In "Whisper of the Heart", The heroine Tsukishima Shizuku, wore a middy blouse and skirt as a school uniform of the school. It is one of school uniforms which the girl student wears in Japan. But, it is the most typical school uniform for Japanese.

The school uniform, which Japanese recalls first, is a middy blouse and skirt. The reason is that a middy blouse and skirt is a symbol in the age of youth, a symbol of adolescence, too. For women, it is a school uniform which they had worn before. For men, it is a school uniform which their girl friend whom they were fell in love for the first time had worn.

A middy blouse and skirt is closely related to various memories of people in their adolescence. So it is a school uniform which should be called a pronoun in youth for many Japanese.

Middy blouse and skirt of junior high school (summer version)
by Rie KOGA, right

Originally, a middy blouse was one of the uniforms of the navy. It has a long history as sailor's uniform. A middy blouse and had been adopted by Japan in the old navy before World War II, and the present Self Defense Forces can have adopted it, too. However, a middy blouse, added to skirt, is widely widespread in Japan as girl's school uniform. It means that a middy blouse and skirt is girl junior high school and high school student in Japan.

at the school excursion (winter version) by Rie KOGA, center

By the way, a middy blouse and skirt is not clothes of a girl junior high school and high school student only. For instance, a girl student of 20 years old can also put on the middy blouse and skirt. However, if she actually puts on it, it will invent a very strong sense of incompatibility. The reason id that a middy blouse and skirt is is being acknowledged only until 18 years old by a lot of people.

A middy blouse and skirt is a school uniform that the period, which can be worn, is limited. There are the lot of another uniform. For instande, policeman, nurse, and stewardess also wear the uniform. It shows their occupational characteristics. Of course, there is no age limitation for wearing in those school uniforms. A stewardess does not have the age limitation though there are a lot of young women for the stewardess. So a 50 years old stewardess can put on uniform of stewardess. However, a school uniform can wear only when they are students.

A school uniform has the following features that is a uniform of the period limitation. In the school uniform, a period which can be worn, a middy blouse and skirt is the shortest uniform. For instance, the university student can wear the school uniform for boy called "Gakuran". A school uniformof blazer type for man and woman can wear when they are university student. Actually, there are some universities which has adopted the school uniform of the blazer type. (Though there is no school uniform at most universities.) However, there is no university which has adopted the a middy blouse and skirt for the school uniform.

In general, they can put on the a middy blouse and skirt only for 6 years from 13 to 18 years old except for a private elementary school. The period from 13 to 18 years old comes in succession as it is in an adolescent age. It closely relates memories in the age of youth to the school uniform. A school uniform of the junior high school and the high school has a presentiment of their youth for small children. For active junior high school student and high school student are spending the age of youth while wearing the school uniform. When they graduate, a school uniform becomes a recollection of each campus life. School uniform in graduation album, Memories of school excursion, a cultural festival is a physical education festival, and Concert..... A school uniform is memorized with various events in the age of youth.

They recall the age of youth with their school uniform. There is a loving to sing song "Childhood friend" in Japan. A middy blouse and skirt appears in the lyrics. When they become 13 years old, and his childhood friend puts on a middy blouse and skirt, he blushes to her beauty. A middy blouse and skirt suits an adolescent woman well, it provides the function to double the charm of the woman.A middy blouse and skirt is a school uniform which they want to put on for the girls.

So a middy blouse and skirt is symbol existence in the age of youth for all people not to mention active students.

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