Cute is Cool in Japan
Associated Press
June 15, 2006

(Coyner's Comment:  One plausible explanation that I stumbled across some 15 years ago is that any culture that is socially very stressful - and Japan certainly qualifies - is a good candidate for generating a cuteness loving population.  By indulging in cuteness, the individual takes a mental or psychological mini break from society's external pressures.  So even looking at Hello Kitty motifs momentarily reminds one of simpler times of childhood.  This may explain why this cuteness fixation can also be found in Korea and China - but in less intensities, possibly reflecting corresponding lesser social demands. Now I have no idea if this is really the case, but as I stated, it is a plausible explanation since it seems to make sense.)

 
Cuddly mascots are everywhere in Japan

As cute-worship is rapidly becoming Japan's global image, the world's second biggest economy is wondering what is making its people gravitate towards cuteness.

It is everywhere: Cartoon figures dangle from mobile phones, waitresses bow in frilly maid outfits, bows adorn bags, even police departments boast cuddly mascots.

Japan Incorporated, known in the past for products such as Toyota cars and the Sony Walkman, is busy exporting the epitome of cute - bubble-headed Hello Kitty, Pokemon video games, the singing duo Puffy and the Tamagotchi virtual pet, just to name a few.

Nintendo, which makes Super Mario and Pokemon video games, recorded about 350 billion yen ($3.1 billion) in US and European sales in the fiscal year 2005.

Japan's entertainment content business totals 13 trillion yen, or about two-thirds of Toyota's sales, according to the Digital Content Association of Japan.

Infantile mentality

Sceptics say Japan's pursuit of cute is a sign of an infantile mentality and worry that Japanese culture may be heading towards doom.

Hiroto Murasawa, an expert on the culture of beauty at Osaka Shoin Women's University, believes that cute proves the Japanese simply do not want to grow up. "It's a mentality that breeds non-assertion," he said.

On the other hand, Tomoyuki Sugiyama, author of Cool Japan, believes cute is rooted in Japan's harmony-loving culture.

"If someone doesn't find me cute, I want to know why because then I'll work on it to get better at being cute"

Yuri Ebihara,
Japanese model and actor

Sugiyama, president of Digital Hollywood, a Tokyo school for computer-graphics designers, video artists and game creators said collecting miniatures such as mementos for mobile phones can be traced back 400 years to the Edo Period, when tiny carved "netsuke" charms were popular.

"The Japanese are seeking a spiritual peace and an escape from brutal reality through cute things," he said.

Beauty standards

Yuri Ebihara, a model and actress, widely viewed as the personification of cute, commands such influence that when she wears lacy pastel skirts in a fashion magazine, they become sellouts.

"I make it a point never to forget to smile," said Ebihara, often seen on TV adverts and billboards. "If someone doesn't find me cute, I want to know why because then I'll work on it to get better at being cute."

A survey on beauty standards by cosmetics company Kanebo found that women in their 20s and early 30s favour the cute look, accentuated by a childish round face, rather than the elegant face, compared to women over 35.

Indeed, the Japanese have come up with nuances of cute and use phrases such as "erotic-cute" and "grotesque-cute" in conversation.

Nobuyoshi Kurita, sociology professor at Tokyo's Musashi University, says cute is a "magic term" that encompasses everything that's acceptable and desirable - this nation's answer to the West. The cute concept, he said, could determine Japan's cultural influence on the world.

Cute is cool in Japan
Japanese women's obsession with cute clothing and other cute products
By Lisa Kramer
www.mynippon.com/culture/pinkculture.htm

MYNIPPON tracks trends in Japan and found that pink was the hot color of all times in clothes.  We received several emails from the visitors to the site and decided to do a survey on the preferred colors for lingerie.  Now we wonder that we should not have been surprised to find from this survey that pink dominated the color in lingerie as well.  What is this thing with pink in Japan?  We spoke to several MYNIPPON members and it appears that it is not just pink color that is interesting about Japan but also the obsession with being cute.  It appears that everyone seems to be trying to look cute in a culture that was fairly macho by any standards.  It is evident from these and also from some of the Japanese icons: Pikachu, Doraemon, and Hello Kitty.

"Kawaii!" or Cute!, usually said in strangled "awww" tones by young women, seems to be one of the most commonly heard words in the company of Japanese women.  Modern Japan thinks pink. Japanese women in their efforts to eternally please men just seem to be satisfied with being cute and nothing appeals to them more than pink or other cutie stuff that seems to be available almost everywhere in Japan.  A slick and well-organized alliance of advertisers and manufacturers feeds them a never-ending supply of cute, though often useless goods. The result is a cycle of pastel-shaded stuff, the furniture of everyday life in a crowded, craze-driven society.

The obsession with kawaii and pink has transformed Japan into a country that can pride itself on being the largest market for kitsch, voraciously consuming disposable toys, stationery, fashion accessories, lunchboxes, and meaningless consumer goods. A kawaii approach is what can add to the bottom line of a company in no time but enough marketing Yen has be spent to make the product a fad, especially among young girls.  Even house-ware, accessories, clothes, and electronic gadgets can all be packaged to conform to this playful aesthetic. To appeal to women, nothing works more than making a product kawaii and ample use of pink color.  Our members in other parts of Asia have written to us saying that Japanese characters and other cuddly products are a craze among younger East Asians.  (Related article:  Colorful notebook computers designed for women by Sony)

Kids from South Korea have become Japan-crazy, starting with fashion and music. Hong Kongers and Taiwanese find Japanese culture more attractive than that from the west. The kawaii but otherwise notably untalented teen idols churned out by the Japanese pop industry can be easily seen in karaoke bars all over.  Kawaii culture in Japan thrives on the simple fact that Japanese women would rather be cute than hot.  Is the world ready for pink culture?

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Kawaii or cute Japanese products