53 What are "buruma?" (The History of Japanese School Uniforms and the "Bloomers" Scandal)

<p>On this episode of <em>Ichimon Japan</em> we ask: Whar are <em>buruma</em>?</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Topics Discussed<br /></strong></h2> <ul> <li>What buruma/bloomers are</li> <li>A brief overview of the history of school uniforms in Japan</li> <li>About the <em>gakuran </em>style school uniform</li> <li>About the supposed link between gakuran uniforms and Prussian military uniforms</li> <li>About sailor uniforms (sērā fuku)</li> <li>About "blazer" style uniforms</li> <li>The controversy over whether it was a school in Kyoto or Fukuoka that first introduced the sailor uniform in Japan</li> <li>The "second button" tradition</li> <li>The story behind why schools across Japan began having female students wear bloomers in the 1960s and why they stopped in the 1990s</li> <li>The urban legend that bloomers became popular due to the Japanese women's volleyball team wearing them in the 1964 Olympics</li> <li>The 1993 incident in Singapore that was the final straw that led to the disappearance of bloomers from schools in Japan</li> <li>About girls being able to wear slacks instead of skirts as part of their school uniforms</li> <li>About <em>koromogae </em>(changing school uniforms in accordance with the change of the seasons)</li> <li>And much more!</li> </ul> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Support on Patreon<br /></strong></h2> <p>If you enjoy <em>Ichimon Japan</em> and want to ensure that we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. You can join for just $1 a month and that comes with perks like early access to episodes, a shout-out at the beginning of a future episode, bonus content, and discounts to Kimito Designs. For $3 a month you get all that plus access to <em>Japanese Plus</em> <em>Alpha</em>, a podcast produced by me (Tony Vega) that focuses on the Japanese language and its many quirks. Whether you are studying Japanese or just enjoy learning about language and linguistics, you'll enjoy <em>Japanese Plus Alpha</em>.</p> <p>And it go