Ins and Outs of Japanese School Uniforms

Japan started requiring that all students wear school uniforms during the late 1800s. The uniforms were called seifuku and have changed very little since their creation. The uniform is essentially the same year round, though summer uniforms do have short sleeves and winter uniforms have long sleeves. They are used in junior and senior high schools to create student uniformity.

Girls

Girls are required to wear a sailor style dress to school. The dress has a knife pleated skirt, hemmed to a standard length just below the knee. The sailor style top has a large rectangular collar in the back. Under the collar is a scarf in a contrasting color, usually red or white, which ties mid chest. All students wear plain white knee high socks. The uniform also requires students to wear a pair of white tennis shoes, which double as dress shoes. Their shoes are taken off before they enter the building according to Japanese tradition.

Boys

There are two basic styles of uniform for boys. Some schools require that boys wear a uniform cut in the same style as the national army. Other schools have a more relaxed dress code. In more relaxed school environments, boys wear a white collared shirt, khaki dress pants and a tie. Like the girls, they wear knee high stocks and plain white tennis shoes.

Japanese school uniforms place all students on an even playing field, removing brands, income levels and other biases from the learning environment. Japanese school uniforms are an embedded part of the educational tradition, changing very little with current fashion trends.