It’s one of the key sights of a Japanese summer: women shading their fair skin from the fierce sun with a parasol.
But has anyone seen any men? Personally, I’ve yet to catch one myself though I’m intrigued by a new fashion trend, the male parasol-user (日傘男子, higasa danshi).
This news might not surprise everyone, especially when you consider how metrosexual Japanese men sometimes are, and what a record-breaking scorcher of a summer it’s been. Perhaps the most infamous famous example are the soushokudanshi (草食男子; literally, herbivore boy), who value shopping and preening over dates and sex. Certainly these fellas would want to protect themselves against UV rays.
[Pics via Unkar.org]
Department stores actually stock parasols especially for male consumers now, with simple designs ideal to match with jeans, t-shirts or suits. J-Cast reports that Isetan have broadened their range of male parasols from five types last year to twelve in 2010.
One specialist store in Osaka established in the Meiji period has sold over a thousand male parasols so far this year and stock some rather fancy designs! The majority of customers have been businessmen in their twenties, thirties and forties, says Sankei. Hankyu have also been selling many more parasols than in previous years — more and more men are concerned about getting heat stroke while out and about.
There also seems to be some history of this, with samurai and others certainly using higasa, including even in snowy regions to keep dry.
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