Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno: Tokyo Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author), Kazumi Nonaka (Illustrator) "We are outside the front gates of a nightclub, nervously wondering if the guy in the ticket booth-who looks like a Barbie doll someone has..." (more)
Key Phrases: egg magazine, loose socks, platform boots, Para Para, Nagomu Gals, Center Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Japanese schoolgirl fashions and subcultures have sprung up, burned out, mutated, and evolved into a pop culture phenomenon gone global from Gwen Stefani's 'Harajuku Girls' to Gothic Lolita-fueled manga and the deadly schoolgirl in Kill Bill, it's no wonder that international fashion designers look to the streets of Tokyo for fresh inspiration. This playful and thoroughly researched handbook examines the key styles and subcultures past and present: sailor-suited gangsters, Pippi Longstockings risen from the dead, girls in blackface, teens sporting giant hamster costumes, and more. Each fashion profile is packed with photos and illustrations, history, ideal boyfriends, and must-have items. Also included are a gatefold evolutionary fashion chart, resources, and makeup tips. At last, an in-depth guide to what the girls are wearing and why on earth they're wearing it.

About the Author

Patrick Macias and Izumi Evers have written and produced several books on Japanese pop culture. They split their time between San Francisco and Tokyo.

Kazumi Nonaka is an artist and rock 'n' roll guitarist whose illustrations have been featured in Japanese magazines and TV shows. She lives in Tokyo.

Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (May 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811856909
• ISBN-13: 978-0811856904
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,609 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the where and how of japanese fashion, May 7, 2007

By	Megan N. Woodrum "quiet bookworm" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been waiting for this book since I first read about it months ago; when I picked it up, I was a little concerned. I mean, it seems a bit thin and it's not a photobook the way Fruits and Fresh Fruits are.
Lucky for me, it was better than that. "Japanese Girl Inferno" is a history lesson in the social evolution of the various trends that have pervaded the lives of young japanese women, from the motorcycle gangs to gothloli. It was incredibly informative and filled in a lot of gaps for me.
The book is divided into sections by trend, starting with the gang-types fro the early 60s and 70s and ending with the present-day decora; not only does it outline the history, it has "profiles" on each type which include and illustration of a typical member and details on specifics, then another section outlying "Ideal Boyfriends" and "Must-Have Items". The illustrations themselves were very charming, and the book is well-written.
All-in-all, I recommend this book for any fan of Japanese fashion, especially those who enjoyed the movie Kamikaze Girls.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome awesome awesome!, May 15, 2007

By	Romy Kuro "+ominous communication+" (Readfield, ME USA) - See all my reviews

I found this book before it came out, just dubbing around on Amazon. I thought it looked interesting enough, and not too expensive, so I ordered it. I was so pleased when I got my copy in the mail! It's an interesting, well organized, and well catagorized history of Tokyo teen girl fashion. From the well known and ongoing to the unheard of and extinct, it shows a timeline, influences, and interests of every sort of girl. What that girl did in her day. What her interests were. What future styles she may have inspired.

It really is a great book, full of pictures and cute illustrations. It even includes a few makeup and dressing tips, as well as references to check out if anything tickles your fancy. It isn't too long or wordy, and is written in an entertaining style so that the book can interest both hardcore subculture freaks, or maybe just a girl who happens to think Lolita is cute.

I must say, I really enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it to anyone with any sort of interest in Tokyo's peculiar fashions, or even someone with an interest in girl power alone.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really good book, but..., July 30, 2007

By	Mistralla "Mako" (Texas) - See all my reviews

When i got this book in the mail, I was really happy and read it right away. The information about all the fashion that happened in Japan and the pictures were really good and interesting, and the mini-interviews of actual people involved in the fashion was really nice. The articles tell you how long that fashion lasted and what caused it to go out-of-style. To me, it was a nice cute touch on how sprinkled in a few of the chapters were the "life of a Manba/GothLoli", and even a segment on how you can transform your face like a Ganguro girl's. Even when my friends looked into the book, then liked how informative it was.
Why did I rate it 4 stars? Well, it's not the information of the book I took out a star for...it's the fact that merely a few minutes after I opened the book, pages started to fall out. And I'm a person who's very delicate with books. I'm not sure if I was the only one that it has happened to, or if the batch of books they were selling were defective ones. But it's not a good thing.
I'm not trying to say "Don't get this book, it's defective!", because really, this handbook is a VERY good one for anyone interesting in the history of Japan's fashion. I'm just trying to give out a little warning to people who are considereing buying this book.