A 17-year-old high school boy in Tokyo likes to hang out with his friends on weekends sporting a blazer and white shirt, the typical uniform of high school boys — not his casual clothes or his school-designated "gakuran" high-collar jacket.

"When I spend time with my buddies wearing my blazer, it really makes me feel like I'm living in the moment as a high schooler," said the teenager, who asked to remain anonymous. "I wouldn't feel that way if I just go out dressed casually."

He is one of the growing number of teenage boys sporting "nanchatte seifuku," or fake uniforms, a trend that was initially popular among teenage girls but is now drawing in fashion-conscious schoolboys as well.