Japanese subcultures

, also known as , or simply the Japanese Mafia, are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term yakuza is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization.

thumb|upright=1.6|Cosplayers at Yukicon 2014, a fan convention in Finland thumb|Three cosplayers at the Comic book convention|Comic Con in [[Long Beach 2014, representing James T. Kirk (Star Trek), the superheroine Wonder Woman (DC Universe), and supervillain Loki (Marvel Universe)]] A cosplay (a portmanteau of "costume play") is the activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-pla

movement among Japanese musicians defined by a strong focus on visual expression through outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles

fashion subculture originating in Japan

thumb|alt=Illustration of Wikipe-tan as a catgirl. She is a young girl with blue hair, cat ears and a tail, wearing a maid dress, and is laying down on all fours with one hand forward posing as a cat.|A shōjo| illustration of Wikipe-tan as a catgirl maid, with cat ears and a tail.

thumb|200px|right|A or wandering Shibuya in 2007 '''''' (, ) is a Japanese fashion subculture for all ages, often associated with gaudy fashion styles, an extreme makeup style and dyed hair. The term is a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word . In Japan, it is used to refer to young women who are cheerful, sociable, and adopt trendy fashions, serving as a stereotype of culture as well as fashion. The fashion subculture was considered to be nonconformist and rebelling against Japanese social and aesthetic standards during a time when women were expected to be housewives and to fit

right|thumb|Lafcadio Hearn, who adopted the Japanese name Koizumi Yakumo, was an early Western advocate of Japanese culture.

synchronized dance that originated in Japan

thumb|upright=1.3|A group of in 2013 is a Japanese youth subculture associated with customized motorcycles. The first appearance of these types of biker gangs was in the 1950s. Popularity peaked at an estimated 42,510 members in 1982. Their numbers dropped dramatically in the 2000s, with fewer than 7,297 members in 2012. Later, in 2020, a rally that used to attract thousands of members only had 53 members, with police stating that it was a long time since they had to round up that many people.

is an alternative fashion trend among young Japanese women which peaked in popularity around the year 2000 and evolved from gyaru.

contemporary Japanese fashion trends

In Japan, a is a person aged 18 to 34 who is unemployed, underemployed, or otherwise lacks full-time paid employment. The term excludes stay-at-home spouses and students.

thumb|A selfie of an otokonoko in maid attire, [[Chengdu, China (2024)]]

thumb|A promotional image of collectible Shizukuishi kyuun kyuun toilet paper, with images from the omorashi comic Iinari! Aibure-shon

thumb|A Nissan Micra featuring Hinagiku Katsura from the manga series [[Hayate the Combat Butler]] thumb|A Mazda 3 featuring Yamato from the video game [[Kantai Collection]] thumb|alt=i|A Triumph Bonneville T100 featuring Flint from [[Girls und Panzer]]

is a Japanese term meaning , and the female equivalent to the male in Japanese culture. The usage of the word refers to either the leader of a girl gang or the entire gang itself, and is not used to refer to any one member of a girl gang.

, also transliterated as nampa, in Japanese culture is a type of flirting and seduction popular among teenagers and people in their twenties and thirties.

thumb|Kogal girls, identified by shortened Japanese school uniform skirts. The two leftmost girls are also wearing [[loose socks.]]

thumb|Fans performing wotagei in Akihabara, Tokyo , also known as , is a type of dancing and cheering gestures performed by wota, fans of Japanese idol singers (and thus seen as Akiba-kei), involving jumping, clapping, arm-waving and chanting slogans. Wotagei is performed at concerts, or at events such as anime and manga conventions and meetings of idol fan groups, and it is thought to have developed from the ōendan, organised cheering squads common at sporting events in Japan. Wotagei is particularly associated with fans of Hello! Project, AKB48, and Vocaloid idols including Hatsune Miku, as

right|thumb|A kemono character, exhibiting animal features such as a muzzle and fur right|thumb|368x368px|A kemonomimi character, exhibiting animal features only in the ears and tail Kemonā () is a Japanese subcultural term used to describe people who are fond of anthropomorphic animal characters, which are referred to as kemono (). These terms emerged during the late 1990s within the manga doujin culture, and they are sometimes claimed to have gained popularity when the term was used in the PlayStation 2 game .hack//G.U., released in 2000s. Interaction among kemonā initially revolved around d

homeless people in Japan sheltering in 24-hr cafes

Japanese music genre

thumb|Two Dekotora trucks thumb|"Ichibanboshi" Mitsubishi Fuso Dekotora which starred in the Torakku Yarō movie series thumb|A decotora on the side of the road in Tokyo, 2009 , an abbreviation for "decoration truck", are a style of decorated trucks in Japan. Commonly featuring neon, LED or ultraviolet lights, detailed paintjobs and murals, and stainless steel or golden parts (both on the exterior and the interior), dekotora may be created by workers out of their work trucks for fun, or they may be designed by hobbyists for special events. They are sometimes also referred to as .

, a portmanteau of "Japanese" and "noise", is the distinctively intense and experimental style of noise music that emerged in Japan from the late 1970s onward.

is a Japanese fandom subculture popular among young people, especially young women, in which a person spends significant amounts of time and money to support an idol or favorite character, primarily as a form of fan identity. It gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been compared to Western stan culture. The subculture and its activities have been criticized for enabling addiction and unhealthy spending, while businesses and economists see the trend as a potential avenue to revitalize Japan's economy.

music genre

thumb|Typical gyaruo in associated dress, 2007. Gyaruo (which can be written as ギャル男, ギャルオ, ギャル汚 in Japanese) is a sub-group of modern Japanese youth culture. They are the male equivalent of the gyaru. The o suffix added to the word is one reading of the kanji for male (男). The kanji for 'dirty' in Japanese (汚), which also has the same reading, is often used by gyaru and gyaruo in a light hearted way, poking fun at themselves because of the reputation that their subculture has gained within society due to their dark skin, hairstyles and often gritty, rough style of clothing that they wear. Gya

Japanification () is the process of becoming or wishing to become a member of Japanese society. It most commonly refers to expats living for an extended period of time in Japan, though it may also be used to describe persons living outside Japan who have a certain affinity to some aspect of Japanese culture. Cultural assimilation could include adoption of Japanese mannerisms, style of clothing, taste in entertainment, and sometimes aspects of Japanese language.

Japanese fashion magazine

is a Japanese slang term used to describe a person, typically a woman, with a mental health disorder. The term may refer to fictional characters who exhibit traits of mental illness or to participants in mental health-inspired fashion subculture.

Japanese fashion festival

modern pattern for dating where a group of single people organize a night out with the hope of forming romantic partnerships

pilgrimages to "sacred sites" featured in subculture content such as manga and anime

Japanese fashion subculture

culture of the Taisho period in Japan