Japanese Bra

Japanese Bra -title may seem to you similar to something like "Japanese Cat". Cats and pets have no similar nationality to people. So how can brassieres have? We could take a manufacturing standpoint, but it wouldn't be more interesting than talk about DVD players made in Japan.

Bra, by all it's appeal and spirit, is clearly a product from the west. Japan didn't know bra until Japanese started wearing western clothes, a change which happened sometimes during Meiji era. With wafuku, bras or any other western underwear wasn't used. With kimono, women wore only thin layer of cloth, which served the purpose of underwear that time. Under yukata, sometimes women didn't wear anything at all.

Japanese bras are said to be more decorative, more cute, and have sense of visual delight. They have tiny hearts to them, embroidiery and lace.

It is interesting that although Japan is the famous design country, the creator of latest trends that are copied by French and Italian designers, Japanese women are fairly shy to shop the cutting edge bloomy color bras you see in the shops.

It is interesting question, what kind of bra does Japanese women actually use in daily life.

In general, japanese bras seem to be more cute than sexy, more warm than cold. More childish than independent.

Compare a flower of sakura to a red rose. Sakura's scent is just a hint, an unobtrusive thought, while rose's scent is overwhelming, and something that seeks attention. Same goes with Japanese bra's color. Many Japanese women like simple white or pastel colors (or colour of sakura flower, why not). Some like black (like the branch of sakura tree). But it is rare to see heavy red, or yellow or other strong colors.

Some women find japanese bras to be more comfortable to the skin than western ones.

Japanese like to be graceful and same goes with their other clothing style. Japanese women feel they want to conform to the social concencus, the air around them. For same reason, Japanese women don't seem to wear strong parfume. This is also visible in the mainstream bra market. In contrary, Japan is one of the rare countries where it is not out of the ordinary to see women wearing fishnet stockings while shopping.

I remember reading an article of a foreign man who was overwhelmed to notice her girlfriend, a 35 years old office lady, wore a mickey mouse bra. He said it was like children's clothing, while his girlfriend saw nothing unordinary about it. Why not.

In Europe it is nothing out of the ordinary to see a couple going to lingerie shop. In Japan, I suspect people shop online. There are plenty of the shops, but mostly women go there alone.

Japan is different in the sense of bras as well. I wish Japan will keep into the various differences in the future as well.