional "dokumos" (reader models), satisfying readers' curiosity about how ordinary people adapt the magazine's ethos and trends into their day-to-day life.

The editorial appeal of this content is straightforward: it is a direct link between the trends and ideas advocated in theory by a magazine and the real practical world. But to understand how magazine editors and the fashion world realized how potent this strategy was, we have to go back to the 1960s and to the trend that started it all, Ivy fashion.

Ivy Style and the First Fashion Magazine

The book "Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style" by W. David Marx explains how Japan adopted the "American traditional" fashion, made its own, and ultimately saved it. The starting point was the popularization of the "Ivy style" -- a look inspired by preppy, affluent students in US Ivy League universities -- in 1960s Japan.

"AmeTora" is predominantly about male fashion. On "Oshare Nippon," on the contrary, I talk primarily about women's fashion and trends. Still, W. David Marx's book, which serves as the basis for almost everything in this post, is a must-read for Japanese fashion lovers. Understanding the rise of "AmeTora" is an essential insight into contemporary Japanese fashion as a whole.

The origin of the Japanese "American Trad" can be traced back to Kensuke Ishizu, heir to a paper wholesaler company, born in 1911 in Okayama. He came of age during the Taisho Era when Japan opened to the world and society adopted Western customs.

Growing up, Ishizu was a fashionable playboy with a passion for Western clothes who lived a fun-filled college life in Tokyo. When the considerably stricter first half of the Showa Era began, Ishizu moved back to Okayama to marry his girlfriend, taking over his father's business. His dream, however, was to make clothes for a living.

Things would become tumultuous during the war period. He avoided most of the initial hard times by moving to China (then partially under Japanese control) to help control a department store owned by a friend's family. Living in the then-cosmopolitan Tianjin and working with his true passion, fashion, the young Ishizu was happy. Even after Japan's defeat, he befriended American soldiers, which helped him live sheltered from the misery of war. Eventually, however, he was put in a cargo boat to return, with no money, to war-thorn Japan.

After living through the most dramatic periods of the conflict, with constant aerial attacks and food shortages, the war was finally over. Defeated, Japan was in poverty. But Ishizu, who had a lot of fashion expertise, soon found a job as a menswear designer for a high-end clothing showroom in Osaka.

With misery everywhere, it was an odd time to sell upscale clothes. But, it was also a watershed moment for the perception of the US by the Japanese public, as the population started admiring the sheer affluence of what was, until recently, their enemies. Everyone aspired to a wealthy "American lifestyle." And who had an advantage in this scenario? Ishizu, with his lifelong passion for Western culture, experience living abroad, cosmopolitan taste, and knowledge of Western clothing.

In 1949, Ishizu started his own business, Ishizu Shoten, which he would later rename VAN. In 1950, cash started flowing to Japan due to the Korean Peninsula War. The war made the country a key manufacturing base for the US military, creating a sizable moneyed elite. In 1952, the country regained its sovereign status. Transitioning to a new period, the population wanted to leave traditional garments behind and dress in Western fashion.

At the time, almost everyone in Japan wore custom-made clothes. But Ishizu's ready-to-wear brand became popular with the elites. Osaka's biggest department store, Hankyu, gave his brand a corner; from there, he found loyal customers from the affluent suburb of Ashiya.

Ambitious, he wanted more. But, to keep growing, he needed the expanding "new middle class." But there was a significant obstacle: it was taboo for men to show interest in fashion. In conservative Japan, that was a sign of delinquency. Serious men had a uniform: tailor-made suits. And that was more than enough. For his ready-to-wear brand, VAN, to succeed, Ishizu had to change this mentality.

Women, on the contrary, could freely enjoy following global trends. They didn't buy Pret-a-porter either, but dressmaking guides had the latest styles from the USA and France, and movie stars like Audrey Hepburn influenced trends in clothes and beauty. And this discrepancy was starting to bother a few of them, who resented that they were going to parties and weddings in the latest Parisian fashion accompanied by their husbands in bland suits.

In early 1954, editors of women's magazine Fujin Gaho decided to respond to these complaints and started developing a fashion magazine for men. For the sake of his brand, Ishizu also had an urgent interest in educating Japanese men on fashion.

In search of men with fashion knowledge, editors found Ishizu. And from their partnership, Otoko no Fukushoku (Men's Clothing) was born.

Educating Men

While researching Japanese fashion, one can notice an interesting pattern. Many historical developments started with men before being taken over by women. For example, women are the fuel of the Japanese fashion industry. But it can be argued Ivy fashion was the origin of contemporary Japanese fashion, and Ivy was, initially, men's fashion. Likewise, fashion magazines are historically a vital segment of the Japanese publishing (and fashion) industry, and women are behind its success. But the first fashion magazine had men as its target.

In late 1954, when the first issue of Otoko no Fukushoku was published, there were fashion-specific titles for women. But they were all utilitarian, full of dressmaking patterns. There were still some significant differences, but Otoko no Fukoshoku was much closer to what a standard Japanese fashion magazine became than the dressmaking titles.

In any case, Ishizu used the magazine as a vehicle for his brand. As W. Marx puts it, "Ishizu did more than just help write articles; he turned Otoko no Fukushoku into a VAN media organ." VAN's clothes and philosophy were all over the magazine.

But more than promoting VAN, the magazine had to educate men on what clothes are. Japanese men had no clue about anything fashion-related. They simply transitioned from their school uniforms to tailor-made dark suits. It was up to editors to teach them all the intricacies of style.

Once again, this underlines the role and influence of fashion magazines in Japanese history. While social media and the digital takeover have made them obsolete, the Japanese fashion industry was built on its back, and up to very recently, they enjoyed almost unparalleled power.

Back in the mid-1950s, Ishizu and the editors of Otoko no Fukushu achieved their goals. Men started showing more interest in fashion, and coupled with the improvement in the Japanese economy and living standards, VAN grew exponentially.

But there were still some challenges ahead, starting with the fact the Japanese simply didn't like off-the-rack clothing. Men would see something that pleased them on Otoko no Fukushu and ask their tailors for something similar.

Resigned to the fact he wouldn't be able to change the minds of middle-aged men, Kensuke Ishizu decided to turn his attention to young people.

The Future is Ivy

VAN wasn't a brand suited for students. It was expensive, formal, and very niche. But Ishizu forged ahead with his plan to make it more appealing to this group, starting with changes in the magazine he used to fuel his brand.

Firstly, the descriptive name Otoko no Fukushu was changed for the catchier, more informal "Men's Club." While every issue had a small section dedicated to university students, Ishizu asked editors to expand youth-centered content.

As for the clothing itself, he was ready to develop a new line for younger men. Unsatisfied with the contemporary trends in Japan, he went on a world trip to find inspiration, culminating in his first visit to the USA. He was suspicious of American taste, believing Europeans were much more refined. But, even though he didn't think Japanese men could wear the style, he was curious about US Ivy League fashion which Men's Club routinely covered.

But, as soon as he arrived at the Princeton campus, he fell in love with the neat traditional, Old Money fashion and its use of natural materials such as cotton. Being Old Money himself, he felt an emotional attachment to the style. So, overflown with emotions, he decided he would make Japanese youth fall in love with Ivy fashion.

Converting the Youth

At 49 years old, Ishizu felt he needed younger people around him to truly understand how to sell VAN to another generation. Soon, he found the perfect ally to help him: Toshiyuki Kurosu, an Ivy-style convert since his late teens.

Kurosu, much like young Ishizu himself, loved fashion and foreign culture. His parents wanted him to dedicate himself to studying, and he attended the prestigious Keio University, but what he cared about was cool American clothes, fashion, and jazz. He bought "Otoko no Fukushoku" from its first issue and immediately fell in love with the "Ivy League" style he read about in the "Dictionary of Men's Fashion Terms" feature. There were no illustrations or pictures, but he became fixated on the look.

His obsession deepened when he befriended Kazuo Hozumi, an architect who left his full-time job to become a freelance fashion illustrator for Otoko no Fukushoku. Together, they'd study the style from imported magazines Hozumi got from the editorial house's office. Soon, the two became the first Ivy Leaguers in Japan.

After leaving college, Kurosu started writing about jazz and fashion for Otoko no Fukushoku, then rebranded as Men's Club. At the magazine, Kurosu befriended a young editor who soon left to join his father's company. It was Shosuke Ishizu, the son of none other than Kensuke Ishizu from VAN. Eager to have someone younger in charge of the youth line, Ishizu appointed his son for the job. And the son recruited Kurosu, Japan's foremost Ivy expert, to help him.

After a lot of trial and error, deep research of American magazines, and an arduous quest to find a factory to produce the intricate pieces, the full Ivy line came together in 1962. And then, one more obstacle: department store buyers hated it. The gold buttons, essential to turn an ordinary suit into an Ivy-style blazer, had nothing to do with Japanese taste. "This is Japan -- not America," they proclaimed.

Ishizu was sure that, given a chance, the youth would be seduced by the Ivy style. So, he decided to cut the middle man, believing young males were more influenced by magazines than department stores. From 1963, Men's Club would be overtaken by the Ivy style, explaining every small detail around it and reprinting all pictures of American college students they could get their hands on.

There was just one small problem: the Ivy universe was contained within the pages of Men's Club. Outside, in the real world, young men were still in their uniforms and bland suits.

The Emergence of the Street Snaps

In society, we feel the need to belong. It's an inherent part of human nature. Hivemind behavior and mentality are one of the results of that. It can be argued those impulses can be potentialized in a collective-driven society such as Japan. A famous Japanese proverb, often deployed to describe its culture, is "the nail that sticks out, gets hammered down."

For Ivy fashion to become mainstream, it needed to exist in the real world. But, more importantly, for Japanese youth to have the confidence to wear it, it needs assurance others are wearing it too.

So, one turning point for the style was when Kurosu did an "Ivy Leaguers on the Street" column in the Spring 1963 issue of "Men's Club." Accompanied by a photographer, he went to the glitzy district of Ginza to snap young passers-by dressed in East Coast preppy style. It was a tremendously difficult task: hardly anyone was dressed suitably. Still, they had enough pictures to run the feature. The feedback was explosive: readers loved it. Soon, fashionable Ivy teens took over Ginza's main avenues in the hopes of catching Men Club's photographer's eye.

The column, nicknamed Machi-ai (from the Japanese title: "Machi no Aibii Riigazu"), became the most popular part of the magazine. Since then, "street snaps" have become a staple of Japanese fashion magazines, one of the most effective ways of disseminating trends.

"Street snaps" showed that trend-conscious Japanese wanted to see themselves in magazines. They wanted to see the trends in real-life settings and in practical situations. It's fair to assume "dokumos" and the heavy use of "ordinary" boys and girls in domestic fashion magazines came as a consequence.

In trying to sell its youth line, VAN helped mold Japanese fashion magazines and consumer behaviors.

Clear Instructions

Compared to what was available at the time, Men's Club was much closer to what became the definitive Japanese fashion magazine style. In its attempts to sell VAN clothes, Men's Club set standards for the segment, with street snaps being just one of the many examples.

Japanese fashion magazines are full of authoritative figures readers look up to. Models, dokumos, stylists, beauty artists. Men's Club came directly from VAN employees and had Kensuke Ishizu, his son, Shosuke Ishizu, Toshiyuki Kurosu, and Kazuo Hozumi.

By 1964, VAN was in optimal condition, with editorial control of Japan's top menswear magazine and available in boutiques nationwide. Still, the high prices remained an obstacle for most, and the VAN consumer base was formed entirely by rich kids, creatives at top advertising firms, and celebrities. Japan growing middle class was instead spending their money on the "three sacred treasures" (black-and-white TVs; electric washing machines; refrigerators) before moving on to the "three Cs" (color TVs, cars, and coolers -- a.k.a., air conditioners). Fashionable ready-to-wear clothes were still an afterthought.

For VAN, the challenge was immense because they were literally creating a market from scratch. The average Japanese didn't buy ready-to-wear clothes, the average man couldn't have an interest in fashion, and youth fashion barely existed.

Step by step, VAN was overcoming each of these obstacles. And, to make Ivy more palatable to the average young man, they decided to minutely break the style down in the pages of Men's Club. As per "Ametora," they compared clothes with medicine to summarize their mission.

When you buy medicine, the instructions are always included. There is a proper way of taking the medicine, and if you do not take the medicine correctly, there may be adverse effects. The same goes for dressing up -- there are rules you cannot ignore. Rules teach you style orthodoxy and help you follow the correct conventions for dress.

The Ivy Q&A became a column in the magazine, where Kurosu explained every tiny detail related to how to dress appropriately in Ivy style. Some explanations were essential. For example, the controversial golden buttons department store buyers railed against were precisely what made that suit into a blazer, a quintessential Ivy piece. And would-be consumers needed to be educated about that. On the other hand, some rules were made up as he went along. After all, there was way too much space to fill.

What's important to note is that this rules-based way VAN and Men's Club used to sell the Ivy line had a tremendous impact on how fashion is consumed and sold. Compared to Western fashion magazines, full of conceptual editorials and light suggestions, the standard Japanese fashion magazine is basically a manual. It's not "look at these cute jeans" but "here are the 80 correct ways of matching jean pants in accordance with current trends". It's less "be inspired by these party looks," and more "here are 50 party looks for you to copy step-by-step". The correct rules are emphasized every step of the way.

Of course, this goes much further than VAN. It reflects Japan's fixation on rules. It also outlines significant differences between the West, where people follow trends unconsciously, and Japan, where there's extreme awareness among the trend-conscious portion of the population. Kurosu himself noticed this when a visit to a US Ivy campus had students confused by his questions. "Are these short pants in style?" he'd ask a college student, only to be met with blank stares and "I've never thought about it" answers.

In Japan, on the contrary, there's quite a lot of overthinking involved in following fashion. And in the pages of Men's Club, Ishizu, Kuroza, et al. were among the first ones to make that clear.

Ivy Goes Mainstream

In 1964, Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympics in what became a milestone year in post-war Japanese history. It was also a historical year for VAN and its Ivy Style.

In April, Heibon Publishing launched Heibon Punch, a weekly magazine for urbanite young men. Loosely inspired by Playboy, it had a bit of everything: general interest articles, full-colored pictures of naked girls, and fashion. Fashion, in that case, meant "Ivy fashion." As the emerging youth trend, heavily pushed by the top menswear magazine, Men's Club, it was the natural choice for Heibon's editors to choose the style as its focus. Kensuke Ishizu had a column on menswear with illustrations from Kazuo Hozumi.

Another interesting touch in the magazine was the covers, which had an artistic edgy. They were all illustrated by Ayumi Ohashi, who contributed a few times with Men's Club before getting the Heibon Punch's gig. Her drawings often had boys in Ivy, including the first issue cover.

Heibon Punch was an immediate success. The first issue sold 620k copies and, in two years, circulation reached one million. Men's Club was a popular title but niche, with a reach limited to fashion-loving boys. Heibon Punch was as mainstream as it could be. Suddenly, almost every young man in Japan knew Ivy was the trendiest style.

The Tumultuous Boom

What happened next (in a short few months) was tumultuous and a good display of the contradictions in Japanese society.

For starters, the emerging trend caused a moral panic. Out of nowhere, young men went crazy for Ivy fashion. Those who could not afford the expensive VAN clothes made do with the VAN shopping bags, which also became a status symbol. The home electronics company SANYO partnered with VAN to release branded razors, hair dryers, and tape recorders.

Adults were scandalized by the kids leaving their uniforms behind and hanging around town in weird Western trends. In many small towns, teens were prohibited from carrying VAN bags or entering shops selling the brand. Parent-teacher associations sent formal requests asking retailers to stop selling VAN clothes to students. All this panic only made the brand even more desirable.

The massive group of boys who'd spend all day in the luxurious Tokyo district of Ginza was of particular concern. Nicknamed Miyuki-zoku (Miyuki Tribe, named after Ginza's Miyuki street), they were seen as delinquents for caring about clothes and adopting feminine habits, such as grooming and styling their hair. After the number of Miyuki-zoku boys kept growing, police were deployed to liberate Ginza from these dangerous trend-conscious men. They were answering pressure from the media, and authorities worried these rebel teens would be a source of embarrassment to the nation during the incoming Olympics.

Ironically, take a guess on who was tasked with planning the official Japanese uniform for the Olympics. VAN's Kensuke Ishizu himself. And he decided to dress the athletes with the quintessential Ivy piece department store buyers had no time for, the blazer. Not any blazer, mind you, but a red blazer. In hindsight, it wasn't such a groundbreaking idea: most international delegations wore something similar. But, in Japan, panic ensued: journalists complained the color was too feminine, and the head Olympic tailor was so enraged with the design he ended up in the hospital.

It all seemed significantly over the top, right? And the Japanese public agreed. There was no shock as soon as they saw the athletes marching down in their blazers. The general reaction was: "cute! I want a blazer too!". And so, all the department store buyers came rushing back, flooding VAN with orders.

Between Heibon Punch and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, VAN and its Ivy fashion were on their way to becoming a national phenomenon.

Setting the Standards

Of course, nothing lasts forever. Especially when it comes to fashion. VAN would eventually go bankrupt, Ivy would go out of style, and even the editorial phenomenon Heibon Punch would be discontinued in 1988 (Men's Club, on the other hand, is still in print).

But, there'd be a long way between 1964 -- which was only the beginning of the phenomenon -- and Ivy's demise. In the meantime, VAN would reach the equivalent of 600 million dollars in sales and open the doors in Japan for sneakers, T-shirts, and Anglo-American fashion in general. For a complete picture of the rise of "American traditional," W. David Marx's book is essential reading.

Here, I decided to focus on the first few years of VAN because its rise set the standard for contemporary Japanese fashion. While trying to establish the brand, VAN's team created essential parts of oshare culture.

Firstly, there's the concept of the fashion magazine. What they did to Men's Club to help sell their clothes -- street snaps, detailed instructions, partnered content -- was the basis for the editorial guidelines of the billionaire Japanese fashion magazine industry.

Then there was this whole lifestyle created around their label. Of course, trying to convey a lifestyle with your brand is a standard marketing technique. But VAN took it to a whole other level. And the Japanese fashion market took note.

Until UNIQLO and fast fashion came along, clothing in Japan was expensive. For the prices to be justified, there was a need to create an experience for clients. In this scenario, conveying a clear lifestyle with your label is necessary for those who want to succeed. It's also a country where customers can be extremely loyal and can really buy into the experience provided by your brand. Therefore, rewards and a direct line with patrons are essential. VAN was a pioneer in dominating these techniques.

There's also the fact the Japanese trend-conscious public look up to authoritative figures. Store clerks, P.R., and everyone involved with a brand need to be an expert on the lifestyle being sold. Charismatic producers and designers representing the company and its ethos on traditional and social media can boost a label's image. From the beginning, VAN did an excellent job turning its leadership figures (and everyone else involved with the brand) into celebrities among its customer base.

Finally, the VAN crew was directly responsible for creating the "trad" style.

With Ivy fashion causing controversy and becoming popular with teenagers, the original customers started turning their back on the company. To attract them back, Kurosu decided to give a new moniker to the style sold by its adult-oriented line, Kent. Instead of "Ivy", Kent sold "trad" (from "traditional") clothes.

"Ivy" is a style directly tied to US campus fashion, with strict rules. "Trad" is a much broader style, encompassing classic looks and heritage brands beyond the US (a Burberry trench coat, for example, is "trad"). While in Japan, "Ivy fashion" proved itself somewhat ephemeral, a trend from the past (which comes back in style cyclically;) "trad" remains a cornerstone style of local fashion.

The original Ivy fashion was a menswear trend. At Oshare Nippon, I focus on the much more dynamic female fashion world. But, as the origin of contemporary Japanese style, VAN and its Ivy culture is part of the DNA of oshare culture regardless of gender. It's the starting point for everything I plan to cover here.

The First Issue of Heibon Punch

Ivy Boys and Iconic Ivy Illustration

#1960s #menswear #heibon punch #ivy style #VAN #trad style #dreaming with the west

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