Learn All About Japanese Girls’ School Uniforms and Become an Expert!

School uniforms bring back memories of our young sweet and bitter memories. They aren’t just clothes, but symbols of Japanese “Seishun” and culture. Any girl would look 10 times cuter in a school uniform. And there are fans of Japanese school uniforms all over the world. As you see on the top picture, there are many kinds of ways to wear school uniforms in Japan. I know you love them, but do you really know everything about them? Here is all you need to know to be an expert on Japanese school uniforms.

History of UniformsIn Japan we have had school uniforms for around 150 years. It was first used to show which community you belonged to. But now it has become one of the biggest symbols of Japanese Kawaii culture. The sailor uniform came to Japan in 1920 from other foreign countries. In the 1980s the sailor uniform became a symbol of those who were delinquent girls and the blazer uniform was born.

Types of Uniforms

You probably imagine uniforms to be either a sailor uniform or a blazer uniform. They are the most standard ones, but they aren’t the only type!

Sailor Uniform

Blazer Uniform

Bolero Uniform

Eton Jacket Uniform

Jumper Skirt Uniform

Overalls Skirt Uniform

Suspender Skirt Uniform

One-piece Uniform

Public and Private SchoolsIn Japan, we have as many private schools as we have public schools. Most people start to wear uniforms from junior high school (except if you go to a private elementary school). The uniforms in public schools tend to be more simple compared to the ones of private schools. However there are also many schools that don’t have a uniform regardless of whether public or private. In this case, there are some that wear their regular clothes to school, but most girls wear a pretend uniform or Nanchatte uniform as we call it. They get to choose everything from scratch so they usually have several kinds of skirts and ribbons and ties at home.