Message from rhitlin

[Anonymous]

I have had the opportunity to visit Japan, twice, once on my own in February 2003, and once in October 2003, as part of a team of US educators. I would like to like to share one observation about the role of conformity of life in Japan based upon the juxtaposition of two images that stay in my memory. One memory I have is of Shinjuku station on a Monday morning. I was walking down the street towards the busy station as a sea of men in blue suits and white shirts were walking away from the station towards the office buildings in West Shinjuku
I remember feeling lost among this sea of people. Another image in my memory is that of Harajuku. It was in Harajuku where young Japanese men and women were able to assert their individuality in their fashion and style. The clothing and accessories chosen were a statement against the conformity I had seen in Shinjuku earlier.