Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made a Nation Cool

by Brian Ashcraft, Shoko Ueda (Primary Contributor)

"The schoolgirl is the main driver of Japan's Gross National Cool, and Brian Ashcraft's book is the best source for those hoping to understand why."—Chris Baker, WIRED Magazine

Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential takes you beyond the realm of everyday girls to the world of the iconic Japanese schoolgirl craze that is sweeping the globe.

For years, Japanese schoolgirls have appeared in hugely-popular anime and manga series such as Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Blood: The Last Vampire. These girls are literally showing up everywhere—in movies, magazines, video games, advertising, and music. WIRED Magazine has kept an eye on the trends emerging from these stylish teens, following kick-ass schoolgirl characters in videogames like Street Fighter and assassin schoolgirls in movies like Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.

By talking to Japanese women, including former and current J-Pop idols, well-known actresses, models, writers, and artists—along with famous Japanese film directors, historians and marketers—authors Brian Ashcraft and Shoko Ueda (who have both contributed to WIRED's "Japanese Schoolgirl Watch" columns) reveal the true story behind Japan's schoolgirl obsessions.

You'll learn the origins of the schoolgirls' unusual attire, and how they are becoming a global brand used to sell everything from kimchi to insurance. In Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential, you'll discover:
Sailor-suited pop-idols
Cult movie vixens
Schoolgirl shopping power
The latest uniform fashions
Japanese schoolgirls are a symbol of girl empowerment. Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential shows why they are so intensely cool. Don't miss this essential book on the Japanese youth culture craze that is driving today's pop culture worldwide.

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan, History, Fashion, Manga, Pop Culture, Travel

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Brian Ashcraft is a writer based in Japan. He is the Senior Contributing Editor for video game site Kotaku. Ashcraft was previously a Contributing Editor at Wired Magazine and his work has also appeared in Popular Science, The Guardian, The Japan Times, and design journal Metropolis Magazine as well as publications in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy and South Africa. He has been interviewed about technology, subcultures, and gaming on television in both the United States and Japan.

Ashcraft is originally from Texas and now lives in Osaka with his wife and three sons.

Reviews

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, I was wary about reading this book. It seemed like it could be a westernised and fetishised view of Japanese schoolgirl culture. However, it's an intriguing, if slightly superficial, view of the various trends and cultural movements that high school girls have inspired in Japan and worldwide. For me, the most interesting chapter was 'Cover Girls', which dealt with the rise of gyaru fashion in the 90s and mainstream society's response to it. I also liked the interview with Chiaki Kuriyama about Kill Bill, and the section about the history of schoolgirls in films. I found the chapter about video games and otome to be quite boring, but maybe that's because I don't have an interest in them anyway. Overall, this book was a nice brief overview and I'd recommend it if you're interested in this topic.

[Randee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this brief exploration into Japanese pop culture and how teenage girls have dominated trends in everything from fashion to music. Each chapter discusses a different medium in which female teens have prevailed into making something like cell phones fashionable, trendy and popular to the Japanese public. I, myself, am a big fan of Japan and found some of the origins to be quite interesting. I wish the writer had gone into more detail. Each chapter is relatively brief with lots of drawings and pictures. It's a fun book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in Japan's trends.

[S.P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, so I’ve read a book about Japanese Schoolgirls; It really isn’t what you think.

Here’s the thing. If you watch a Japanese film, anime, read manga or Japanese literature, the hero, the villain, the principle characters always seem to either be, or have connections to Japanese School Girls, and I want to know why. Why is it modern Japanese stories always feature young, strong, female characters, when other nations output almost always has girls as fodder for the male leads and, at best, love interests.

Japanese School Girls Confidential was my attempt at understanding why this is.

The format of the book, is alas, that of a teenybop magazine, (so wasn’t going to read it on the train, too pink by half), it is only short, and not very in-depth, the sections are broken down into things that Japanese school girls might find interesting - clothes, j-pop, films, mobile phones, art, computer games, girls magazines, and a section of the sailor uniform. In addition the American(?) author appears to be married to a Japanese School Girl (who co-authored the book).

All of this did not bode well for a serious discussion, and frankly gives the volume a slight tinge of the being perved at.

Despite this, the initial question was indeed answered. Japan after WWII took a long time to recover economically and up until the 80’s and 90’s, girls in Japan were expected to follow the usual traditions. In the era of the mobile phone (and before that the pager) they rebelled. So the Japanese School Girl is the Nihon equivalent of the Rockers and Mods in the 50s & 60s, or the Punks in the 70s, in short, they are COOL because they don't conform to what is expected by society.

With my interest piqued, I also found the desire for conformity interesting - so a rebel, that conforms to the norm of being a rebel... (to the point where some girls wear ‘fake’ school uniforms outside of school). I also enjoyed some of the artwork of some of the young Japanese artists, the anime/manga, and was even surprised by the inclusion of a bibliography at the back.

Overall not an all bad book then, but a little of the kawaii side for me, and needed more depth and maybe even some academic rigour.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty entertaining book, though it is quiet short and tells a lot of its story through pictures. If you're looking for an in-depth description of elements of Japanese popular culture, this isn't it. But it touches on quite a few interesting elements, and it's an entertaining, light read.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book!

[Samantha Brattle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book that is a must for all fans of Japanese culture.

[Puty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought it in Periplus' discount section and not disappointed at all. Despite its kawaii look, it consists a lot of history and references about Japanese obesssion of school girls, from the history of the uniform, the idol culture, school girls appearances on media like music, movies, magazine, manga, anime, fine art and of course, their economic significance. If you're really really into this topic, it's a good one. Decorated with all the photos and academic references.

However, if you're just a casual reader curious about why everybody loves Sailor Moon a lot, this book will be too lengthy.

[MAILA · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 bintang karena ada oshiku di buku ini wqwq
di buku ini bakal ada sedikit trivia dan informasi tentang idol grup dan akb48 ya. buat yang gaktau apa mereka dan mungkin memandang dalam hal negatif mereka juga, maka wajib banget baca buku ini hehehehe.

apalagi oshiku yang kebetulan di bahas di buku ini begitu powerful dan keren. saya jamin kamu bakal terinspirasi (sedikit) oleh beliau. karena dibandingkan sedih saat tertimpa masalah, ia bisa bangkit dengan begitu hebat hingga menjadi se-terkenal sekarang. kalau dulu dia cuma dikenal di kalangan wota, sekarang dia benar-benar hampir terkenal di seluruh Jepang di usianya yangggg baru 23 tahun!

duh, saya ini ngidolain dia juga bimbang sih. kayak, bisa gak ya saya sesukses beliau di usia 23 nanti hadeeeeehhhhhh

tapi buku ini gak bahas tentang oshi saya doang kok. seperti judul, ini membahas tentang seragam sekolah khas jepang. mulai dari sejarahnya, jenis-jenis sampai bahan pakaiannya sampai aspek seragam itu dalam kehidupan sehari2.
misal dipakai buat cosplay, buat seragam kerja sebuah kafe, dipakai dalam kostum menyanyi, dipakai dalam film, dalam photo book dll.

jenis seragam kesukaan saya tentu saja yang blazer dan sailor seperti dalam film Blue, Linda linda Linda, swing girls dan girls complex hhe.

KESUKAAN!

[Holly Letson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you get past the boring first chapter of this book, which discusses uniforms, this book is really good. I'd give it 4.5 stars myself. I won this book from Tuttle here on Goodreads from First Reads. I was excited to receive it, and was not let down.
I consider myself pretty read-up and in-the-know about anime and manga. But, still, I enjoyed reading that section of the book, and learning the stories behind what we read and watch.
I also enjoyed reading the sections on music and gaming as well. I am not a huge fan of AKB48, but do love the AKB0048 anime(s) which they influenced. I have not played many dating sim games, either, since I usually prefer fighting games, RPGs, or puzzle games. Reading the gaming section made me really want to watch anime series like *To Heart* and *Clannad*. Maybe, I will, later on.
Overall, I feel like the authors did a great job on this book. There are few mistakes, such as "prove" spelled as "proove" and a few double or triple spacings between words, but it was very enjoyable.

[Randee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this brief exploration into Japanese pop culture and how teenage girls have dominated trends in everything from fashion to music. Each chapter discusses a different medium in which female teens have prevailed into making something like cell phones fashionable, trendy and popular to the Japanese public. I, myself, am a big fan of Japan and found some of the origins to be quite interesting. I wish the writer had gone into more detail. Each chapter is relatively brief with lots of drawings and pictures. It's a fun book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in Japan's trends.

[Dharma Agastia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book that reads more like an extended Kotaku article exploring the influence of the schoolgirl in Japanese pop culture. It jumps from topic to topic, covering wide ground, but with very little depth. Good for light reading and it is indeed a fun exploration into Japanese schoolgirl history, but it doesn't dive in too deep into more perplexing social issues surrounding the image of the schoolgirl in contemporary Japanese society.

[Shayna Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was weird.

[Lyssays · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about why schoolgirls are so ubiquitous in popular media in Japan. It’s colorful, styled like the magazines and manga that actual schoolgirls consume, and it’s actually fairly interesting. I liked the detail about the evolution of school uniforms and their rapid escalation in importance in the post-WW2 years, and the ways in which the cutesy schoolgirl ideals have been and get challenged. There is a lot of information about schoolgirls in art, the all-girl pop stars like AKB48, and some interesting stuff about schoolgirls as both subjects and consumers of anime and manga.

That said, it has its limits. The key with this book is to expect exactly what it says it will deliver and not much more. This isn’t a wider study of societal dynamics or gender roles. The sexualization of schoolgirls is dealt with deftly, but lightly, and for all that the front cover declares that the book contains interviews with “real Japanese schoolgirls!!!”, the only interviews are with those who are the exception rather than the norm. Yes, there are a handful of full page photos but they feel more gratuitous than insightful and very brief questions and answers provide little insight at all. It doesn’t feel like the authors even ventured into a school, let alone outside the major cities when it came to their research into the actual experiences of girls.For all the interesting information it shares, there’s also a fair bit of saccharine waffle about cute the Japanese schoolgirls are and how their true appeal lies in the fact they will grow into Japanese women. It was published in 2010 and it’s not just its approach to cellphones that dates it.

It’s worth a read if you’ve an interesting tin Japanese society and popular media, but remember to read it with a grain or several of salt.

[Ian Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines different facets of Japanese pop culture (movies, video games, magazines, fashion, visual art, etc.) through the lens of schoolgirl culture, putting forth the thesis that all of these aspects of Japanese culture moved forward because of progressive schoolgirls (or companies making products aimed at or about schoolgirls). While this is a bit of an oversimplification, the setup allows authors Ashcraft and Ueda to provide a fun, image-filled overview of all of these aspects of Japanese culture and more from roughly the 1960s to the 2010s (with a focus on the '90s onward). As others have pointed out, this can lead to, at times, superficial discussions that will bore Japanese pop culture experts, but since the book aims to provide an overview, those wanting more are given more than a few jumping-off points (including a bibliography at the end).

The book design and images are also excellent, which adds tremendously to the quality of the physical book. Recommended to anyone who wants to know more about schoolgirl culture, or is looking to dive into Japanese pop culture in general.

[Kalle Wescott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read /Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made a Nation Cool/, by Brian Ashcraft.

Having experienced the real thing in high school, I disagree with the thesis of this scholarly tome.

If I see one more Minnie Mouse shirt or another Hello Kitty brand knockoff, you'll hear me shout BANZAI and go all KAMIKAZE on someone!

(Pro tip which made the scholarly tome worth reading: Japanese schoolgirls use a roll-on glue (Hakugen's "Sock Touch") to glue the top of loose socks to their calves)

[Horror Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter focus on one aspect of Japan's pop culture (video games, fashion magazines, manga, etc.) and explains how young girls have inspired it. Some chapters I found way more interesting than others (the one on magazines and video games were so much fun to read about), and I wish there was more depth to some of the featured interviews (most were just snippets of conversations). If you want something comprehensive, this is not it. But if you just want a short glimpse into some aspects of Japan's pop culture, this is fun read.

[Miri Gifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially the history of Japanese pop culture, which is pretty cool—I had no idea how influential Japanese teenage girls are, and in ways that have spread to the entire rest of the world, too. They're the ones who popularized texting, and they used to do it with pagers even before cell phones! Lots of interesting information in this book, written by a husband and wife team (pretty sure she's Japanese and he's American).

[Sae-chan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still think that the exploitation of highschool girls is just ... because they're the demographic that are the easiest to exploit. As simple as that. In a society with parents that have cash to go around but little time to spare for their kids... explosive result!

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute book that tells you things that you really wouldn't expect about Japanese schoolgirls.

[Josh Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who has ever shown an interest in Japanese culture, Brain Ashcraft's 'Japanese SchoolGirl Confidential' brings 200 pages of well-written, thouroghly engaging historical facts and trivia surrounding what you'll learn to be almost the bread and butter of modern Japanese society.

Even though the book's cover may not be the first thing you'd like to envision other commuters eye-balling on your way to work - and certainly being one to raise a few questions when seen sitting on your bookshelf - chances are by just knowing this book exists means your shelves and hands have already carried their fair share of Japanese manga, anime dvds and countless pieces of pop-culture merchandise spawning from the country that the girls in question helped popularise.

For that reason, you're probably already well equipped to fend off anyone who dares question why you'd be so interesting in learning more about the personalities portrayed in many of those aforementioned items.

Whether you're a self-proclaimed 'otaku' or a newbie to the world of Japanese entertainment, reading Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential will definitely broaden your knowledge of just why your Japanese anime/manga/video game collections almost always showcase a young girl in a cute sailor uniform.

While music and fashion may be the first things you imagine schoolgirls of any country following like a dog chasing a slab of meat, did you really expect girls of this age bracket to be the ones recording and creating a large chunk of those products? How about eventually becoming the reason why text messaging and camera phones existed?

There's a lot you don't know about how much power young girls can have on people's spending habits. And there's a lot you can learn through this particularly colourful book that takes a much more interesting route through history than what most of these girls can expect in their highschool lives.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is basically a history book about how Japanese schoolgirls have influenced the development of Japanese culture and it is an absolutely fascinating work. It covers everything from tamogatchi through picture booths through the idea of schoolgirls dating older guys to get money.

The first chapter deals with the sailor uniforms that girls wear to school, where they came from and how they changed through the ages. The second chapter talks about music and idols such as Morning Musume and Seiko Matsuda. The basic idea is that idols need to appear to be pure and do nothing 'wrong' or 'nasty,' even though many males are drawn to the groups since they are often either cute or sexy or both.

The history of how things can go wrong, such as in the case of Kago Ai, is also covered.

The third chapter is about girls on film, both in anime film and in regular film. Many of their appearances are involved with extreme violence, sex, or sex and violence. The Whispering Corridors series of movies is a perfect example of this.

Chapter four goes into the types of things the schools buy and how this has influenced the grown of certain industries including the cell phone. Chapter five is about how there are many magazines in Japan that feature schoolgirls on the cover. One specific example is Fruits magazine, which has pictures of Japanese girls wearing rather wild outfits. There's even some regular books about their fashion choices.

Chapter six is about how schoolgirls have influenced art in Japan and chapter seven is about schoolgirls in the various videogames, including those that are primarily pornographic in nature, and those that are basically exclusively romantic in nature.

Chapter eight is about Japanese anime and how schoolgirls appear in both anime programs and in the very popular manga.

This is just an inkling of all the really fascinating information in this book.

[M.L. Sparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all things Japanese and am really fascinated by the culture, so as soon as I heard about this book I knew I wanted to read it. Unfortunately it’s actually quite expensive on Amazon – both Kindle and Paperback – but I recently discovered it at the Manga Museum in Kyoto for half the price and immediately snapped it up!

It’s a light, entertaining read and I actually found it very interesting. After reading this there are several more Japanese books on my wish list as well as films I’ve made a note to see and artists I’d like to check out. Though I can see the appeal of the school uniform, because it does look good, Japan has taken it to a whole new level and this book attempts to understand the obsession. It touches upon the sexual reasons but the main idea is that it makes people nostalgic and that schoolgirls are seen as a symbol of the future. These last two ideas are repeated quite a lot and I did find it getting repetitive in places but for the most part I enjoyed this book. Not only was it interesting and insightful but it also has great pictures and a fun, bright layout.

To see more reviews, or to read my favourite quotes from this book, visit my blog at http://mlsparrow.wix.com/mlsparrow

[John King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call it serendipity, but I came across this book while taking an online course in Japanese Subcultures given by Keio University. It fit right in. The Japanese schoolgirl in her habitual sailor suit, navy blazer, socks and loafers is an icon of that country and has been exported in movies, musical groups, computer games, visual novels and mangas, and other vehicles such as fake sexed up school uniforms marketed to older women. She can be anything from a pure and innocent student to an avenging demon with a bloody katana (sword) or a machine gun instead of an arm. But whatever she is she is always an idol, and one of Japan's strongest markets. Whether in recession or expansion she always carries 10,000 yen in her kawaii (cute) Hello Kitty money purse (originating in 1975) and is eager to spend it on the latest schoolgirl fad. Marketers have set up councils of real schoolgirls to discuss their likes and desires. They are given trial test products to show their friends. They are revered and looked at by adults as being at the height of what life offers: young, cute, and free.
This was a good book addressing the history of her uniform and the many different kinds of pedestals she poses on. It also gives us insight into a country of many strange contradictions.

[Jen Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential explores the popularity of the schoolgirl in Japanese media. With chapters examining fashion, music and manga, it offers a brief insight into the cultural developments of twentieth-century Japan, and the key role young women played in shaping Japanese culture as we know it today.

Don't let the cutesy pink cover fool you - Ashcraft's written a serious collection of short essays on the subject (albeit in an easy-going, colloquial style), and the book is full of interesting snippets of historical research, as well as interviews with cultural icons and snapshots of real-life schoolgirls.

Of course, we can't ignore the misogynistic and capitalist pressures that have often placed schoolgirls in the limelight - and Ashcraft isn't afraid to call this out. I only wish the book was a bit longer, so some of the discussions could be more in-depth. But at its heart, Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential is a celebration of the creativity and power of these young women: how teenage girls made a nation cool.

[Hollowspine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I know much more than I needed or ever wanted to know about Japanese School Uniforms. It was interesting to read about some of the Japanese Originals, like the Ko-Gals, and also to take a look at the language of teenage girls in Japan, similar to the text speak we have developed among young girls here. The face letters ( ^o^ ) of course originated in Japan, but in teenage girls rather than anyone else.

I don't think teenage girls are very trendsetting here in the States...at least I hope not. I think they mainly just consume what the corporations feed to them.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an light overview of what kind of impact Japanese schoolgirl have had in popular culture. The first chapter covers the history of school uniforms, and the other chapters thematically cover the rest of pop culture. It's a good book for getting an understanding of that part of Japanese culture. It avoids a prurient and immature view of schoolgirls and goes for an understanding of them beyond sexual fetishes but rather the independence and economic power of teen girls that give them cultural power. The author's magazine writing background makes for a quick and engaging book.

[The Angry Lawn Gnome · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief popular introduction to, well, what the title says. I'm afraid I had a very difficult time following the book, as there were a lot of names thrown at the the reader, and my sense is the text assumed a level of knowledge upon opening this book that I simply do not have. Covers everything from movies, television, anime, manga and video games, but does so in kind of a scattershot fashion. Can't argue w/the central thesis, though.

ISBN # 9781462914098, which does not appear when searching GoodReads. Read via library borrow on my Kindle app, so I tagged it based upon the ASIN.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It's right along the lines of Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno. It's a quick read on the cultural influence of schoolgirls on Japan. The chapters are broken up in to different mediums and themes. I greatly prefer the focus on fashion and culture rather than anime and manga in this book. Absolutely recommended to anyone interested in modern Japanese pop culture.

[Yue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schoolgirls are taken for granted in Japanese Culture (to us Western I mean), but they are really something. They are everywhere: music (AKB48, Morning Musume), movies (Battle Royale, Kill Bill), manga (Sailor Moon), games... And Japanese girls even COSPLAY. Like, there are "fake" uniforms that girls purchase, that are cuter or better looking than the real uniforms.

I loved the book, it is very complete and with many details. And many beautiful pictures.

[kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and entertaining read! I liked that it discusses theories about how the school girl is a Japanese icon (and of course, other elements of pop culture) but does not use the academic approach and instead talks about things in a friendlier and more consumable way. And the pictures! They are glorious! Great for anyone fascinated by the Japanese culture AND those who have yet to get into the fan club.