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I know little about tights in Japan. I did notice that little boys and girls wore brightly colored tights in the winter. The boys wore them with short pants the girls with skirts. This was he case in the 1970s, but almost surely began before that. Some schools in the 1990s had younger boys and girls wear tights instead of kneesocks. The boys most commonly wore white, grey, and dark blue tights while girls might wear brighter colors. A Japanese contributor informs HBC that polyester tights made, especially for boys became popular during the early 1960's. Boy's tights had no difference from women's except for a front slits for use in rest room. Most of them were made of 100 percent nylon (fabric brands are "Woollie Nylon", Helanca Nylon" etc.). Boy's tights were mainly worn for warmth in cold seasons. For this reason, older boys (up to 12) tend to wear tights under long pants, especially in northern districts in Japan. Another reason to wear tights was formal fashion. At these situation, they prefered white tights, while they wore dark color (black, brown, dark blue etc.) for casual fashion. Of course, the formal fashion indicates tights worn with short pants.
Hosiery trends in Japan varied over time. The chronology of boys wearing tights in Japan is still unclear, but some information is available. They seem first appeared in the very-late 1950s, about the same time they appeared in Ameica and West Germany. We do not yet have the precise date. Japanese boys through the 1950s appear to have worn long stockings (over the knee stockings) until the late-50s. These went out of fashion in the 1960s as tights were introduced. Tights made out of polyesters like Nylon were intoduced in the very-late-1950s or early 60s. We are not yet sure about the precise date. Conventiond for tights seem very similar to long stockings when they were introiduced. They became very popular for children, both boys and girls, again following the convetions for long stockings. There is some indication that they were at first worn more by boys than girls, but we can not yet confirm this. Tights seem to have been wide worn by the early-60s. Japanese children commonly wore tights during the 1970s and 80s. Many schools adopted them as winter wear for younger boys rather than kneesocks. At many schools they were worn, but not required. Other schools did require them. We see many photographs of both boys and girls wearing them at school. A good example is a boy at school recess wearing black tights, probably about 1980. Tights were chosen by many mothers who though that short pants were the appropriate clothes for boys, but were concerned about sending them outdoors in the cold weather dressed in shorts. This was especially true of the shorter cut short pants that Japanese boys wore. Tights thus helped keep the boys warm on cold days. Japanese boys in the 1990s now wear tights must less than previously. Tights have especially declined since the mid-1990s. A Japanese contrinutor indicates that few Japanese boys now wear tights. It is, however, still relatively common for kindergarten age boys. Boys older than 6-years old now rarely wear tights. There are a few formal exceptions, especially the entrance day of Elementary school which is a very formal occasion in Japan. We still note younger Japanese boys wearing tights in the 2000s. We think it wsas mostly boys in nirsery school or kindergarten, but perhaps boys in their first year of primary school.
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While both boys and girls wore tights in Japan, there were differences in the colors worn. Japanese boys most commonly wear white, grey, and dark blue tights while girls might wear brighter colors. Red was an especially popular color for girls, but rarely worn by boys. Girls like boys common wore white tights for dressy, fprmal occasions. The color worn by boys depended somewhat on the occasion. Generally speaking, white tights were preferred for formal occasions, while darker colors (black, brown, dark blue, etc.) were more common for casual wear. A Japanese contributor informs us that as a boy in the late 1960s/early 1970s he wore black, brown, dark blue and white tights. He says, "I liked black tights the best. Mother insisted I wear tights in the winter. I couldn't choose the color in most cases, she usually chose." He He indicated that his white tights were usually reservedf special, formal occasions. This varies slightly than with neigboring Korea where both boys and girls might wear brightly colored tights.
A Japanese contributor reports that in his district (northern part of Japan), most boys nylon tights. Some boys wore "long johns" made of cotton. In the coldest days of year, some of us wore "Bulky Tights" made of nylon and wool. Most of the tights worn by Japanese boys had plain texture (simple nylon). Some were ribbed especially "Bulky Tights" worn in the coldest days. Girls wore textured/ribbed tights much more than boys. Tights were made in both boys and girls styles. They were labeled as either boys or girls tights and howed pictures on the package of either boys or girls wearing them. The only difference, however, between the two was a front slit for use in rest room.
A Japanese contributor informs HBC that polyester tights made, especially for boys became popular during the early 1960's. Most of them were made of 100 percent nylon (fabric brands are "Woollie Nylon", Helanca Nylon" etc.).
Tights are seasonal wear in Japan, at least for boys. They were primarily worn during the colder winter months. Boy's tights were mainly worn for warmth in cold seasons. Colder wether made older boy wear tights under long pants,
We note Japanese children wearing tights for a wide range of occassions. Tights in Japan were primarily seasonal wear. Thus they were most commonly worn in the colder winter months. Some Japanese mothers, however, considered them as appropriate for dress wear and thus used them when dressing their sons for especially formal occasions or special events like recitals. These seasonal and formal conventions are the primary factors associated with tights in Japan. We do note them being worn for both school and play. We also note a more recent convention with teenagers wearing tights as a kind of funky outfit with long jean shorts.
Our information on the age at which Japanese boys wear tights is still limited. Age trends have varied over time. A Japanese reader tells us that when tights they first appeared in Japan (late-50s/early-60s) were commonly worn by primary school boys. We believe that they essentiallyvreplaced long stockings and thus inherited many of the conventions that existed fir long stockings. They apparently were most commonly worn with short pants by boys up to 9-10 years of age. Older boys up to 11-12 (the last grade of elementary school) might also wear them, but mostly with long pants. This is of course difficifult totell from the photographic record. They were rarely worn by boys after passing on to junior highschool. The age at which Japanese boys wore tights depended on several different factors. As far as we can tell, the age of boys wearing tights has fallen. We still see them being wiorn by younger boys, incliding children in pre-schools (day care and kindergartens). After boys enter school, tights rapidly decline. An exception appears to be the 1st grade boys. We see quite a number of these younger boys wearing tights, often, white tights, for their first day welcoming ceremonies. But after that first year we now see fewer boys wearing tights. Our information is still very limited on this and this is just our initial assessment. An exception here appears to be the recent phenomenon of teenagers wearing tights with jeans.
Whether a boy lived in a urban or rural area also affected the age at which tights were worn. HBC speculated that boys in the more trendy urbaan areas generally did not want to wear tights as they got older and that somewhat older boys in the more traditional rural areas might continue wearing tights. Japanese contributors, however, report that boys in urban area tend to wear tights more than then in rural areas.
It apparently depended on accesibility to stores where boys' tights can be purchased. Boy's tights were not as common as girl's in some shops.
Probably because of the climate, tights seem to have been more common in northern than souther Japan. This appears to have been especially true of oldr boys.
Boys commonly wore tights with short pants the girls with skirts. This was because most younger Japanese boys, until the 1990s, wore short pants to school and for play. Some older boys also wore tights with long pants to about 11-12. This was especially the case in northern Japan where parents and sdchools did not insist on short pants as much as in southern and central Japan. A Japanese contributor tells HBC that sometimes wore tights with shorts to school up to age 8. Some boys wore socks with tights. There were teo main reasons. One was to keep feet warm, the other was to hide tights under long pants. Some boys were shy about wearing tights. One Japanese cintributor reports that the difference between tights and socks are easy to notice even if they only
appear at narrow space between long pants and shoes.
While both boys and girls wore tights, there were differences gender differences. We are not positive, but tights may have at firstbeen mostly worn by boys. Older girls wore tights while usually only younger boys wore them. Girls might wear more colorful tights than boys. Few Japanese boys, for example, wore red tights. Girls would also wear tights in warmer weather. Girls wore tights commonly even in 6th grade of elementary school (age 11 or 12). Tights and skirt was common style for girls in Spring. Boys on the other hand usually only wore tights when it was cold or at least chilly.
A Japanese HBC contributor reports that younger boys did not mind wearing tights, but older boys (older than 9 or 10) tended to be shy about wearing them. The fact that it is the younger boys who wore them suggests that it was primarily because their mothers insisted. Older boys obcviously have more say in what they wear. Some considered them more girls clothes as girls wore them more than boys. As in other countries, boys usuallu object to wearing clothes they consider girlish. A Japanese contributor reports that his mother insist that he wear tights in the colder season and thatbothers boys had the same experience. He recalls discussing the matter with his friends, "We discussed wearing tights a few times. The main issue was that we were getting teased about wearing tights by the older boys (years 10 or older). Most of us thought them more suitable for girls than boys." He reports that his mother selected his clothes for him and she would always lay out what he was to wear. She always insisted on tights on cold days, although as an older boy in elementary school he wore long pants over his tights. He mentions, "When I wore tights under long pants, I had socks over my tights!" He on occasion objected to wearing them, "One day at 10, I refused to wear tights, but my mother insisted to wear them, I couldn't resist more. Later, because of tights were not made for boys in the larger sizes, I stopped wearing tights when I was 11--I had outgrown them."
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