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The story
An article about how families are forced to buy neckties in two different colors, or spend ¥70,000 on a full uniform set — the reality of Japan’s “hidden education costs” — pointed out by a Keio University professor, became a hot topic on 5ch’s newsplus board. The claim: school-designated uniforms and gym clothes are restricted to specific vendors, creating a structure where price competition rarely kicks in. In the thread, the suggestion “just have Uniqlo make them” was met with pushback — “even Uniqlo is pricey these days” — and the discussion spread to cover surprise that costs balloon even at public schools, the realities of the designated-vendor business, and even whether uniforms are necessary at all, with opinions split.
“Buying Two Colors of Necktie,” “¥70,000 for a Uniform” — The Reality of “Hidden Education Costs” Squeezing Household Budgets… Keio Professor Points Out: “School-Designated Items Aren’t Subject to Fair Competition, So Prices Stay High,” “Shirts, Socks, and Bags Could Just Be Off-the-Shelf”
10/17 (Sat) 11:30 JST
ABEMA TIMES
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Even Uniqlo is pricey these days too
Alright, let's get Shimamura to make them then (a budget clothing chain)
Wasn't there a school that already did this?
It's just that a Keio professor looked into it — the real point is that even public schools have expensive uniforms and the like
That's because there's never been any competition
The fabric wasn't even that great — heavy, and getting caught in the rain was a disaster. Girls had to shove the pleated skirt under a futon and press it flat whenever the pleats came out, what a hassle. Expensive no matter how you slice it
Leftover stock from famous brands' last year's line is dirt cheap
For a full top-and-bottom set, that's not actually expensive
For a full top-and-bottom set, that's not actually expensive
Once you get a foot in the door with the school system, that alone can support you — uniforms, gym clothes, club gear, even tea-ceremony supplies. There are fewer now, but back in the day even the photo shop (camera store) got steady annual sales from school photos. No doubt it's a sweet deal businesswise
Sounds like nobody's rushing to copy that school with Armani uniforms, though
Back in the day it was off-the-rack school uniforms, so going into the city to buy a customized/modified one was one of the fun things students did. This is basically the same thing, just swapped out for Uniqlo
Those are basically a lottery — if you lose, you can't buy anything
A salaryman's polyester suit runs about ¥10,000, right?
These days a lot of uniform shops and local sporting goods stores are going out of business. The generic black stand-collar uniform died out and each school has its own unique design now, so of course it costs more
When the elderly couple running the local elementary/middle school's uniform shop near me had no successor and had to close up, someone heard about it and immediately opened a new shop to take over the business. Depending on the area, it's still a rock-solid trade
What communist country do you think this is?
That'd just be junk lol
Apparently boys these days get brand-conscious as early as middle school, so it costs a ton. Girls are the opposite — they compete over how cute an outfit they can find for cheap ("puchipura"/budget chic), so it ends up costing less. Uniforms are probably the safe choice on that front, but the problem is the uniforms themselves are too expensive
Just do what China does — tracksuits and polo shirts are fine
It's an exploitative "black" society, after all~ Everyone's only thinking about how to squeeze money out of people
With the falling birth rate, the education budget should have money to spare, but something's off. Either it's price-gouging or they're loading up on unnecessary supplies. School lunches are reportedly bad too, so where's all the money actually going? Teacher salaries, maybe lol
Background and Key Points of This Topic
School-designated items like uniforms, gym clothes, and randoseru backpacks are often sold under a “designated-vendor system” that restricts sales to specific shops — an arrangement still common in many regions — and Japan’s Fair Trade Commission has previously flagged this structure for making price competition difficult. The thread’s disagreement split along two lines: those questioning whether families should have researched costs in advance, versus those pointing to the system itself, where being “designated” makes comparison shopping nearly impossible in the first place. Also, the “Keio University professor” framing can easily be misread as a private-school-only issue, but the point actually applies to public schools too — a detail easy to miss unless you read the full article, since this problem can arise regardless of whether a school is public or private.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Flash+) thread ““Buying Two Colors of Necktie,” “¥70,000 for a Uniform” — The “Hidden Education Costs” Squeezing Household Budgets… Keio Professor Points Out: “School-Designated Items Aren’t Subject to Fair Competition, So Prices Stay High”.”
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