Otaku and Lolitas

I recently watched two films that clued me in to two Japanese subcultures I wasn't too knowledgeable about: otakus and Lolitas.

Train Man: Densha Otoko (2005) tells the story of a young man only known as Train Man (his screen name) who wants to ask out a young woman he met on the train, but is too nervous to do so. Why doesn't Train Man have any confidence? Because he is an otaku.

What's an otaku you ask? An otaku is a type of Japanese super nerd. His (otakus are typically male) interests will most likely include computers, anime, comic books, video games, etc. Otaku have a mecca of sorts in Akihabara, a shopping area in Tokyo where otaku wares can be bought.

Otakus (should there be an s? I'm not really sure about the plural form here) are likely to have questionable fashion sense as you can see:

(Don't feel too bad for Train Man. He gets advice from his message board friends and ends up looking pretty snazzy by the end of the film).

What about subcultures for the ladies? Well, you can always become a Lolita.

Momoko in a frilly Lolita dress.

So if you haven't seen Kamikaze Girls (2004) yet, you need to. Firstly, you should see this movie because it's like a super cracked out version of Amelie (man oh man, that cinematography). Secondly, you have to love a movie where the ability to embroider is a major plot point. Thirdly, you'll see a lot of Lolita fashion.

Because isn't Lolita fashion pretty fabulous? I could never pull it off, but I've got to give credit to these girls who are kawaii crazy. It takes a lot of dedication to live a Lolita lifestyle. The hair, the clothes, the accessories (including parasols!), it's a lot to work with.

Like otakus, followers of Lolita fashion also have a shopping mecca: Daikanyama. There they can go to such stores as Baby, The Stars Shine Bright (no, they didn't just make up that store for the movie). A sample of their products:

http://www.babyssb.co.jp/shopping/baby/onepiece.html

If you'd like to see this fabulous Lolita fashion in person, you can visit the Baby, The Stars Shine Bright store in San Francisco.

I really wish I'd see people be a little more adventuresome with their fashion this side of the Pacific. People here are pretty boring with their day to day wear. I feel like the people most likely to wear Lolita fashion only do so in the safety of convention or a faire (that's right, a faire with an e). The only American counterpart I can really think of is my beloved Austin Scarlett. He, like Momoko, is way too fashionable for the 21st century: