Weird Japan (?) in the News

"Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place"

Photo by Torin Boyd/Polaris, for The New York Times

Photo caption: Though street crime is relatively low in Japan, quirky camouflage designs like this vending-machine dress are being offered to an increasingly anxious public to hide from would-be assailants.

My Body/Comm student brought this article to my attention as an example of "outlandish Japanese nonverbal communication." We have been studying clothing and fashion in Japan with the question, "What messages do people send through their clothing?" According to my student: "I'm a Coke machine!"

Is this story another example of "the weird things they do in Japan?" How does this story contribute to the image of contemporary Japanese culture?

Read more in the New York Times website. Story by Martin Fackler (October 20, 2007)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/world/asia/20japan.html?ex=1193630400&en=c0fb1e5e93dc09bf&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Be sure to check out the slide show that accompanies the story for more pictures.

Special thanks to Jonah and his mother for this story.