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Japanese men carrying purse

I don't really mind either way, i think on some guys (especially my husband) man bags look cool. The upside of him not caring what others think is that if i've got too much junk in my bag, or it's too heavy, he will carry it on his shoulder for me. Which is totally acceptable to me. :)

I don't think there is anything un-masculine about it. In fact, it's more masculine to me the fact that some guys are confident enough to be who they want to be in this world without worrying what others think. :)
 
Guys in Tokyo carry bags in different styles: messenger bags for high school or hip hop dudes, back packs for eikawa guys, expensive attaches for lawyer and finance types, old fashioned brief cases for old salarymen, and tote briefcases for fashion forward guys.

If anyone has a problem with this, you need to get a life.
 
I can't believe you actually have a thread on this...

First of all men all over the world are using bags, not just Japanese men. And VERY GOOD that they are using them, if they want to.

Why do so many people want to restrict others? What they should or shouldn't wear etc. "Man bags" really are cool, and practical as well, as someone already mentioned.

I also feel sorry that a fellow finnish national says such an old-fashioned&narrowminded comment that it would be 'gay' for men to wear bags. It's not. Not in this world and this time anyways. So foolish to restrict your own comfort (if it would be more practical to use a bag) only because you're concerned over your image?

Anyways, all the best, most exciting new ideas in fashion/appearance/showing who you are come from Japan, and are converted into world-wide trends through trend agencies and fashion designers.. so just watch out ;)
 
First of all men all over the world are using bags, not just Japanese men. And VERY GOOD that they are using them, if they want to

WOW, I thought their pockets are as big as Doraemon's
 
Guys in Tokyo carry bags in different styles: messenger bags for high school or hip hop dudes, back packs for eikawa guys, expensive attaches for lawyer and finance types, old fashioned brief cases for old salarymen, and tote briefcases for fashion forward guys.
If anyone has a problem with this, you need to get a life.

Messenger bags aren't just for high school students--college/postgrad students use em as well.

I love having my (timbuk2 messenger) bag. Like a lot of people who commute far from their homes by public transportation, if I didn't have a bag, I would only have my pockets, and that just isn't sufficient for holding all the things I need every day, which at the very least is:

-sunglasses
-electronic dictionary
-cell phone
-small notebook for newly learned japanese words
-pens/highlighters
-tissues
-hanko
-waterbottle
-wallet
-at least one book/magazine to kill the hour plus spent sitting on the train

Pockets will only fit some of that stuff...
 
Messenger bags aren't just for high school students--college/postgrad students use em as well.

Well said. I see lots of guys over on this side of the Straits carrying them. These days, we have a lot more luggage than we used to. I, for one, carry my laptop and few books. These days, with the popularity of trade paperbacks, you can't just jam one into your pocket anymore. Not without wrecking the binding.

Although I have to admit that I see a lot of these guys with, as some of us foreigners call them, "merses" (man + purse) that are definitely not attache cases. Yeah, they do look weird. And I'm not a fan of the idea myself, but I'm not going to knock someone for wearing them. Besides, plenty of dudes this side of the Tsushima Strait wear pink.
 
oh brother.. How funny would it be to have a Louis vuitton bag before my GF? whats next wearing heels? what would your call them meals?
 
Intresting thread.............☝
time for my two cents. :p
IMHO If you got a lot of stuff you like to or got to carry around then get a bag.
And don't listen to people who say it isn't "manly" to carry around a bag. People use to say its not lady-like for women to wear pants. But did we listen to them? HELL NO! Pants are comfortable. If your more comfortable carrying your wallet and cell phone in a bag rather than in your back pocket, where it's going to annoy the hell out of you everytime you sit down, then more power to you.

whats next wearing heels? what would your call them meals?
But there are men that already wear heels, they're called drag queens. And I think a lot of them wear them better than most women. 😊
 
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MG,
HAHAHA YOU ARE RIGHT... My uncle used to carry a sort of bag.. it was a rich guy thing.. it looked like a small well...bag.. I carry an waist pack.. when i was in Japan last summer.. i carried that and a back pack while going to different parts of the country and while local traveling(within whatever city i was in) i just carried my wast pack.
besides i look terrible in heels..
Thanks for the reply
 
My GF likes to wear them, i think partly because she knows i love her in them(or out of them). i'm 6ft tall i would look pretty funny i would think..
you're right i dont mind NOT wearing them! thats HER job!
 
Well, I may be a little bit old-fashioned, but I am still reluctant to wear a handbag here in France. One of the reasons is that I feel far safer having my wallet, mobile phone and keys in my narrow pockets rather than in an easy to access handbag.
 
Thanks for the repky...
I went to france not too long ago.. The folks here in NY always told me to "watch your pockets, Some of the worlds best train in France" I thought it was funny.
Yeah, i'm with you I like a zippered pocket. I think it might be safer than "MAN BAG"
 
The only bags I carried in Japan was a small duffel bag or camera bag (with cameras).
 
I hear that!! i think i carried 2 with me.. My Nikon D2XS and my small point n shoot..Nikon P5000 smaller cam stayed in my Mountain smith "Bum" BAG..
 
I guess since it's so technologically advanced, everyone carries a laptop or cool gadgets and stuff, not forgetting camera. Lol, I don't know!
 
Guys in Tokyo carry bags in different styles: messenger bags for high school or hip hop dudes, back packs for eikawa guys, expensive attaches for lawyer and finance types, old fashioned brief cases for old salarymen, and tote briefcases for fashion forward guys.
If anyone has a problem with this, you need to get a life.

Interesting stuff, the man-bag phenomenon never caught on in Britain (nor will it ever i feel). I'm a backpack guy (always take it everywhere 'just in case'), don't like messengers, i guess cos they throw off my balance... :? and being an ever helpful dude, i've carried my fair share of female friend's bags, but i just don't see the attraction, i'll take pockets any day!

Big fan of bum-bags/fanny-packs (i love american terms sometimes!) also, as they're basically removable pockets, sadly i think i'm gonna look like a big time tourist because of this...

Damn my lack of fashion sense!:(
 
A record bag was de rigeur with cool UK hipsters like myself in the 90's.
Nowadays I carry a smarter leather one (which I found in Tokyo as it goes). I find it useful especially because I smoke roll ups and without a bag I end up with bulges all over the shop which I find quite unsightly.
A while ago a friend was ribbing me about having a 'man bag' and asked what does a man carry in his handbag. Luckily it was full of spanners, screwdrivers and spares for my car so I left with my machismo intact.
 
Ninja fit right in, and be armed to the teeth with hidden weapons?

Sign me up...If you think I am a girly man, it is because I want you to think I am a girly man..and if I succeed in that? My objective is that much easier for me to accomplish.

I would WANT to be underestimated as a girly man, and be packin all kinds of hidden, interesting presents for you if and when you make your move, and show me your true intentions towards me.

Ninja survive.

You won't and don't.

You can meet your end believing I am a girly man as far as I am concerned, 'cause aferwards I will continue on home, and get some tail from my hott wife waiting to service my needs and desires.

That is how I roll.
 
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Notebook computer case IS a Man Bag

Many people who are webheads now carry notebook computer cases. They double as "man bags" because they feature extra pockets that can carry things like cell phones, keys, calculators, etc.
 
Well, I'm guessing there is about 10 different hair styling products in those bags


Good...you are NO threat to me...you would be an easy valuable scalp to turn in and get paid for.

By the way honey, what shade of lipstick would you like me to wear to your funeral to honor your memory and kiss your corpse goodbye with??
 
I read about these things in an issue of Giant Robot magazine a couple years ago. I've never seen them in Japan, mainly because I've never lived there for any period of time.

Here in the states I've used bag in recent years, but not something that could be called a purse, even before seeing them in GR. The type of cloth bag one could use for groceries. It had long enough and wide/sturdy enough straps that I could stick my arm through it and over my shoulder. As a bus rider I would often carry some books or magazines to read, maybe some extra cds, bottle of drink, etc...Extra room to just throw in something if I bought it. After seeing the GR article I joked to a co-worker that it was my 'man purse'.

Useful. But sometimes would slip down my arm if I had to run for the bus. That and with winter have caused me to switch to my backpack. Plus the backpack had more compartments for stuff such as band-aids, pens...etc. ha! Just like a stereo-typical purse. Everything but the kitchen sink!
 
...and by the way, about the _heels_.
A bit of trivial information for you; High heels were originally developed for men in the beginning of 16th century. They were invented to stop their feet from slipping when they were riding. After that, the use of high heels continued as fashion wear, and the heels got higher and higher...;)
 
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