Complete Guide to Japanese Street Snap Websites
18 January 2009
Introduction
A comprehensive breakdown of all the internet's Japanese street photography sites
Mainstream Style
Mainstream style photography sites focus on pictures of young men and women who have particularly good personal style. Or conversely, the sites hold photo shoots with down-to-earth models in their own trendy outfits. These sites are targeted towards young fashion consumers and often provide brand and pricing information for the individual items.
Fashionsnap
http://fashionsnap.com
Fashionsnap has provided high-quality photography of well-dressed Tokyo dwellers since 2005. What the site lacks in quantity of photographs it makes up in the extensive information about the photo subjects: close-ups on items, personal information, brand names, prices, and general style preferences. The searchable brand index is also very useful, letting you see other street shots with items from the same labels.
The site currently offers a small amount of content in English, as well as a monthly audio podcast in Japanese. Fashionsnap is also responsible for a weekly column on street trends in Nikkei Trendy called Mode on Street.
ar*um
http://ar-um.jp/street/index.html
ar*um is an online magazine produced by optics company Olympus in conjunction with its UVAS apparel industry consulting and systems business. The site offers daily street shots featuring a stable of dokusha models. Each entry offers multiple shots of the girls with close-ups on items, categorization by personal style, media preferences of models, and brand and pricing information on the individual items (linked to e-commerce searches). The information is extremely useful, but since the photo shoots are organized by the site, it unclear if the models' clothing and styling is a natural reflection of the women's personal preferences. ar*um remains useful, however, as one of the few free websites offering pictures of women in the Oneekei and Post-Gyaru styles.
Vogue Nippon
http://www.vogue.co.jp/fashion/tokyostyle/08spring/
In addition to the print magazine, Vogue Nippon offers a series of street snaps online each season — sometimes shot on the street, sometimes at parties. Styling, price, and brand information are given in both Japanese and English.
Style Arena
http://style-arena.jp/street/
Style-Arena is the Japan Fashion Association's attempt to beam out the latest Japanese youth fashion to the rest of the world. Although the site is primarily in Japanese, the site offers a significant amount of content in English, Chinese, and Korean. The focus is primarily on youth fashion and reasonably-priced independent boutiques rather than high-end brands or arty designer wear.
30 street snaps are updated each week: six people in five distinct Tokyo neighborhoods. Most pictures are accompanied by close-up shots on the items and information about the subject's favorite brands and shops. Readers can then vote on certain styles. Although the core street snaps are amateurs, the site does offer diaries and special photo shoots with dokusha models, referred to as "premiere members."
Style-Arena also provides photos for Yahoo! Japan Auctions' Street Snap page. These are updated once every two weeks.
Trends in Japan - Street Style
http://web-japan.org/trends/08_style/index.html
This English and Chinese site — sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — gives sixteen portraits each month of stylish men and women in the Tokyo area (three pictures per individual subject). The pictures, however, are not accompanied with price, brand, or personal information.
Rakuten - On the Street
http://event.rakuten.co.jp/boys/street
Every two weeks, Rakuten offers four shots of young men's street fashion.
Mainstream style photography sites focus on pictures of young men and women who have particularly good personal style. Or conversely, the sites hold photo shoots with down-to-earth models in their own trendy outfits. These sites are targeted towards young fashion consumers and often provide brand and pricing information for the individual items.
Fashionsnap
http://fashionsnap.com
Fashionsnap has provided high-quality photography of well-dressed Tokyo dwellers since 2005. What the site lacks in quantity of photographs it makes up in the extensive information about the photo subjects: close-ups on items, personal information, brand names, prices, and general style preferences. The searchable brand index is also very useful, letting you see other street shots with items from the same labels.
The site currently offers a small amount of content in English, as well as a monthly audio podcast in Japanese. Fashionsnap is also responsible for a weekly column on street trends in Nikkei Trendy called Mode on Street.
ar*um
http://ar-um.jp/street/index.html
ar*um is an online magazine produced by optics company Olympus in conjunction with its UVAS apparel industry consulting and systems business. The site offers daily street shots featuring a stable of dokusha models. Each entry offers multiple shots of the girls with close-ups on items, categorization by personal style, media preferences of models, and brand and pricing information on the individual items (linked to e-commerce searches). The information is extremely useful, but since the photo shoots are organized by the site, it unclear if the models' clothing and styling is a natural reflection of the women's personal preferences. ar*um remains useful, however, as one of the few free websites offering pictures of women in the Oneekei and Post-Gyaru styles.
Vogue Nippon
http://www.vogue.co.jp/fashion/tokyostyle/08spring/
In addition to the print magazine, Vogue Nippon offers a series of street snaps online each season — sometimes shot on the street, sometimes at parties. Styling, price, and brand information are given in both Japanese and English.
Style Arena
http://style-arena.jp/street/
Style-Arena is the Japan Fashion Association's attempt to beam out the latest Japanese youth fashion to the rest of the world. Although the site is primarily in Japanese, the site offers a significant amount of content in English, Chinese, and Korean. The focus is primarily on youth fashion and reasonably-priced independent boutiques rather than high-end brands or arty designer wear.
30 street snaps are updated each week: six people in five distinct Tokyo neighborhoods. Most pictures are accompanied by close-up shots on the items and information about the subject's favorite brands and shops. Readers can then vote on certain styles. Although the core street snaps are amateurs, the site does offer diaries and special photo shoots with dokusha models, referred to as "premiere members."
Style-Arena also provides photos for Yahoo! Japan Auctions' Street Snap page. These are updated once every two weeks.
Trends in Japan - Street Style
http://web-japan.org/trends/08_style/index.html
This English and Chinese site — sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — gives sixteen portraits each month of stylish men and women in the Tokyo area (three pictures per individual subject). The pictures, however, are not accompanied with price, brand, or personal information.
Rakuten - On the Street
http://event.rakuten.co.jp/boys/street
Every two weeks, Rakuten offers four shots of young men's street fashion.