Last spring, I spent a month in Japan.
Felt about time to write about it 🤍❤️
a small ode to japan
I knew I’d love it, but boy did it exceed my expectations:
the delicious food (of course), the refined aesthetics, the playful aesthetics, the lush nature, the serene gardens, the celebration of spirituality, the importance of tradition, the preservation of culture, the contrasts of new and old, the soft spring sunlight, the care and consideration in everything…
The list goes on1, and at the top is the sincere kindness of Japanese people.
One day, we walked into a tatami workshop in a small mountain village. With the help of Google Translate, we asked the owner if we could buy some of her creations.
But she only sells to businesses, she apologized. Ah well!
A few minutes later, she ran after me in the street holding a mini tatami.
She bowed and handed it to me. I’ll never know what she said but she insisted, with a big smile, that I take her gift.
I just stood there, wondering what we did to deserve such a gesture.
But I don’t think “deserving” was the point at all. It was an act of kindness with zero agenda. One of the many we experienced.
style (& life) lessons from japan
Every day, I observed (admired) Japanese style and fashion.
In the big city and in the countryside, young and older, in the rain and in the sunshine: everyone looks put together.
People have their style, but there are clear trends. You can immediately spot tourists who’ve been traveling in Japan for a few weeks: they gave in to at least one. Myself included!
So here are my mental notes, organized into 5 lessons on style (and a little on life):
lesson #1: comfort is cool
On warmer days, I noticed women wearing sheer shirts over tank tops and men dressed in full Pleats Please (the prime example of comfort meets style).
When it rains, everyone breaks out their coolest windbreakers and latest tech nylon wear.
In the cities where people walk a lot, I observed the most extensive collection of sporty, stylish sandals and mary-janes. The easier to slip on and off, the better.
People dress conveniently, but elegantly. And maybe they look so put together because they’re so comfortable?!
lesson #2: dress for the moment and own it
Uniform culture is strong in Japan.
They’re everywhere: schools (some of the cutest outfits I’ve ever seen), trains, museums (some of the coolest fits I’ve ever seen), government functions, ryokans...
It extends to hobbies and everyday life.
Hiking feels like walking into a catalogue of the brand mont-bell (Japan’s equivalent of Patagonia). And why do I want this fishing jacket all of a sudden?
Dressing for the moment is a way of honoring it.
I can relate to that: I recently spent too much time on Vinted curating tennis outfits. And now I’m even more excited to play and improve.
lesson #3: embrace & reinvent tradition
Nothing proves the Japanese respect for craftsmanship and tradition more than seeing a woman in a beautiful kimono taking the metro in Tokyo and going about her day.
And there are also loads of modern twists on traditional clothing: plastic zori (Japanese sandals) and denim yukata.
And it’s not just Japanese traditions that are celebrated.
Ametora2 is Japan’s love letter to Americana heritage brands. Post-WWII, they adopted and, in true Japanese fashion, perfected the Ivy League, preppy style.
Clothing brand Beams Plus3 and magazine Popeye have been selling this lifestyle since the 1970s.
Next time you’re in Japan, make sure to go to a Beams Plus store, if only to admire the employees’ fits 🤌
A good reminder that you can never really beat a timeless classic.
lesson #4: all you need is layers
This is a trick I saw over and over. People style and layer simple clothes, which makes them look immediately more elevated.
Japanese men are especially pro at this.
But loved seeing women layer shirts too. Uniqlo’s Japan-exclusive youth brand GU is all about layers on layers, it was fun to walk into their store for inspo.
Keep it simple, style it well. You’re done.
lesson #5: keep it whimsy ~ ~ ~
Thanks Japan for reminding us all that fashion (and life) shouldn’t be taken too seriously. That beauty always leaves room for a lil bit of whimsy.
In sinks:
Or parking lot logos:
Or even timestamps:
And in fashion.
There are millions of ways to add bits of personality to an outfit: small charms on bags (or even on kimono!), jewelry, hair styles.
till next time, Japan
I only scratched the surface of everything this special island has to offer – fashion and otherwise.
But I think about these lessons often since coming home. And I hope they inspire you too!
Thank you so much for reading.
– Laure
the French store names, the English translations, the calm chaos of cities, every logo ever, every pamphlet ever, the music tunes for everything and anything, the “Playmobil-ness” of the cities, the “Ghibli-ness” of the countryside, the konbini onigiri, the many, many, arigato go sai mas…the list still goes on and on and on
there’s even a book about it, Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx
their philosophy is literally “Updating timeless classics for the future”