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Gaijin Gyaru
29/AUG/2009 on air

Gyaru fashion is getting popular among foreigners?
A banker from Switzerland visits Japan every year. She likes Japanese Gyaru model such as Tsubasa Masuwaka and Kumikki. There were a student from Denmark and Sweden, models from the U.S and Brazil, high school couple from Mexico, 2 Russian women, and even a 15-year-old middle school girl from France. It was 484 foreigners that Tokyo Kawaii TV counted at the entrance of Shibuya 109 by the time it closed 9 pm. This number means a foreigner per 80 seconds.

It’s been 10 years from the birth of “Gyaru” in Japan. Nowadays “Gyaru” is getting popular in foreign countries, too? In Barcelona Spain, there is a Gyaru circle (a group of Gyaru) of Spanish college girls. They formed it 2 years ago. Some of them visited Tokyo this summer to shop Gyaru items and clothes in Shibuya.

“Everything’s cute!”
“I feel like spending all the money I have here!”
They are very much excited at several stores (such as COCOLULU, DELYLE and JSG) in Shibuya 109, which must be the most familiar department stores they knew from Japanese Gyaru magazines they read in Spain.
They stay 2 weeks in Tokyo, a weekly rental condominium for 3000 yen per person. They cannot spend much money for foods, because they want to spend money for shopping! Their meals are either from convenience store or fast food.

Over 100 items are on the beds that are what they purchased in Japan. “There’s no shoes like this much kawaii in Spain!” They bought Yukata only because they wanted to dress it to the Hanabi (fireworks) night. Good for them, they were picked by good-looking Japanese men there.

The members of Gyaru group meet up once a week to dance ParaPara. They also like to visit the store “AKIBA” in Barcelona where Japanese anime goods, decoden stickers, Gothloli outfit, and a bit awkward Purikura machine are available.

The Spanish Gyaru girls are willing to pay 3 times more money to buy Japanese Gyaru fashion magazine in Spain. They like a Gyaru model Aina Tanaka.

Salon del Manga is a Japanese culture event in Barcelona that has been held since 1995. There were as many as 60,000 people visiting this event in 2008. This event has turned young Spanish people more interested in Japanese culture. Teens and young 20s Spanish boys and girls hold ParaPara contest every month at a youth center. “Music and dance are totally different from ours!” “I can even make friends with people who I dance with for the first time.” They are excited about ParaPara dance today, which used to be very popular among Shibuya girls 10 years ago.

There is even a foreign Gyaruo (men’s version of Gyaru) in Shibuya these days. Alex from Russia never fails to go to a hair salon that is popular among hosts for Mori hairstyle whenever he goes to Shibuya. He is an international student to a Japanese private university but he looks as if he were a model or host (“host” here means something different from host in English, as explained here. “I didn’t know this kind of fashion until I came to Japan. I think it’s cool!” He has a girl friend for 6 months who is also a Gyaru.

At an office of egg magazine Spanish Gyaru girls can finally meet their dream model Aina Tanaka in person. Moreover they learned how to do Gyaru makeup from egg models. “Because we are afraid of mottled face in the future, we do not burn the face. Only for the body to get tanned, we go to a tanning salon.

For the face, use the same colored foundation.” “Gyaru need tanned skin color!” “Use a brush to paint your face with liquid foundation. In this way, your face will be smooth like a surface of pottery.” “It costs much money to be a Gyaru. We have to dye hair, decorate nails, get tanned at a tanning salon throughout the year, buy makeup and dresses, etc. I spend 50,000 yen per month for my hair and nails.” Aina shared her tips of how to be a more Gyaru-looking Gyaru. It has passed half an hour when base make was done. Spanish Gyaru girls were so happy because they could meet Aina, they spent 180,000 yen in average per person for shopping in Japan, and were called “Gaijin Gyaru” (Gaijin means foreigner) in Japan.

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Kirin’s opinion:
I’m too old for Gyaru fashion (LOL), but it’s certainly fun if one has a specific fashion genre that she loves. I sometimes feel like buying some Gyaru items to mix with my ordinal clothes but I’m too embarrassed to enter Gyaru fashion store with completely non-Gyaru looking who apparently has no connection with Gyaru fashion. I maybe a bit shy… :p

It was scary though for me to ask someone with such long nails to put makeup on my face. I personally don’t like such long ones. They can be dangerous rather kawaii…(*_*) Have you seen Gyaru in your country? What did you think of their fashion, makeup, and etc.?
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