Traces of Harajuku fashion could be found throughout the country before 2004, but this unique aspect of Japanese culture was popularized here in the U.S. when Gwen Stefani released her first solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Though I’m a fan of Gwen, I gotta say I was disappointed in the way she portrayed the eclectic style of dress and subculture that is Harajuku. Her Harajuku Girls tended to prance around behind her on stage wearing similar if not exactly the same outfits when the whole point of Harajuku fashion is to stand out.

Luckily, we have the Google Images to show us what Harajuku fashion is really like. Even better, I also happen to have a photographer friend living and teaching in Japan, who took some gorgeous photos during Japan’s Golden Week {a span of 7 days, 4 of which are major national holidays}. See more of Ben Woodard’s photography and follow his adventures on his blog, Ben in Japan. Thanks, Ben!

Harajuku has been a vibrant oasis of individuality within Japan since the end of World War II, when U.S. soldiers settled down into the area. Though these soliders adopted Japan’s rich heritage, they also mixed these customs with Western traditions, creating a unique culture. A few years later, apartments began to spring up and fashion designers, photographers, and models began to move in. The wild fashion and vibrant lifestyles in Harajuku today really took off in the 1980s as street performers and fashion-forward teens would visit the area on Sundays when Omotesando, a major street in Harajuku, would close to traffic, allowing pedestrians to take over the street and shop the variety of trendsetting boutiques it had to offer.

The four major styles of Harajuku fashion are Kawaii, Visual Kei, Lolita, and Cosplay. Kawaii means “cute” in Japanese, so this style is a mish-mash of things that would be considered cute and innocent— cupcakes, Hello Kitty, bright colors, frills, bows, etc. The above images are from harajukustyle.net, which has a lot of really great info about Harajuku culture.

The Visual Kei style is embraced by some Japanese musicians, especially rock and punk artists. These artists will wear eccentric costumes and makeup with hair teased to its fullest. Think David Bowie, KISS, or Poison in their early years. There’s a great article on Visual Kei here, where I nabbed the images above.

Lolita {sometimes called Gothic Lolita} is a mixture of dark “gothic” clothing/makeup and Victorian fashion. Cosplay is also very popular and it involves imitating a character from a manga, anime, or popular Asian video game. For instance, the two people in the image on the right above are dressed as Vanille and Sazh, characters from Final Fantasy XIII.

Learn more about Harajuku fashion and check out some cool DIY Harajuku tips on Mooky Chick.

1. Final Fantasy XIII. Neither Mish nor I are “gamers” by any stretch of the word, but we are both hooked on the Final Fantasy series. Mish recently bought a PlayStation at a tag sale and shortly thereafter acquired Final Fantasy VII {which, to many, is the “best” Final Fantasy yet}. I’ve been playing them backwards {I started with XII, then X and X-2} and when FFXIII came out, I bought an Xbox 360 for the sole purpose of playing it. It’s fantastic. As soon as I’m done with this post, I’ll be playing it!

2. “In the Wooded Forest” by Savoir Adore. I recently discovered this indie rock duo from New York, and I wish they were in the state when Mish, Stan, and I were. “In the Wooded Forest” is their debut album and it’s a crazy cool mix of 80s pop, electronica, indie rock all rolled into one. It sounds like magic. Every song is simply amazing and it’s a perfect album to add to your collection now while the weather is getting better. {I don’t know about you, but when spring and summer hit, I have music that I play specifically during these seasons. Is that strange?} Their name, Savoir Adore, is French for “to know love,” which is fitting because I’m in love with them <3. Because they’re still pretty new, you won’t find “In the Wooded Forest” in stores, but you can order it online at Borders.com, Amazon.com, or get it from iTunes.

3. Grapefruit. I’ve never been a grapefruit fan, but Stan has been bringing home grapefruit from his grandmother {Russian grandparents are known for giving their grandkids food all the time}, and I think I’ve become a fan. Put a little sugar on the ruby red kind {pink grapefruit} and it’s not so bad! Plus, grapefruits are incredibly good for you, especially when you’ve got a stubborn sinus infection/cold like I have had for the past week. I blame the germs in NYC. The vitamin C in grapefruit also increases the collagen production in your skin and kicks your metabolism in to gear.