I just realized something,,,,

[JohnnyPaycheck]

,,this is for HaraJuku, i just noticed that i have been getting your name wrong, and noticed that others have been making this same mistake and since i know Japanese, and can speak and read/write, there is absolutely NO excuse for me screwing up and overlooking this, so to clear this up i am going to provide a detailed explanation ( besides actually having been to this place in Japan many times) as to how much i know the difference between "HARU" and "HARA", which are the two commonly confused words in HaraJukuTgirls' name. First of all, the incorrect word,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v721/hingshing/Hara1Ecopy.jpg, and the correct word,,,,,,,,,, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v721/hingshing/Hara1Ccopy.jpg

which finally gives us the correct name and characters,,,,,,,,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v721/hingshing/Hara1bcopy.jpg

,,,so, from now on i will not make this mistake anymore, and i hope there are no hard feelings. Thanks to everyone else who had to read this and felt totally bored and uninterested.

[Ecstatic]

OK, Hing, you (and HaraJuku) have piqued my curiosity: so Hara means "origin" or "field". A quick google of Juku turns up the meaning "cram school" (a prep school which usually meets after regular school to prepare students for more advanced or university-level education, thought originally in the 17th century it referred to schools teaching martial arts and philosophy). That doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, though: "origin cram school"? So I'm guessing Juku has another meaning which I don't know, and the idiomatic combination of the two words has a richer meaning still.

HaraJuku, I feel like I'm picking on your name--the sound of which I like--but I'm just curious.

[Jordan]

damn, and i thought she was just a Gwen Stefani fan lol, kidding gurl you know I love ya!!!

[Scott]

I guess it's never too early in the morning to have a learning experience. lol


Scott

[NoOne]

did anyone think perhaps Harajuku is 1 word NOT 2 and that it is slang since it is referring to punk fashion style over there which may be why u cant look it up? 8)

[Ecstatic]

Well, actually you can google Harajuku, which is a youth-oriented, "cool" and "cute" fashion and shopping area in Tokyo, sometimes called "teenager town" and also as you say refers to a punk fashion style popular there. Gwen Stefani has a song, "Harajuku Girls" plus mentions them in a couple of other songs and has Harajuku girls as dancers in her stage act. Hing just got me wondering about the etymology (since like Chinese, Japanese builds new words by combing other words). Here's some background about Harajuku, the district:

Harajuku
For youth culture Japan - "cool" and "cute"- Harajuku, just north of Shibuya, is the number one fashionable, fun, faddish, ridiculous, crazy "crib" to "chill out". Come along on a Sunday and you'll see it all!

Harajuku first burst onto the scene in 1964 - the Olympic year. With the Olympic gymnasium and village located nearby, the prospect of meeting somebody famous in the street drew people from far and wide. Today, the area includes Takshita Street, Meiji Dori Avenue and Omotesando Dori Avenue.

Takeshita Dori Street is opposite the Takeshita Dori Exit of Harajuku Station. Here, shops sell a most extraordinary blend of goods reflecting the Japanese notions of "cute", "cool and American" and "rebellious and British". In other words a strange mixture of Hello Kitty, hip-hop and the infamous British punk. As for the shoppers? Well, any form of fancy dress goes. (http://www.tokyoessentials.com/harajuku.html)

I do think Gwen captures it perfectly in her lyrics:

Harajuku Girls you got the wicked style
I like the way that you are, I am your biggest fan
Harajuku Girls you got the wicked style
I like the way that you are, I am your biggest fan

Harajuku girls, I'm looking at you girls
You're so original girls
You got the look that makes you stand out
Harajuku Girls, I'm looking at you girls
You mix and match it girls
You dress so fly and just parade around (arigato)

That sounds like HaraJuku!

[Harajuku Tgirl]

...

[Jordan]

I knew it was tied to GWEN!!! wohoo mystery solved!!! lol

[JohnnyPaycheck]

Hi Ecstatic, i'll explain "Juku" which is used as the suffix of some Japanese places, like ShinJuku, HaraJuku, etc,,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v721/hingshing/Hara1Dcopy.jpg

,,,um,, i made these little pics by typing them in Japanese into Microsoft word, and doing the print screen onto clipboard then cropping them and converting them to jpg's, so i apoligize for thier awkwardness and size on here but, it gets my points accross. Anyway, that should explain the suffix of "Juku". And you're right about the compound word, like Chinese they take two words and make them compound.

And HaraJuku, im glad we could work this out and put it to rest and now it's behind us,, or water under the bridge and we can move on and make a new friendship online. So, it's like we're starting over, as the old John Lennon song goes. hahaha, well not really but,,,,

,,,speaking of Shibuya and HaraJuku, have you, or anyone else here been to "AmeYoko"? It's another place much like HaraJuku which is popular for youth culture and shopping, but more for electronics geeks. AmeYoko is sort of funny because "Ame" is the first 3 letters for "America", and "Yoko" means "side", or "next to,," so the meaning is more like "Next to America" which means more in terms of imitation rather than location. I briefly lived in Saitama which was like 1/2 hr train ride from Shibuya, and all these places.

[Harajuku Tgirl]

...

[Ecstatic]

Thanks, Hing. That makes a lot of sense. What I love about Chinese and Japanese compound words is how the two root words may (or may not) shift in meaning when they are combined. I don't know much about Japanese, but I have picked up a little Chinese in the course of studying the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) and related philosophical works--not Chinese so much as concepts expressed in the language and translated into English.

HaraJuku, I love your name and it's neat to know something about its origin. I think I should pay more attention to Gwen Stefani than I have--I may be 53, but I try to keep current in music as much as possible, but there's so much out there that a lot slips right by.

[Harajuku Tgirl]

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[Harajuku Tgirl]

...

[JohnnyPaycheck]

So Hing, Since you've lived abroad and in Japan for awhile..Does that mean you got yellow fever? :) LOL. Just curious to know.

Also, when you lived there in Japan Have you ever tried to meet any transexuals down there? :P I know there are clubs that exclusively house "transexual showgirls/entertainers"..Also have you experienced being with a "Geisha?"

~Kisses.

HTG

Hara-chan, i've been to ShinJuku many times, and in Saitama-Ken i was actually in HanNou which is a town in that area, and a few blocks away was a place called "Mr Lady" which was New-Half escort place almost accross the way from Higashi-HanNou-Eki where i got on the trains. But to answer your questions, no i have never been with one there, nor seeked them out at that time because i was with my girl then and i would never have cheated on her under any circumstances. Im a one-woman kind of guy, and i had tunnell vision for her an no one else.

,,, oh and i guess you could say i have "yellow fever",. hahahaha thats funny Hara-Chan. I am not so picky with girls if i can click with them and there is chemistry, its what i hold most important over race etc, ,, but i do have a slight inclination for Asian/Latina girls, so i guess you could say my preference is that.

[tsluver247]

I love Gwen Stefani, a musical genius. Her solo album is the shit! I am going to her concert. It should be great since Black Eyed Peas will also be playing.

[Harajuku Tgirl]

...

[Ecstatic]

Domo Ecstatic! Gwen's Solo project and initial one-woman CD is currently out. Called "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" is just simply an awesome CD to have. All the songs has a good beats and is masterfully played at clubs across the country (I love extended plays). Also currently a big hit in Europe and Asia..Im sure you'll like it. I have liked her since she was on the group No Doubt and even more now that her music reflects more of her style and personality. :wink:

Gewn Stefani Rocks! :D

~Kisses.

Gwen
Domo arigato, Harajuku! I will definitely get this cd. I like No Doubt, but I haven't bought anything by the band. I find I often like a lead better when she strikes out on her own: Aimee Mann (Til Tuesday), Debbie Harry (Blondie), Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses), Bjork (Sugarcubes), etc. For some reason this is often less true of guys who front a band striking out on their own, maybe because they are already expressing themselves more individually in the band than a female lead does. In any case, I look forward to it.