I really like Harajuku fashion, but I would never wear it myself because its too bold and flashy for me. I like looking at the different styles of Harajuku fashion because there are so many. Harajuku fashion is not one specific look, there are many styles that have sub-styles to them as well. Some styles are Decora, Gyaru, Lolita and more. I love how unique and creative their outfits are and how each person has a different way of dressing even if they are part of the same style. Personally, I haven’t seen any people wear Harajuku style in Canada, but there are probably people who do. Japanese culture has become popular over the past few years and Harajuku fashion has become known to most of the world. I see people on TikTok wearing Harajuku fashion, especially Gyaru that live in America, Canada or Britain. Their style isn’t as extreme as people in Harajuku, but you still can tell that they take inspiration from them.

The style of Harajuku fashion that I like the best is Decora (picture above) or Gyaru. I love the bold, flashy and eye-catching qualities both styles have. Decora contains neon colours, fun accessories, layered clothing items and flashy hair and makeup. People layer many skirts, dresses and shirts for more colours and a unique silhouette. They wear dozens of bright hair clips, bows, bracelets, necklaces and toys all over their body. Their hair is usually coloured brightly and in ponytails, pigtails, buns or more. The makeup that they wear is also very bright using eyeshadow, blush and stickers that they put on their faces. Gyaru fashion is like Decora from its flashiness. Gyaru has many sub-styles that are different from each other, but my favourite one is Tsuyome or Kogal. Tsuyome Gyaru has a more mature and cooler look while Kogal is schoolgirls. Most Gyaru’s wear big eyelashes, extreme makeup, big, curled hair, long decorated nails, bleached hair, leg warmers and short skirts. Tsuyome Gyaru’s wear lots of animal print like cheetah and leopard (in picture below). Kogal’s wear their school uniform but with some modifications to fit the Gyaru style. I like watching Egg Magazine’s TikTok’s because I like seeing different types of Gyaru looks. The Egg Magazine is a magazine company for Gyaru fashion. Inside the magazine there are makeup and hair tutorials, style guides and inspiration. The video below is what inside of the Egg Magazine would look like. There are many more styles of Gyaru out there and its very interesting comparing each style to one another.

https://gyaru-109.fandom.com/wiki/Beginner%27s_Guide/Sub-Styles

I think that Harajuku is very popular among young Japanese people because they want to break out of the strict conformity of Japanese culture. Older generations value similarity, organization and repitition. This can be seen by the work culture and overall society of Japan. Younger generations don’t like the pressure and stress put on them and want to break free. It’s a way for them to rebel against the older generations without causing any trouble. I don’t think Canadian youth has this sort of similarity compared to Japan’s youth. In Canada there are a mix of different cultures and societal ideas. There isn’t a need for youth to rebel and wear different clothing based on the opinions of others. Even older generations are open to new fashion and dress the popular trends.

Right now, I am ok with my style because it is very comfortable. Everyday I basically just wear a hoodie and sweatpants, or if its warmer out an athletic t-shirt and shorts. Almost all my clothing is athletic wear because I do hockey, go to the gym or have other activities everyday. After school, I don’t feel like changing because sometimes I’m in a rush and that’s why I wear athletic clothes everyday. Also, this semester, I have PE, so I don’t feel like wearing nicer clothes and changing when class starts.

Fashion is not very important to me because I don’t obsess over small, new trends and follow every single one of them. But I do follow the popular trends like baggier clothing and wearing popular brands like Lululemon and Aritzia. Almost everyone wears these clothing styles right now, and I want to fit in. It’s also hard for me to get into fashion and wear certain outfits because of my limited wardrobe. Most of my clothes are from hockey teams and tournaments which I get every year. I have so many of these clothes that I don’t have to go shopping for new things. Sometimes I have cram in my clothes to fit in my drawers. However, I do like wearing clothes from my current team because I am proud of where I play, and I love hockey so much that I want to be connected to it everyday.

If I had an unlimited wardrobe my fashion sense would change a bit. At the stat I would wear nicer clothes like more jeans, sweaters, cute tops and more. But I think as time goes on, I would revert to my old style. I won’t feel the excitement of wearing different clothing anymore and I also might feel uncomfortable wearing it. Nicer clothing also doesn’t fit with my lifestyle because I am very active and wearing comfortable, athletic clothing is very important for my day-to-day life. I also think I would have a hard time picking out an outfit because I have so many options to choose from. I would need to try on what looks good with other pieces of clothing and that will add on time. Basically, in the first new months I would wear new, and more stylish clothing but after a while I would get lazy and wear hoodies and sweatpants again.

My future fashion trend prediction is that more older trends will come back, specifically from the 90’s and 2000’s. People are already bringing back old trends like low rise pants and in general Y2K outfits. According to Glamour some of the predicted fashion trends for spring 2025 are boho, vintage florals, polka dots and more. Bohemian style became popular in the 70’s, vintage florals are old, and polka dots were popular in the 80’s. If Glamour’s predictions are correct, then we will see the return of old trends, even older than the ones we see get re-popularized now. But I still think that 90’s and Y2K fashion will get super popular in the future and 70’s-80’s fashion will get a little popular.

https://www.glamour.com/story/2025-fashion-trends

I think that Japan is very creative with their sandwiches because it was a new concept to them. Bread only came to Japan in 1543, while rice was more popular and their main source of carbs. They may have not known what to do with the bread and started experimenting with putting different food items in it. Japan is also a very creative country in general, and some Japanese people come up with bizarre ideas. There also isn’t a right or wrong way to make sandwiches so they had the freedom to put whatever they liked in it. Japan also has different bread styles than us and so they will take a different approach to sandwiches. Our bread is more dense, thick and savoury. Japan’s bread is more light, soft and sweet. The most popular bread that they have is shokupan which is a soft, white milk bread. This bread became popular after WW2 when the government promoted bread as an alternative for rice because there was a shortage. Canadian sandwiches are very big, dense and is almost always savoury. It almost always contains some sort of meat, vegetables (lettuce, tomato…), sauce and bread. Japanese sandwiches can be the same but are smaller, lighter, simpler and sometimes sweet.

https://japanesetaste.ca/blogs/japanese-taste-blog/shokupan-the-iconic-japanese-milk-bread?srsltid=AfmBOorMfGpAayABW3DeH5hwYF2MkbxN6PR4oAva9MiEG6YpxcBvFcgn

The most creative meal that I’ve had that I could think of right now is Japanese style spaghetti. It is made with ketchup instead of tomato sauce and has wieners, peppers, onions and mushrooms. Like sandos, this dish is very Japanese-ified and they put their own spin on another culture’s dish. I think that they used ketchup because it is more popular and has a sweeter flavour (which is more of their taste). My mom makes it for me a lot because it’s a quick, easy and delicious meal. She got the recipe from my grandma who was born in Japan. Personally, I don’t think it would taste good in sando form. I wouldn’t like the texture of noodles and bread together because they are very different but like each other. Noodles are wetter and mushier while bread is dry and soft. The taste of the bread is also sweet and wouldn’t go with the tanginess of the ketchup sauce. Although I think that noodles and bread should go together, they still exist. Yakisoba pan is popular in Japan and contains yakisoba noodles in a hot dog bun. However, I think that it works because yakisoba has more of a salty, savoury flavour and a hot dog bun is used which is less sweet and light than shokupan. Still, I don’t think it would be as good as other sandos.

Right now, I would be most excited to try a classic fruit sando. It is made with un-crusted shokupan (Japanese white bread), whipped cream and fruits like strawberries, kiwis, oranges, grapes and more. Even though it is very simple, I want to try it because I always see videos with people eating these sandos, like in the video below. They hype it up and I am very curious to see what is so special about it because it seems very plain. I want to try the ones specifically from the convenience stores like 7-11 because I feel like it tastes the best. Sometimes cheap food tastes better because you got it at a good price. I also want to try katsu sando for something savoury. It’s made with un-crusted shokupan, katsu (breaded and fried pork cutlet), cabbage and tonkatsu sauce.  It is another classic sando and is again very simple. This sando is more like Canadian sandwiches with meat, vegetables and sauces, so it will be more familiar to me. I haven’t made any of these sandos yet because I don’t eat and make whipped cream and katsu often. My family also doesn’t buy shokupan or bread that is like it. Sandos can’t really be made without shokupan because that’s what makes it unique. When I went to Japan in grade 2, I didn’t eat any sandos so I’m excited to try them when I go in the future.

If Anpanman gave me his head to eat, I definitely will. First of all, I would probably be injured for him to be giving me part his head because it has healing abilities. I would want his help because he is very friendly, and you can’t say no to his face. Secondly, his bread head contains red bean paste (anko) inside and it is one of my favourite fillings. When I go to Asian style bakeries I always get something with red bean inside. I love the lumpy texture and sweet flavour it has. Finally, I love to eat in general, and I would be curious to what his head tastes like. I also might be hungry if I am fighting off Baikinman with Anpanman. I would also want to try other characters like shokupanman, melonpanna and creampanda. I already love melonpan and I really want to try shokupan and creampan because the characters make them look so tasty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anpanman

Valentine’s day in Canada has some similarities and differences from Japan. Both cultures give and receive chocolates to express love, appreciation or kindness towards another. The chocolates or gifts also mean different things depending on what is it and who you give it to. However, the confessing culture is different. In Japan people give chocolates to others that they like even though they may have never spoken or interacted with them before. While in Canada, people give chocolate to their significant other who they are already dating.  No one really confesses on Valentine’s Day. Personally, on Valentine’s Day I do very little to celebrate the actual holiday. This year I gave chocolates to my close friends, but I usually don’t give anything. It is also one of my best friend’s birthday so I focus more on her celebration. I feel like Valentine’s Day is a bit cringe and sappy and I don’t think it is that important.

Regardless of how I feel now, Valentine’s Day in elementary school was important to me and others. I liked decorating my Valentine’s Day bag that held the treats classmates gave out. The best part was seeing my bag full of candies and eating them later. Although, I didn’t like writing my Valentine’s cards and attaching the candy to it. It took up a lot of time because I had to write everyone’s, including mine, names on it. When I was in the younger grades, I didn’t know how to spell certain names, so I had to get help from my mom, and I was slow at writing. Giving out chocolates to classmates stop at the end of elementary school in Canada. But in Japan, it carries on to high school and even to workplaces. People feel obligated to give their classmates, co-workers or other acquaintances. This type of gifting is called “Giri Choco”. Stated in the website below, some companies banned Giri Choco because they think it is useless and puts an obligated burden on people. It can also create misunderstanding on what type of gift they are receiving. The intention of the giver could be giving a giri choco but the receiver may think they are getting a honmei choco (love chocolate). I agree with this reasoning and think that Canada should not take on the excessive giving of giri chocco.

https://sakura.co/blog/valentines-day-in-japan-giri-honmei-choco

I don’t like the concept of kokuhaku in Japan because its very different from Canada and I feel like its more awkward. Kokuhaku is basically confessing your love to someone, but unlike Canadians, Japanese people confess to other that they barely know. In the west, people get to know each other before finding out their true feelings and confessing them. In Japan, many people confess to other that they have barely interacted or talked with. I find this weird and awkward because what if they start dating and come to realization that they don’t like each other anymore. Its also weird being confessed to by someone you barely know because you wonder why they like you if they don’t even know what you are like. Honmei choco is given to love interests and are usually homemade. Girls (usually) buy chocolate making supplies from the department store to make for their love interest. This chocolate is homemade to show the amount of effort and affection put into the chocolate in hopes that they would accept their confession. I also don’t like this concept if you aren’t already dating because you put so much time and effort into making chocolate just to maybe get rejected.

However, kokuhaku has some positives. It is very direct, and you know the person’s true feelings. Situationships don’t really exist because almost everyone is direct with their feeling and there is little room for misunderstandings. According to this video, confessing and dating goes quickly. They go on a few dates before someone ends up confessing. Majority of people in Japan confess before officially dating because they are scared that they are going to lose the other person if they don’t make it clear that they like them and want to date. Meanwhile, in Canada and other countries, people don’t really do confessions and just start dating. After a few dates, both parties know whether they like each other or not and will keep going out with them if they want to pursue a romantic relationship. It is based off intuition and reading each others vibe.

Valentine’s Day in Japan and Canada have many similarities and some differences. The types of chocolate given are the same like tomo choco (friend chocolate), giri choco (obligation chocolate) and honmei choco (love chocolate). But Japan takes the level of gifting to the next level, and it seems more intense. I am happy with Canada’s way of Valentine’s Day and I wouldn’t want to change it to the way Japan does it.