J-goth refers to Japanese artists associated with a number of different styles, including gothic rock, deathrock, post-punk, darkwave and industrial.
Although the fashions sported by the alternative crowd in Harajuku (Tokyo's equivalent of Camden) were largely inspired by the Western goth movement, J-goths tend to enter this subculture via different roots: either anime "cosplay" or through Japan's own alternative music scene: visual kei. This style has recently come full circle, with Westerners now borrowing fashion elements from the Japanese. The most popular and distinctive of these is undoubtedly the "Gothic Lolita" look, which has now become a part of the Western gothic spectrum.