Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: Having lived for some time in Japan and making Yoyogi Park an obligatory weekend haunt, it's amazing that Japanese fashion can still make me laugh. Every hopelessly unoriginal genre of "original" Japanese fashion is represented: the goth lolita, the retro punk chick, the candy raver, the skater, etc. Rule of thumb: it's best to look just like everyone else--only brighter (or in the lolita case--with a foofier little hat)... This book had me and my boyfriend in stitches at the bookstore. I realize that it's supposed to be trendy~not funny, but honestly, some of these kids look horribly silly. My only gripe: MITCHU isn't in here! The Harajuku street balladeer is the very essence of fruityness.
Rating:
Summary: Crystal clear pictures of absolute eye-candy
Review: I am in the same age category as the people who are photographed here (16-22) and I find myself so impressed with their daring and creative imagination, so mature at so young an age. What you see before you on the more than 200 pages of glossy photographs are fabulous portraits of fabulous people. An assortment of different styles are evident - punk, preppy, spins on traditional kimono and samurai costumes . . . but everywhere you look, brilliant colour permeates the eye. The photographer captures perfectly the personality of the wearer behind the outfit, caught in their street environment.
I gave this book 4 stars for it's lack of depth - there are only the pictures with a bare four line outline of the style of the work (which really don't say anything, as though the person photographed really didn't give a damn about explaining their look to the interviewer)
Rating: 
Summary: Get this book even if you are "normal"
Review: I am not an extreme dresser. One look in my closet will reveal a scale of solid earth tones. Pick any two items and there's a 90% chance they'll match. I look to GQ, Maxim, FHM and Stuff for fashion guidance.Even so, I am absolutely in love with this book. I don't buy into that "dare to be different and question the establishment" BS. Those are excuses used by teenagers with personality issues. Simply put, these Japanese teens are using outfits to practice their creativity. It allows them to deal with the confusion, frustration, and feelings of omnipotence associated with the teenage years of development and expend all that energy. This is what's so engrossing about this book: youthful energy and creativity in every outfit. It is easy to draw humor from the oddity of this book and shake ones head in disbelief. But that would be missing the point of the exercise. Although some outfits are sure to draw ridicule, others are mesmerizing beautiful. Against the shimmering backdrop of busy Japanese city streets, each picture offers layers of depth that a reader can truely spend some time exploring. I am not changing my dressing habbits anytime soon. They will find a cure for Jerry's Kids before I wear platform shoes. In the meantime this book has been allotted a semi-permanent spot on my coffee table where it will draw the attention of anyone who dares to sits down on my beige sofa.
Rating:
Summary: Yummy, colorful, and enduring Eye Candy!
Review: I bought this book the moment it was released, based upon the cover photo which I saw in a magazine. This book is really fun-- if you like colors, can appreciate a whacky sense of fashion, and the extremeness of this particular collection. What I did not bargain for were the catchy captions for each subject: i.e."What is your point of fashion?" and "What is your latest obsession?" Some of the subject's replies' were great, especially the guy whose latest obsession was "digging holes". In addition to the interesting poses, photography, and creativity, the captions make this book fun to have, fun to pass around...and I am extremely happy that I found this piece of bound eye candy!
Rating:
Summary: Japanese Hip Kids Unite!
Review: I bought two copies recently, one for me and one for my Japayuki of a brother. We both love the inventive, whimsical, downright creative clothes. American Street fashion is dead compared to this! BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: I can't put this book down
Review: I carry this book with me all the time. I love looking at the photos whenever I feel like it. The clothing and people themselves are so colorful and creative. It's a mixture of designer fashions [often customized], hair dye, light-up jewelry, skirts, huge platform boots, homemade clothing and accessories, striped socks, and crazy purses. Every picture has a person or couple with their own style. Some of the same people are even in photos more than once. Each page has a small bio with the person's name and age, the clothing brands worn, and a 'point of fashion'.
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: i have yet to buy this book, my best friend and i always look at it...it's addicting...it's very stimulating...i love the clothes and the only last 2 words i have are fashion bible...:)
Rating:
Summary: Delightful pictures, hard-to-read text
Review: I love being able to see an area of the world where people delight in being creative (and usually outrageous), but I'm disappointed that so much of the text is difficult or impossible to read. On too many pages, the text doesn't stand out from its background enough; for example, the introduction is in charteuse letters on a bright pink background (or something like that). Also, "Point of Fashion," which is stated for most pictures, is never defined, and I could not tell exactly what it means.
Rating:
Summary: Selling Japanese Fruit to the World
Review: I love the work by my fellow photographer Shoichi Aoki. Like me, he shoots the cool trendsetters on the streets of Tokyo. Since he started his magazine FRUITS in the mid-90s he has taken countless of photographs of the coolest street fashion that the world has seen sofar. The best of these shots are compiled in this book. Aoki first started documenting street fashion in London in the mid 80's. He has told me that he taught himself how to take photographs from books. At the time Japanese fashion wasn't free at all. Inspired by the free street fashion of London the young Aoki decided he wanted to do something about Japanese staleness. In the early to mid 90's things were beginning to change in Japan. The Harajuku area in Tokyo had its main thoroughfare closed off on Sundays and this was attracting more and more bands and show offs. The 'pedestrian heaven' (hokoten) as it was called became a laboratory and incubation center for new trends in music and fashion. "In Japan," Aoki told me recently, "everybody had always dressed the same. Whatever was popular was worn by everyone. Everybody would wear Comme des Garçons or Ivy or whatever brand was 'in'. But suddenly Harajuku became free. People started to feel that it was cool to coordinate your own clothes. Harajuku fashion became really interesting and fun." He recalls: "You had this small group of trendsetters, perhaps 10 to 20 people. Whenever they came up with something new, others would soon imitate them. But these imitators weren't as cool as the original trendsetters so the trendsetters didn't want to be identified with them." "To differentiate themselves again they came up with new things. It just escalated. They kept on trying to escape from their imitators right into "decora" (fashion style sporting lots of decorative stuff and strong bright colors). They figured nobody would follow them into wearing clothes that crazy." FRUITS shows these 'crazy' trends in all their details. The book has virtually no text, just page after page of exquisitely printed color photographs. Aoki's photographs are unique in that he shows the full body, from head to toe, in actual street situations. This is much better than shots done in the studio. It is like photographing animals in the wild opposed to photographing them in the zoo. Full body shots makes it possible to not only see the pants, skirts, dresses, coats and sweaters, but also the shoes, socks, stockings, hats and wild hairdos in all their glory. Short descriptions explain what each person is wearing, their age and their 'obsession'. If you want to put to rest the myth that Japanese people are not creative and original, you just have got to read this book. You'll find it a great inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: Sub-culture, sub-culture, sub-culture!
Review: I love this book! I haven't bought it yet myself, but everytime I'm on Bardstown Rd/Baxter Ave (which is Louisville, KY's sub-culture central) I go to the Carltown Bookstore and sit and look at this book. I'm going to ask for it for my birthday, b/c I really don't have much money to spare. This book has some of the best sub-culture-portraying photography I've seen in a long while. It celebrates the many eccentric dressers in beautiful Japan, which is chock-full of sub-culture.
If you love fashion, or sub-cultures, or both, than you should definitely pick up this book.
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