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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. Conventions for tights seem very similar to long stockings when they were introduced. 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 kindergarted 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.
Tights 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. Conventions for tights seem very similar to long stockings when they were introduced. 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 kindergarted 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.
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A Japanese contributor has supplied some information to HBC. He reports, however, that because he was born in the 1960s, he is not positive about what boys wore before the 1960s. He indicates that 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. At this time we do not have any further confirmation of this. A German reader, however, has provided a comprable chronology of tights in Germany, lending bsome support to the dating of children's tights to the late-50s.
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. Tights seem to have been very widely worn by the early-60s. We sare not sure just how popular they were, but they seem quite common. Conventions for tights seem very similar to long stockings when they were introduced. We see them being worn both for formality when dressing up as well as for play in cool weather. They were also worn to school. Cool weathe wear was important because so msany Japanese boys wore short psnts, even during the winter. 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.
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 kindergarted 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.
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We still note younger Japanese boys wearing tights in the 2000s. We think it wsas mostly boys in nursery school or kindergarten, but perhaps boys in their first year of primary school.
We still note younger Japanese boys wearing tights in the 2000s. We think it was mostly pre-school boys. We notice them being commony worn in nursery school and kindergarten, but perhaps boys in their first year. Tights seem very common for boys in these pre-schools. A good example is a nursery school boy participating in a festival. We see some boys in the first year of primary school wearing tights as well, but it was much less common. And rather rate after the first year of school. We are less sure about home ear, but suspect that school wear is a good reflection of home wear.
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