Recentering Japaneseness

In Asia, the prevalence of Japanese popular culture is trivial for decades, but its essence seems still to be uneasy to grasp. It transcends the border, but also holds the nationality. Japanese fashion culture is a good example of this transnationality. Being one of the best-selling female fashion magazines in Japan, ViVi is powerful and successful in promoting Shibuya 109 Kei girl fashion abroad. This book examines the reproduction, circulation and consumption of “ViVi style” girl fashion in Taiwan — the region considered to be the most “Japan-crazy” (ha-ri) in East Asia. The author conducted a geographical analysis with on-site inspections of two districts of Taipei: Zhongxiao Dunhua “eastern cultural district” and Shilin night market. Finally he found a “decentering” of Japanese fashion brands, as the “ViVi style” is actually shared among the Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Korean and other “inauthentic” productions. That is, the nationalities of the products do not determine its stylishness and taste. The conclusion therefore explores the application of “translocal” approach, and proposes a revision on our definition as well as understanding on the nature of Japanese popular culture.