Clearly there is a pretty big culture surrounding school uniforms in Japan. I'm talking about the $200 backpacks worn by elementary school kids. The fact that on a Sunday afternoon you will see school kids wearing their uniforms even though it looks like they are spending a day at the park with their parents instead of in a classroom.
Are certain uniforms a status symbol? Do some school age kids only ever wear a uniform?
Are there slang words for kids who modify their uniforms? How about kids who wear their uniforms strictly according to code?
Anyways, it seems there must be a lot more to the subject than what the average tourist is able to ever get, and it would be fun to hear about it from some native Japanese.
