Japanese urban tribes III: Oshare Kei

Continuing our tour of the latest trends in urban youth, which, for many, has entered cult status, we come to the happiest of urban groups: Oshare Kei. They are famous for their outlandish colors and optimistic view of life.

We should start by mentioning Oshare Kei means "stylish", or “doing it with style or flare”. The group is a subcategory of the Visual Kei, though differing from same. It is immediately obvious, at least with regard to their daily behavior that the two differ. The Oshare are characterized Oshare by their happy disposition. Bad grades/marks, problems at home or boyfriend/girlfriend problems don’t even put a dent in the spirit of a true Oshare. They also have to endure insults and attacks by other groups, taking advantage of their innocent, harmless appearance.

Living proof of the Oshare way of life is Roberto Siddharta. The young man has lived through many traumatic experiences involving intolerance during his 17 years. But he prefers not to refer to this, choosing instead to look at the positive side of things. "As Oshare, revenge is just not an issue for us. We can’t stand angry people. We prefer to be happy, as this is our way of life. We came out more aggressive and dark tendencies, such as eroguro.”

As is so often the case in urban tribes, external appearance is very important. Ponytails and long hair, dyed striking shades (usually more than one), multicolored clothing and exotic belts make up the basic appearance of a Oshare. All this is then topped with stuffed animals, which are sewn to the clothing. This last facet is what earned them the nickname “walking Christmas trees” on the streets of Japan.
As a group with Japanese roots, the music they listen to is strongly influenced by a modern punk pop abnds, such as Antic Cafe, Megamasso and Ayabie, who all play catchy and cheerful music.

Currently, Oshare get together local events organized especially for them. Events include music and are offer them a place where they are not discriminated against due to their appearance. So if you ever wanted to be and look happy, the best therapy you could have is to attend some events. You might even become famous like Roberto Siddharta, who is increasingly makies appearances on Chilean TV. After all, when life is happy anything can happen.