The Expense of Being a Western Japanese Schoolgirl…
Posted by schoolgirlproject on September 9, 2006
…is a heavy expense indeed.
While perusing the confines of ebay, I just happened to find this shop that offers authentic merchandise from Japan made for schoolgirls, the main one being Candy Sugar. It even offers Japanese uniforms so you can look the part in the comfort of your own home. Leather bags, slouched socks, coin purses, even loafers are available. Lawara Shop has it all…for a price.
A very hefty price.
Those pretty leather bags from Candy Sugar…and they cost about 44.99 British pounds…that’s about $85 US dollars. Oh, and that cute little coin purse over there – about $47 US Dollars. And those shoes are about $76 US Dollars. Even the small tote bag is about $47 US Dollars. And in the case that you aren’t able to sew yourself, they even have an assortment of authentic uniforms, which are between $57 and $76 US Dollars. Not cheap. But at least the Candy Sugar Knee-Hi socks are $12 US, as opposed to the slouch socks which are $19 US Dollars. I guess that’s what happens when the shop is based in Hong Kong, right? And the shipping prices aren’t all that bad…but still, pretty steep, right? Only cosplayers who want the authentic schoolgirl experience should tread here.
But at least it’s not as bad as J-List, right? Have you seen their prices for uniforms? According to J-List, the “famous Matsukameya of Nagoya” (I guess that’s a uniform-making company I should know about) made these uniforms, and the price shows it. The tops are $95.00 (summer top), $135.00 US and $130.00 US respectively, and the skirts are $140.00 US and $115.00 US respectively. Want and authentic bag to finish off the outfit? That’s $150.00 US. OUCH! Do school girl enthusiasts really buy this stuff? Wouldn’t they be better off with free school girl pr0n (which you won’t find here, because this is a tasteful blog…)
I suppose it could be worse. You could commission an outfit to be made for you, but something tells me that could be the worst option of all.
How hard it is being a Western Japanese School girl…unless your pockets are fat and deep.
Japonaliya said
Takai??? Did you know that the little red (girls) or black (boys) elementary school book bags that children ALL must buy, costs upwards of $300.-$400. !!! And this is for ones’made of mostly imitation leather… (they claim it’s because they have to last 6 years) BUt my kids went to school with crappy TARGET backpacks and even if I had to buy a few of them, they were only aroun $20. so under $100. for 6 years…
The truth is that the grandparents trad. buy the bags, and anyone who knows Japanese culture understands that they don’t buy cheap gifts. They pride themselves on spending thr most money.
I guess it is the same with org. school uniforms too…
n-chan said
I did not know this! Thank you kindly for your comment. I guess I forgot that Japanese people have a thing about spending a lot of money to 1-up each other, and considering they are the second most expensive country in the world, it’s not all that hard. It’s all about prestige and honor. Watching an episode of Crayon Shin-Chan, with the housewives trying to 1up each other by buying expensive Japanese steak has made me realize this.
cjy said
If you’re looking for a sailor-style blouse have you seen this seller on ebay?
http://preview.tinyurl.com/wdgud
She has this top quite regularly I think, it’s nor exactly a school uniform, but has a similar style, and is a lot cheaper!
y said
try http://lawrarashop.com instead of their ebay store it’s a bit cheaper.
Mel said
hi. thanks for posting the info about Lawara Shop!! this site is great… my boyfriend tried to get my birthday present from there, and when they were sold out of an item, they immiediately sent him an apology letter and refund (no waiting, no hassels). i’ve spent oh so many hours trying to find Japanese-style school uniforms, but i haven’t been able to find anything as authentic looking as Lawara Shop (most sites i’ve seen look too anime-ish).
also, just a little info about school uniforms in Japan: uniforms are expensive. i have a friend from Japan who had to pay $500+ for her uniform (and she didn’t even go to a private school). but that includes: neck tie, socks, summer shirt, winter shirt, summer vest, blazer, skirt & shoes. the school will provide the parents of the students a list of what items to buy and which stores carry those items. for private schools, sometimes the school will require the student to wear socks with the school crest embroidered on it (and sometimes the tie too)…but in public schools, they’re more lenient about it.
as for the primary school backpacks…yes, they are frightfully expensive…but it really is supposed to be used for 6+ years. you can use it all the way up until the start of junior high school.
also, the new trend in Japan right now are the used uniform shops. there’s a name/catchphrase for it, but i forgot what it’s called. anyway, the popular trend nowadays is to go to these consignment type shops, and buy “previoiusly loved” uniforms. they’re much cheaper than getting a new uniform, and the trend is for girls to be able to mix and match pieces of different uniforms. this gives the girl the feeling of being unique from the rest of her classmates. and a lot of public schools in Japan are now adapting to the “you can wear whatever school uniform you want, as long as it looks close to the school colors” idea. there are guys uniforms at these “used” shops too (but i don’t see much variation in black blazer/black pants…ha ha.)
anonym said
people who really buy from lawrarashop & co(i’m not speaking if j-list,at least they have authentic stuff!)are really crazy.
those bags are made of cheap synthetic(all shiney and stinky) and cost not more than 7bucks in china. if you are clever you buy your stuff from taobao which will run you at least 50% cheaper.