This is extremely shallow but if I could just once model in Vivi I feel like my life would be complete. I've pored over, scrutinized, and straight out gazed for entire minutes at the sometimes cuckoo, always exuberant styling and photo after photo of gorgeous fellow halfies. I don't think any other publication dives so head first into trends large and small, check out the Gladiator Glossary!
This might come across as pitiful, or even worse, annoying, but when I was growing up I was the only half-Asian, let alone half-Japanese girl I knew, and I'll readily admit that I spent a good deal of time wishing I was a "normal" white girl. My mom tells me even when I was little and going to school in Tokyo and Hong Kong (both international schools and populated with every nationality imaginable), I would always befriend the prettiest blonde girls in the class..probably because I wanted to be them! My three best friends were British, Swedish, and French. Then I went through a phase wishing I was fully Japanese, at least then I wouldn't be so blatantly stared at in the Tokyo subways. When I discovered Vivi in high school one summer while bored in Tokyo, it was like coming across a personal and highly colorful bible. A magazine filled with nothing but half-Japanese girls! And they were all impossibly hot! I found this to be highly cool and was instantly hooked.I have long since stopped suffering from such indulgent identity ponderings but do still enjoy my monthly dose of the Vivs. (I do realize that it's a little odd for one of Japan's most popular fashion magazines to never use any fully Japanese models, but this is probably a whole separate topic...)
My favorite girl would have to be Jun, with her dark stare that makes me think she would be pretty intimidating in real life. I rank her as one of the most gorgeous people currently in existence on Earth. Lena and Chikako have that cutesy/sexy thing going on, and Marie pulls off a Vojtova-esque nose with aplomb. Now, if only I had paid more attention in my rigorously enforced Saturday Japanese school and subsequent "Japanese for bilingual speakers" class in college that was easily the single hardest, most time-consuming course I have ever been a reluctant part of. And slacking off wasn't an option since I was one of err three students. 
Crazy fashion eye candy with pages chock-full of photos and weirdly awesome items:
I have the strangest feeling that Lucky isn't going to provide us with the following:
This post was completely due to reader Tali's comment informing me that the site of my dreams does exist, a livejournal community dedicated to Japanese glossies that posts scans of, like, entire magazines. You're stoked. I'm stoked. THANK YOU TALI!
4.27.2008
Half and half
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Rumi, I relate to the angst of being a half half because a) I'm half half myself, but Pacific Islander / white; and b) my boyfriend is Eurasian just like you and is always discoursing on all things Eurasian. Thankfully, he, like you, has realised it's fabulous. Not to mention the genetic benefits of hybrid vigour.
Also, Japanese magazines on any topic are the BEST. A wonderful obsessive attention to detail that the Japanese have that means they get intensly involved in everything. Again, cite boyfriend's collection of Japanese car magazines with the minutae detailed.
Anyhoo, enjoy being gorgeous! xx
- Tia
Are the girls in ViVi really all mixed? I never did notice that, I always thought the magazine magically found extremely hot and exotic looking models!
But now that you've pointed it out, I'm quite excited. I have it in bookstores, except I don't buy foreign magazines in languages I cannot understand. (:
Thanks for the linkup, it's fabulous - I am hooked on the crazy what's-in-your-bag feature of jap magazines!
I never knew you're half-Japanese, wow that explains why you're so pretty :)
The girls in Japanese magazines always seem to look effortlessly perfect.
I believe Chicako is pure Japanese :-)
My fave is Marie, she dons the coolest ensembles imho. Me lovey Vivi hardcore!
I would jump into toxic waste if I knew I was gonna mutate into a mix-breed. Oh well, at least I'm one of those can't-tell-where-she's-from type of ppl. You are very lucky, and gorgeous.
you're half-japanese? i didn't know :)
i'm half-japanese too, and i must admit too when i was little i used to wish i wasn't in-between and full something like the other kids. That was before I realized that a lot of the kids around me were lots of different kinds of things, and not just one. Now I think it's great that I'm a mix of two different cultures :)
After discovering ViVi, I used to wish my genes could somehow transform me into being half-asian (rather than the full Chinese that I am). The models are absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you for sharing that link, and thank you Tali!! Sadly, my budget no longer allows for spending $50+ a month on Japanese magazines.
Awesome post! I am mixed Japanese/European too.
I wish I could speak Japanese. Especially as everyone expects me to be able to.
Rumi, thank you for this post. I am half japanese, and half white too. My skin is tan (grandfather is from Osaka). I used to have the same identity crisis growing up in the suburbs of SoCal. Why couldn't I just bee like all of the other girls? It even got to the point where I would recieve racist remarks for being mexican, when that couldn't be farther from the truth. I have since learned to love my east-meets-west heritage, and I have fun letting friends guess my nationality. Anyway, its nice to know that there are others out there who can understand what its like to be mixed.
Hi Rumi,
you're lucky to be a half. i live in tokyo and everybody wishes they were part something else. i envied all the half girls that i grew up with at my international school.
have you heard of "Life as a Golden Half"? It was published in japan pretty recently, and its basically dedicated to a dozen half girls living in japan. I think they're all models? anyways, its way worth the look, please check it out. i think you'll love it.
vivi is def. one of the best j-mags ever. theres a magazine called "sweet", dont know if youd like it as much as vivi, but i am definitely hoooked!!
speaking of hooked, i am hooked on your site. :D keep on rocking your sweet vintage looks
love, your biggest fan in japan;)
interesting magazine
OMG I thought I was the only one who was obsessed with these cute halfie girls. I always read magazines that feature the most adorable halfies at my hairdresser! Being a fellow halfie, I understand where you're coming from and like the above comment, I love making people guess my ethnicity too! Thanks for this post and the link!!!!
This post is so great- it seems like you've really inspired a lot of people!
Can you speak Japanese?
Holy mother of all that is half asian!!!
You've done it again Rumi. Vivi looks like the magazine I've been searching for forever. Nylon (my fave) is great and all, but I'm dying to see the editorials Vivi has to offer. I might just convert (/blasphemy)...I'm hitting the newsstands today. There's bound to be one tobacco shop somewhere in Greenwich Village that has it in stock. I'm already anticipating the confused look's I'll get from nosy passerbys on various modes of public transportation when I pull this bright non-English mag out. I find that dull people are intimidated by language barriers amingst others..
im half too.. but ONLY asian-asian :)
to be honest, when i first saw a picture of you at someone else's blog.. i thought, "hmm.. ViVi..?" and ur half-japanese! :)
im ALSO obsessed with vivi since my first copy 2 yrs ago and as much as i want to switch to Elle/Vogue, vivi's still the one closest to my heart..!! haha
btw, i love LENA & MARIE the most... and SAYA (but i dont see her anymore? i dont know why).
U look really gorgeous.. u definitely should post for vivi :D
All of these outfits from these magazines definitely remind me of your outfits. Now I see where you get your inspiration from.
I'd like to get a copy of Viv magazine...where do you purchase yours?
my first time commenting!
i'm full japanese - but i've lived in the US my whole life so i sort of relate.
vivi is one of my favorite japanese magazines - i think i like my combination of lena/marie fashion. vivi is so on top of fashion, i love it.
and you're gorgeous! vivi would definitely scout you if you were in japan ;)
That's from the latest issue of VIVI...I saw that gladiator sandals review. I was like whoa...so informational. I love mixed gals, who doesn't ??? But, I found it a little cheesy that VIVI likes to use mixed girls all the time. My fav from the past is "shoot" I forgot her name now, she's married and pregnant now, so no longer modelling, 2nd is also Jun and Chikako. 3 of them have a KOOL style. Not liking cute cutesy type, like Lena. I also love the new model, she's only 19 yrs old found on the last pages of VIVI, also modelled for the bikini pages. She's HOT. I find Chikako very fotogenic, loves her height and style and 100% Jap.
Oh such what a touching story (not being sarcastic, often mestaken for being so) i cant beleive that a gorgeouse girl actually felt that way, i taught it was just awkward girls like me. Any I didnt know you where japanese? taught you might be like from thailand or something (got an aunt over there).
i lived sweden(til i moved to england) my whole life and belive me one cute blond is enough a whole bunch....there sweet but they kinda drive yeah crazy thogub most of my best friends are blond.
Please can you give me the link for buy the shoes ???
Thanks, a french fan
I think everyone has the moments when they wish they were something else, I think your lucky too because it seems like you've gotten to experience a lot of different people by living in different countries. Ive had those moments, I live in a pretty multicultral area, and all my friends were either asian, or indian, and here I was this pale blonde girl lol. But seriously wear I live everyone loves halfers, my friends would die to hook a halfer guy haha. It is always cool to have a neat combo of background in my opinion.
Great scans, thanks for the LJ link! :)
i could see in you in vivi easily. and mabes soon after this post, hopefully? also thanks for posting the livejournal link too. :)
awesome for all the hapas and hapa lovers in the house! i'm half vietnamese and irish...and i ALWAYS get the "what ARE you?" question (umm..happy? :P) anyways rumi, you would love kip fulbeck's 'hapa project' which addresses our love/fury with discovering identity. he's one of the best profs!
http://www.seaweedproductions.com/hapa/
thanks for featuring vivi...all my bucks goes towards that mag! glorious eye candy! for all the fans: community.livejournal.com/vivi_models
rumi!i agree, i think jun is the most gorge of them all. anyone know where i can find the taiwanese version of Vivi in SF? i know kinokuniya has the japanese version....
I am glad Vivi helped you to define your identity. I live in Japan and have been reading Vivi and I do find it so odd they use half Japanese/half white girls in their magazines when that is like barely 3% of Japanese girls in Japan. Yes, I think that is a very big issue, but at least something good comes out of it for the under represented half girls. But I also notice the same can't be said for the half Japanese half black girls.
Oh sweet this is nice. I love all things Asian, especially Japanese and Chinese. I've been called a chocolate banana before. :\... My friends are all Asian and that just how I grew up but most people assume I have Asian in me, which I clearly don't. Hahah
high school in tokyo?! I am officially full on jealous! I was supposed to study at Y.I.S. but alas, my mother wouldn't let go of me :(
I have to say my favourite girl is Kana. Then Jun :)
Rumi, even before you said anything about being half-Asian, I totally pegged it. Growing up a military kid, you learn to recognize your own. I had it a lot easier since most of my friends growing up were bi-racial too, however, it is nice to know that as we grow up, our identity isn't so tied up in where our (grand)parents are from.
Love the blog and you are gorgeous.
OMG, that link is heavensent.
I totally understand what you were saying about how Vivi helped you accept your half/half-ness. I recently discovered a magazine that helped me in a similar way. Ironically, I used to wish that I was a mix!
Love your blog!
Glad you now feel comfortable in who you are, I wanted to be a blonde for much time in my teens. I feel fortunate to now have accepted who I am and appreciate it.
Wow, so many beautiful 1/2 Japanese girls and great styling too. I am off to check this out!
I have the opposite problem myself...I am full chinese but everyone thinks I'm hapa (?!).
Anyhoo, love your blog! Keep up the good work.
awesome. i also went to school in HK when i was little!
Ooh K, where can I find a great selection of gladiator sandals, like your last image where they are shown being worn....
I'm half irish/ half iranian (who speaks french) and I relate COMPLETELY. It's crazy. In all my art class self portraits up untill like the third grade I am blonde like the rest of my family. I actually have brown hair, and now that I realize that (and the bennifits of being raised with the best parts of two cultures) -I enjoy being mixed!
When I started learning japanese a lot of people asked me if I was half&half because of my skin/hair/eyes combo, but I'm not and sometimes secretly I wish I was!
I always love japanese magazines the most. Thank you for that link!
wow! they're all gorgeous!!!!
OK I kno I'm like 10 years late but last week was finals week and yahhh lol but your welcome!!! thank YOU for the shout out, I felt like a supastarr B-) (I know I know I'm corny hehee) lol
btw I am so happy u enjoy the website too! The first thing I thought when I saw your blog is that you mind me of the Japanese(half) models + your style is sort of similiar...the "freeness" of it..free from boring basically. :)
I'm half Japanese too, I can relate to the stares you get on the subway, they happen all the time! They speak to me in English and I respond in Japanese like, "dammit I am Japanese!" Half Arab so I'm really tanned hehe :)
I am a total VIVI addict <333 I get an issue every month! I'm with you on the issue that all the models are totally GORGEOUS.
They have the coolest fashion spreads in VIVI too XD
oh yeah, and I totally understand your issue about identity~
you always hear "mixed people are so pretty!!!!"
but when you're a kid just wishing you were one or the other, you don't really understand what people mean by that. you're just frustrated that you aren't blonde haired and blue eyed like everyone else you know. you are friends with everyone but you don't feel like you are really fitting in.
I'm mixed too~ Taiwanese+caucasian. People assume I'm latino. Most of the time they come up and start talking in spanish to me. I don't understand a word they are saying. Their second guess is always, always Persian. Asian doesn't ever come in the top 5 of their list....It's really frustrating =/
im feeling like you could totally be a model for vivi, most are them are from america anyways- jun is from hawaii. and i believe its fairly easy to pick up a modeling contract if ur a halfie.. a friend from american wanted to model and couldnt do in america (shes only 5 feet 4), sent her photos to a japanese agency and now shes in the japanese magazines like classy
I am half japanese half white and I feel the same way. I had this friend that lived across the street from me and she had blonde hair and blue eyes and I really wanted her coloring. The funny part is that she said the same thing about me. I think you're lucky to have spent a lot of time in Japan. Half Japanese girls get a lot of attention. I used to deny it when people said I was asian.. I would say "Only Half Asian" But now, I go to one of the top diverse universities and I take a lot of pride in being japanese. I wish I knew how to speak Japanese. I went to japanese school when I was little but I had only one friend who would speak English with me and she was half japanese and half chinese. I have a feeling if you went to Tokyo, you could become a model.
I'm half japanese, quarter scottish and quarter english and I know understand exctly what you mean. I've only recently got into japanese magazines and just came back from a 3 week holiday from japan, and so at the airport I bought some magazines I could look through. Vivi was one of them and looking through it on the plane, I realised how almost every model was mixed. I'd seen a few girls who were also half japanese on the tv in japan but coming across this magazine was almost like a bible to me too. I've always wanted to model but living in england is harder because alot of places look for tall blondes. But looking through magazines like Pinky where they tell you the height of the models I realised that there could be a possibility that I could. I'd been scouted when I was younger and living in Tokyo. But I'm not gonna get a chance to live in japan till I'm 18, because I am doing my GCSEs. At primary school there were no asian children apart from me and my little sister. I dont look extremely japanese but my sister does so she did get a few racist comments from children but thinking she was chinese. I hated that and wanted to look like my best friend who had hip length blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I had been always the girl with dark brown hair and dark eyes and I felt different from all the other girls. When I went onto secondary school I felt alot more accepted, people commented on my looks, I 'd get people thinking I was italian and overall I didnt feel left out. Still occasionally I wish I had different coloured eyes or hair, but that didn't matter. In japan I get stared at in the streets. I have more confidence because I am a lot taller than all the other girls. I don't feel left out at all. I didn't realise that were other people like that who felt they didn't have a proper identity. In england it's a lot harder to be welcomed almost but in japan it feels like they celebrate mixed people! :)
I'm an all white girl who would definitely not mind if I were even 1/4 Japanese, or any kind of Asian! I have been told that I look a little Japanese but it is not the same as being able to claim it. I don't understand why some Asian girls want to look white, they are perfect the way they are! I have a friend who is half Japanese half German and she is pealing the guys off her! Be proud and play it up! ;)
I'm half Japanese too! But, I'm half japanese, half Black and that is a big racial issue in Japan. Other than Crystal Kay, I think we're pretty much considered an extreme "oddity". I lived in Japan until I was six and boy, let me tell you...so many tears I cried to my mother everyday asking her why everyone was staring at me and my sister. But, anyways, I share your love of Vivi magazine. The styles of clothing, hair and make up tips are amazing. I actually came to your pg while googling "vivi magazine". Pretty awesome! Some of your readers suggested that you should audition for ViVi, and I agree wholeheartedly. Height shouldn't be an issue, if you are at least 5'4. Good luck!
I'm half Japanese too! But, I'm half japanese, half Black and that is a big racial issue in Japan. Other than Crystal Kay, I think we're pretty much considered an extreme "oddity". I lived in Japan until I was six and boy, let me tell you...so many tears I cried to my mother everyday asking her why everyone was staring at me and my sister. But, anyways, I share your love of Vivi magazine. The styles of clothing, hair and make up tips are amazing. I actually came to your pg while googling "vivi magazine". Pretty awesome! Some of your readers suggested that you should audition for ViVi, and I agree wholeheartedly. Height shouldn't be an issue, if you are at least 5'4. Good luck!
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