Japanese Lingerie: Hadajuban, panthong, and Triumph

Types of Kimono: Hadajuban

Hadajuban is the undergarment worn beneath a kimono attire. So, technically, it is a lingerie. It is name Hadajuban because it is meant to wear next to the skin. Since kimono is always about layering, it is no wonder that you have layers of clothe beneath the beautiful kimono.

Hadajuban is usually worn only with traditional full fledge kimono. And on top the hadajuban a nagajuban is added to give it a more collar definition. So, in this case, you will never see hadajuban worn with a Yukata, the casual kimono.

Other japanese lingerie notes:

"While European lingerie is about being bold, what distinguishes Japanese lingerie is the attention to detail. The amount of effort that goes into selection of fabric, development of a design that guarantees comfort and preparation of a clothing item that not only makes the wearer feel great but also create a powerful visual appeal to the lucky one who get a chance to see it.

Another major influence of Japanese designs has been in how bold the approach is. Several experts believe that thongs may have been revived simply because Japanese women continue to use them and Japanese designers have made them comfortable to wear. Similarly, fishnet stockings are still controversial in many countries but in Japan these are just a little bit bolder than regular tights but definitely not scandalous." retrieved by rmcox on 31 may 2009 from http://www.mynippon.com/gainippon/lingerie.htm.

Japanese lingerie store is an account of lingerie shopping in Japan.

PANTHONG:

"wearing low rise jeans so that panties or g-string can be visible is becoming commonplace. In an attempt to gain a balance between 'old-fashioned' panties and uncomfortable thongs, the Japanese have come up with an answer." The panthong looks like a thong when it peeks over your jeans but is otherwise a conventional low-rise brief panty. INSERT GRAPHIC HERE

CULTURAL NOTE (retrieved 31 may 2009 from wikipedia): Kawaii: "Since the 1970s, cuteness (可愛さ, kawaisa?) has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, behavior, and mannerisms.[1] Foreign observers often find this cuteness intriguing, revolting or even childish because the Japanese employ it in a vast array of situations and demographics where, in other cultures, it would be considered incongruously juvenile or frivolous (for example, in government publications, public service warnings, office environments, military advertisements, and commercial airliners, among many others)."
BRA FUN

Japanese Bras: It’s Really Stuffed, Sometimes With Bread! photo gallery of strange clothing

Pantsu, Fundoshi

The Japanese seem obsessed with Lolitas. Schoolgirls seem to be the choice for representing Japan on the Internet. That obsession--which will get you arrested and publicly shamed in America--does present opportunity for us to learn about Japanese lingerie styles and history--at least a little. There is even distinction between the anime sexuality and child pornography. For more discussion see Loli in the Urban Dictionary.

This image presents a Loli in fundoshi.

Loli: (Noun - plural: loli or lolis); Sounds like "lowly", not "lolly".

"In Japan, panties are commonly depicted as adding a highly flirtatious, naughty element to a female's persona." cite

Pantsu: "The japanese word for "panties" (panties in a japanese accent) that since Chii from the series Chobits (CLAMP) has said, has spiraled into another form of slang for wannabe-asian otakus. Other examples of these incidents are phrases like 'kawaii desu' and 'konnichiwa.' 'Chii wears pantsu!' " cite (urban dictionary)

This seems to a recently developed slang term.

"Thongs are worn by slutty girls, regular pantsu is [sic] worn by innocent pure girls." this quote is from a forum where Japanese girls and their underwear is discussed. By the comments, the posters are as naive and lonely as the guys who post to the same type of forums in the US. However, it reveals something about the attitudes toward sexual purity--indeed, purity in everything--prevalent in Japan.

female characters bereft of pantsu, or in technical language, in a state of “nopan” (no pantsu).

the 褌 / fundoshi, or loincloth: "that most alluring of traditional undergarments, the 褌 / fundoshi, or loincloth, an item of apparel which manages to be at once ancient and rather modern in appearance.

Although fundoshi are usually thought of as exclusively male apparel, it appears that historically they have seen plenty of (normal) female use at various times, so the hungry depictions we see so often are not quite so fanciful as we might at first think.

Even so, it seems traditionally no underwear as such was often worn by ladies."

"The makers of the women’s fundoshi have renamed their product pendre shorts
(パンドルショーツ), using the French verb for “hang” to give the underwear an feminine image." cite