Has the woke brigade, as some disparagingly call it, finally caught up with Japan?
The gentrification of Kabukicho is still ongoing and a new commercial complex, imaginatively called Kabukicho Tower, recently opened in the Shinjuku nightlight and red-light district.
Many noted that though it has conventionally gendered toilets on the upper floors, its ground-floor restrooms are “all genders.” The only segregation is by whether you want to stand or sit down (at least, according to the pictographs, though in reality the systems means there is a toilet de facto just for men and then another for everyone to share).
Some have hailed this as a step in the right direction; others have noted that it may be exploited by people who wish to grope or spy on others.
And now comes the news that some junior high schools in Japan are introducing genderless swimwear for their students.
The swimwear comes in two parts: a pair of shorts and a long-sleeved top with a main zipper. There is a pocket/slot for adding padding if you have breasts.
It’s sold by the Tokyo-based Footmark. Though announced last June, it only went on sale earlier this week. Three public junior high schools in Tokyo and Hyogo have currently adopted the design and allow students to choose it.
The product has attracted massive media coverage this week, which is likely to result in interest from more schools.
Will this mean simply diversification of choice for school students? Or does this spell the end of the classic schoolgirl swimsuit that had its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s?
With its figure-hugging design, plain navy color (sometimes with white trim), and alluring shoulder straps, female school swimwear is such a staple of erotic fantasies in Japan, fueled no doubt by male content creators who lusted after their female cohorts at school and still retained those memories decades later. You can find such swimsuits on the pages of adult manga, in eroge games, and of course in scene after scene in Japanese porn.
It goes without saying that you can buy costumes based on the classic schoolgirl swimsuit to answer your role-play needs and fantasies.
Here is a chart showing the evolution of the school swimsuit in Japan. No prizes for guessing which era of female swimsuit is preferred by guys.
