Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The Japanese are very fashion forward and conscious. So are many Europeans. As others said, you have too many different groups here to compare. However, we do have more Europeans here which is helping people step up their game. Some of the men here just dress horribly. I’m talking about American guys. Oversized pants with those cheap looking plasticky shoes. Even when I’m going to Whole Foods, I throw on a nice Italian sports shirt or a nicely fitted t-shirt and properly cut pants. Oh and definitely NO flip-flops. I saw a teenager wearing them going to school in the rain with her a Catholic uniform on. Couldn’t believe that any school would allow that.
I hear that statement all the time and use to think it was true until I spent a month in Asia. I spent a lot of time in Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, and Taipei. The thing that really hit me about the people on the street in those Asian cities was- in general- how sharp they looked. There were few if any people who looked tacky and unkempt. Few people were filled with tattoos, had ripped unfitted clothes, were massively overweight, etc. What a sharp looking group of people.
In New York City, the city streets are full of people who look just terrible. You can see their lack of personal respect and personal challenges through their hangdog expression, their rough complexion, their diction when they speak, the ill-fitting clothes they wear, bodies full of tattoos, obesity, and their general persona. Sure, there are some people walking the street in New York City that seem on top of their game and look great, but as a whole, people in NYC look rough in comparison to the people you see in the major Capitals of Asia, like Tokyo.
Don't tell me that it is just because people are more casual in America today. There were plenty of people wearing casual clothes in Asia, but they still looked much better than the people of New York City.
Great observation.
Growing up I was taught to have the greatest respect for my elders.
I also hung on every word spoken since they had a jump on life well
before I. It has been years now since they passed but 2 things resonate
and have always stood out.
Do not part from God's ways.
Do not part from family.
What we see ( crawling ) walking the streets today is not fashion.
It's the culmination of an ideology void of God and family not handed
down through the generations.
To address the OP what you've observed is just a cosmopolitan Asian thing. Being a hobo-looking trust fund baby ain't a thing in Japan.
You won't see obvious poverty in Japan because the poor there are generally the elderly and they keep indoors living off support from family or neighbors.
To address the OP what you've observed is just a cosmopolitan Asian thing. Being a hobo-looking trust fund baby ain't a thing in Japan.
You won't see obvious poverty in Japan because the poor there are generally the elderly and they keep indoors living off support from family or neighbors.
It's deeper than just fashion. Look at the cities' infrastructure and you get the same impression. NYC's is dirty and poorly maintained. The Asian cities' are clean and kempt.
It's deeper than just fashion. Look at the cities' infrastructure and you get the same impression. NYC's is dirty and poorly maintained. The Asian cities' are clean and kempt.
Japanese society is different. Train conductors there care deeply about the appearance of the cars they work. Retail workers bow to customers. It's a different world where social expectations are to be competitive and give 110% at everything.
As for infrastructure we bombed Japan to rubble during WWII. Japan lacks 100 year old subways and highway bridges. The Japanese don't consider homes an asset that appreciates. With the exception of certain city areas the average house in Japan losses value over time. Buildings are frequently torn down and replaced.
I think that's more it. The Asian cities I've visited (Tokyo/Seoul), there's this concept of "looking presentable" and "dressing up" when stepping out even if it's just to run errands. You don't wear sweat pants, t-shirt and "unkempt" hairstyles even if it's just to go grocery shopping in Seoul or Tokyo unless it's deliberate & you're making some kind of "fashion statement". It's a joke that in Seoul, you dress like a model outside and like a homeless person indoors. It's an adjustment I have to make because I'm used to how things are in the US and am corrected that I can't "dress like a slob" even if it's just to go to the corner to buy milk over there.
I equate this to how the US probably was in the '50's (though I'm basically getting this impression from watching re-runs of "I Love Lucy"), where ladies had to wear a hat & gloves & "match your shoes with your handbag" and men had to put on a hat & jacket when stepping out.
I think that's more it. The Asian cities I've visited (Tokyo/Seoul), they still have this concept of "looking presentable" and "dressing up" when stepping out even if it's just to run errands. You don't wear sweat pants, t-shirt and "unkempt" hairstyles even if it's just to go grocery shopping in Seoul or Tokyo unless it's deliberate & you're making some kind of "fashion statement". It's a joke that in Seoul, you dress like a model outside and like a homeless person indoors.
I equate this to how the US was probably in the '50's (though I'm basically getting this impression from watching re-runs of "I Love Lucy"), where ladies had to wear a hat & gloves & match your shoes with your handbag and men had to put on a hat & jacket when stepping out.
It's an adjustment I have to make whenever I'm in Seoul/Tokyo because I'm used to how things are in the US and am corrected or reminded when I'm in Seoul/Tokyo that I can't just dress like a "slob" even if it's just to go to the corner to buy milk.
Yea, I think that's a large factor. The other is that the obesity / overweight-ness rates are also way different. NYC is good in regards to the rest of the US, but it's still not great and meanwhile a lot of the US comes to visit or work quite often.
I did see a lot of unkempt hairstyles in Japan, but a very purposeful unkempt look that took a hell of a lot of time to do rather than actually just unkempt.
It's deeper than just fashion. Look at the cities' infrastructure and you get the same impression. NYC's is dirty and poorly maintained. The Asian cities' are clean and kempt.
Yea, a lot of these societies generally have governments that strongly subsidize / prioritize shared resources and makes sure that everyone in society has a "floor" of help so that few people sink too far down while also making sure the basic quality of services doesn't vary wildly from place to place. There's also Canadian cities and Australian cities as well which also are generally much cleaner than many US cities and have their infrastructure running a lot better. The only really bad part I really saw in Australia was actually a tiny section next to the main Sydney station that we ended up calling Little San Francisco.
To address the OP what you've observed is just a cosmopolitan Asian thing. Being a hobo-looking trust fund baby ain't a thing in Japan.
You won't see obvious poverty in Japan because the poor there are generally the elderly and they keep indoors living off support from family or neighbors.
I honestly prefer the hipster fashion over the frat boy/girl, rich snob, and hood fashions.
Yea, a lot of these societies generally have governments that strongly subsidize / prioritize shared resources and makes sure that everyone in society has a "floor" of help so that few people sink too far down while also making sure the basic quality of services doesn't vary wildly from place to place. There's also Canadian cities and Australian cities as well which also are generally much cleaner than many US cities and have their infrastructure running a lot better. The only really bad part I really saw in Australia was actually a tiny section next to the main Sydney station that we ended up calling Little San Francisco.
NYC is one of the most social welfare generous U.S. city out there. We spend I don't know countless billions helping the poor and homeless so I don't think that is the reason.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Even when I’m going to Whole Foods, I throw on a nice Italian sports shirt or a nicely fitted t-shirt and properly cut pants. Oh and definitely NO flip-flops. I saw a teenager wearing them going to school in the rain with her a Catholic uniform on. Couldn’t believe that any school would allow that.
