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| Last updated: October 18, 2006 |
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Feature
An Idea of Freedom |
| By Daren Epstein |
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Harajuku is an idea. Certainly it is the neighborhood in Tokyo in which to be young and to be seen, but like all things or places or people in Japan, below the surface lies more.
On Sunday afternoons on a bridge adjacent to Harajuku Station on the Yamanote line, young people gather in groups to expose to each other to their home-made or store-bought finery, seeking refuge in companionship and in a place away from the constrictions of home and parents.
The costumes they make or purchase can be anything from ornate antique traditional Japanese clothing, to an all-vinyl suit containing running electrical wires giving the impression that the wearer is some sort of robotic creature. Some costumes represent characters from Japanese manga (comics), anime, or costume play while others are the product of the wearer’s imagination.
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