Tokyo Knows How to Make a Statement

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“I value personality in fashion because I don’t like to look like others. I have an outgoing personality, so I like to use a lot of bright colors.” — Miku Odamaki, 17, studentCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I work in a factory for a company that makes train components,” Anri Toyama, 30, at right, said. “My job is simple, like putting on stickers. At work, I wear black, skinny pants and the company’s T-shirt. I don’t want to wear the oversized overalls which some of my co-workers wear.”

“I wore clothes like these when I was in Aichi [where I’m from], but Tokyo has a freer atmosphere,” her son, Kairi, 12, at left, said. “I wear what I like, and I like punk style.”

CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times Kana Tsutsui, 21, a fashion stylist.CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I don’t have money, but I go to Laforet [to buy clothes]. I see a lot of fashionable people in Tokyo; I get inspired by them,” said Ryuhei Ueda, left, a college student.

“My style hasn’t changed since I moved to Tokyo,” said Misui, who is also a college student, from Shonan, a town located along the coast. “Tokyo has a different style from Shonan and I like both of them. In Shonan, I wear surfer style. In Harajuku, I wear casual clothes.”

CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I get inspired by European movies. I like Sophia Coppola. Fashion makes me feel happier; When I’m going out with a friend of mine, I’m thinking about what to wear.” — Yuriko Kudo, 25, a modelCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I choose clothes based on my mood of the day, playing with many different colors. Fashion is something that comes naturally to me. I don’t even have to think about it.” — Natsumi Kamono, 27, an aspiring pop starCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I pick clothes based on the weather of the day and the music I listen to in the morning. Also, I choose clothes that go with my hair,” said Atsushi Narumi, 23. “Fashion turns things I don’t like about myself into something positive.”CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “These are denim assemblages and the orange scarf is vintage. I’ve wanted to do this style so much since I saw a Gucci model doing it. My inspiration comes from social media and some friends of mine. I want to own my brand in the future.” — Najwa Waiboottree, 18, student, centerCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “Right now owl cafes are popular in Japan; it’s easy to touch one and treat them in a wrong way. I’ve started teaching people who want to know how to feed or care for them,” said Fumio Igarashi, 59, an owl trainer and a former Olympic figure skater. “Because I’m taking care of these owls, I get dirty easily. It’s hard to find a stain [on this T-shirt and pants].”CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “Our personalities and styles are so different,” said Mao Yoshioka, 20, left, talking about her best friend Yuka Inamura, 21, right. “We wear completely different clothes. I like black. I like simple clothes without patterns, or maybe only one pattern. I work from Monday to Friday and I don’t get to wear what I want to wear. On weekends, I get to choose my favorite clothes and style. It’s something that I can wear without thinking about how others would think about me.”

“We wouldn’t look good the other way around,” said Ms. Inamura. “I like feminine clothes. It might to be weird to say this, but I like my style and I want to show it.”

CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I like tucking in my shirt. Fashion decorates me.” — Atsuya Mori, 20, an aspiring digital music composerCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “What I like about fashion is the idea of being able to wear whatever you want, wherever you want. I see people who worry about how they are seen by others, I hope to inspire them so they will be able to express themselves, too.” — Isaka Nohara, 19, studentCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “Fashion shows my identity: how I feel, how I think, how I live,” Minako Yamada, 22, said. “People don’t always express themselves directly with their voices or words, and that’s why they’re trying to express themselves in fashion.”CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “Japanese fashion is full of different cultures, that’s the fun part of Tokyo fashion. We are a secular society and this allows us to see things without prejudice. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but that perspective is building up the fashion culture.” — Bunta Shimizu, 20, stylist and modelCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “My style is about relaxation,” said Yosuke Ito, 25, who works for architecture-related company. “I even have a preference for pajamas. My uncle is my main inspiration. He was really into skateboards, silver accessories, and other street cultures — I got all the influences from him.”CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I’ve loved fashion since when I was young. My first inspiration was from anime I was watching at that time. Later on, I decided to go to school to study fashion. What I love about fashion is that it represents one’s inner self. When you see people you’ve never talked to, you know their personality just by looking at what they wear.” — Fuko Uchida, 20, studentCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I got this shirt in Harajuku when I was a high school student. I borrowed these pants from my younger sister. These shoes are from HARUTA, a Japanese shoe store specialized in leather loafers for students. This hat used to belong to my mother,” said Yuri Tsuruta, a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher who was hanging out in Harajuku for the day with friends. “I don’t read fashion magazines. I like to wear what I like.”CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “I love hip-hop culture. Life wouldn’t be fun without fashion.” — Sai Fu, 21, studentCreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “Style is very important because it expresses my heart. Style isn’t really about fashion trends. I wear most of my clothes for decades. Italian made is pretty good, so I wear them for thirty to forty years, ” said Mitsuhiro Ogata, 75, a retired movie producer on his way home from Mabashi Christian Church. “I don’t know much about young people’s fashion. Trends always come in cycles. Thin ties used be popular in the past, but now people like wide ones. If you keep your old clothes, they’ll become trendy again. Young people don’t know the old trends — they probably think what they are wearing is the newest.”CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times “Second-hand clothes have such a strong tie to culture. Each item of clothing has an important meaning or representation to someone in the past,” said Taro Kato, 24, left, a manager of the vintage clothing shop Flamingo. “I really wanted to work for a second-hand clothing shop. I didn’t think I could get a job anywhere else. I like learning about history and fashion and putting the two together is fun.”

“My style has changed since I moved to Tokyo,” said Shiori Furuya, 23, right, who recently started to work at Flamingo. At vintage stores, she said, “we find things we don’t see today, different patterns, materials and shapes.”

CreditAndrea DiCenzo for The New York Times