Uniform of junior high school and high school in Japan

Junior high school and high school in Japan with uniform

Almost all Japanese junior high school and Japanese high school have a uniform.

In a public school of a lot of other countries, students can wear any clothes they like, but in Japan, almost all junior high and high schools adopt a school uniform system.

Teachers force students to wear school uniforms tidily because they want to teach students morals.

Schools are for study, and uniforms are also a part of educational system.
A Japanese society doesn't like special individuality.

The Japanese word for uniform is 制服[Seifuku].

Moreover, clothes sometimes reflect the gap in the students' families'income.

What's more, school uniforms help teachers make students learn to fit into society.

Well, in junior high school and high school, most students are obliged to wear the school uniforms.
And every morning teachers check whether their uniforms are tidy.

It sometimes limits their free movement though they don't need to choose clothes every morning.

They can't play basketball, soccer, etc. with that uniform.

The uniform to solve the problem is "ジャージ(jāji)".
"The ジャージ(jāji)"is a sportswear.

It is used by the physical education and extracurricular activities, etc.

"The ジャージ(jāji)[Tracksuit]" is an article of clothing consisting of two parts: trousers and a jacket usually with front zipper.

 

 

Junior high school boy and high school boy's uniforms

For boys, there are basically two types of uniforms, though there are many types of uniforms in Japan.

One is "Gakuran", the other is blazer.

Junior high school boy and high school boy at general public school wear a uniform, called "Gakuran" whose top has a stand-up collar.
For boys, Gakuran and Blazer are an ordinary uniforms.

Blazer type uniform	Gakuran type uniform

Gakuran; this type of school uniform is called 学ラン(Gakuran)

And, it is a uniform for the junior high school student and the high school student in Japan.
The top and pants of Gakuran are both black, and the jacket has usually golden buttons.

 

Junior high school girl and high school girl's uniforms

About girls, they wear a sailor outfits or blazer.
The most popular school uniform in Japan is the セーラー服(Sailor fuku)[sailor outfit].

Because the top part is shaped like the shirt the sailors wore in the old days, it is called like that.
The top has a ribbon on it of different colors and shapes.

In several East Asian countries, some schools continue to prescribe sailor-themed wear as school uniforms (Sailor fuku) for girls.

Blazer type uniform	sailor outfit type uniform

On the other hand, girl's the sailor outfit uniforms include a dark blue or a black pleated skirt.
And, girl's blazer uniforms include a dark blue or a black pleated skirt and white blouse.
Their uniforms is often used for girls in middle school and high school Uniform changes by season, and occasion.
The blazer style uniform and the sailor outfit uniform; the socks that they wear with the uniforms are usually white.

Gakuran: winter uniform

Gakuran: summer uniform

 

Summer uniform and winter uniform of Japanese school

Boy's summer uniform is usually only white shirt and pants.

Girl's summer uniform of blazer style usually consists of a short sleeved shirt ("cutter shirt") and a pleated skirt and short sleeved blouse.

Moreover, Moreover, summer uniform of the sailor outfit style usually consists of a short sleeved sailor outfit and a pleated skirt.
The short sleeved sailor outfit's base color is white.

Girl's summer and winter uniform of sailor outfit

 

Winter uniforms is more diverse.

At some schools, boys wear stiff-collared jackets, while at other schools they wear blazers and neckties, and at other schools they wear sweaters or sweater vests.

Likewise, some girls wear sweaters, some wear blazers, some wear long-sleeved sailor blouses.

Uniforms vary from school to school, and it is possible to know which school a student attends simply by looking at the style and colors of their uniform.

 

 

Indoor shoes of junior high school student and high school student in Japan

 

In foreign country, students do not have to change their shoes after they arrive at school, but in Japan they wear another shoes for room, called "うわばき/上履き(uwabaki)

In foreign country, students do not have to change their shoes after they arrive at school, but in Japan they wear another shoes for room, called "uwabaki".

They has just arrived at school and is putting on their indoor shoes.
It is called "Uwabaki".

They then puts their Uwabaki shoes in their locker or Getabako.

All the students have their designated shoe lockers.

These shoe lockers are called "ゲタ箱/下駄箱(getabako)".

This is a common practice in the school as well and of course helps to keep the school clean.
We see children at some uniform schools with different uwabaki.

Most students put on Uwabaki of the design that their schools made though the rule to Uwabaki is different at each school.

 

Uniforms change of the woman student in Japan

The school uniform for girls used to be regarded as a symbol of an education with strict regulations.
But today, wearing a uniform might be privilege only for high school girls.

For teenage girls in Japan these days, a school uniform is not something evoking a spirit of discipline but something that symbolizes their sensitivity to trends in fashion.

Into the 1980 years arose the mode feature to carry the skirts so long that they reached up to the soil.

But, in the 1980s, when Japan were enjoying the bubble economy and fascinated by designer-brand clothes, some schools began to remodel their uniforms to more fashion-conscious designs.

Since then, many private high schools and some public high schools changed their uniforms into the modern style.
But, many public junior high schools' uniforms have been left the traditional style.

Then by the 1990s, some schoolgirls had become so fashion-conscious that they tried to make their uniforms look cool by tucking the skirt up to a very short length, and matching it with long and loose socks.

 

*The long and loose socks; ルーズソックス[rūzu sokkusu]

The loose-socks trend is over now, but high school girls have continued to favor short skirts.

The short skirt is carried today gladly as mini skirt, with which the loose socks becomes effective particularly well.

They also like to "dress up" by choosing bags or vests that make a good combination with their uniforms.

School uniforms with short skirts are considered fashionable among high school girls.

 

 

Hararie