September 2008
A parade of disaffected outcasts. A game of dressing up. A cathartic expression of individuality.
A meeting place for like minded souls with shared interests in manga, anime, music and film. A marked message of defiance to parents and oldsters. A place where you could be uncomfortably comfortable. Somewhere to fit in when there wasn’t anywhere else to go. All of the aforementioned or none at all?
I was slightly perplexed when wandering around Tokyo’s so-called youth culture fashion area (a collection of meaningless words signifying nothing at all about the place).
Were they heavy metal or black metal fans? Which movies were their main influences? Was the boy in The Clockwork Orange-esque garb trying to make a statement or just posing for the gawking normos? Just who were the characters they were attempting to imitate? Did any of it matter? Too many questions and no real answers. The language barrier an almost insurmountable obstacle.
Regardless, they responded with extreme politeness when I asked for a few silly photos, the awkward foreigner the one actually sticking out. I felt like an intruder in a place of sanctuary and quietly slipped away.
Stephen Kasiewicz 