Unique Japan: "Kawaii" or the Cute Side of Life

As i venture into my Daily Life in Japan, i now barely notice it, but sometimes it really hits me hard like a Punch in the Face............."Kawaii", to shocking levels.

Cute Stickers, Lolis, adorable Mascots and Hello Kitty,

We all know and have at least seen some of the "Kawaii" of Japan.

Japan has a Cute Culture and it's getting more adorable all the time.

The original Definition of "Kawaii" came from Lady Murasaki's "The Tale of Genji" in which it referred to pitiable qualities. During the Shogunate period under the ideology of Neo-Confucianism, Women came to be included under the Term "kawaii" as the perception of Women being animalistic was replaced with the conception of Women as docile. (thanks Wikipedia)

The today's "Kawaii", which literally means to be lovable, adorable or cute, has been on the rise in Japan especially since the 1980's and it's getting more and more popular.

Me personally, male western Foreigner in Japan, raised as a MAN, which means Masculinity for most countries in the World, was to a certain degree quite shocked with all the Cuteness here.

Let's phrase it that way, my relationship to a screaming pink Hello Kitty Stores could be very well compared to that of a Vampire to Light, interesting to look at from a afar, but please don't try to drag me into one.

Hell, here even many guys, some are a serious Trap, like to look cute,

so what's up with all this "Kawaii" going around and why here more so than in the rest of the world?

Some Sociologist might say it's Escapism, others might say it's just a quirk of Japanese Aesthetic Ideals,

I think it's a little of Both.

Japanese Society doesn't make life easy for the average Japanese, so many unwritten Rules about how everyone expects you to behave in any situation. The Pressure is Real, one wrong Word, one wrong Gesture and you better move far far away, to a Place nobody knows you or commit "Sepuku" (traditional Japanese Suicide to Apologize for one's Behavior or Deeds, known in western countries as "Harakiri").

So the Innocence and Carefree Aspects may seem very tempting, so much that i can totally see the Need for Escapism and how thit might lead to going for "Kawaii".

(I will make sure to write about these Rules and what they mean for us Foreigners at a later time, so be sure to check it out.)

But Cute is also Big Business in Japan.

Japanese cute Merchandise Sales used to be driven by mainly Girls between 15 to 18, but not so much anymore, "Kawaii" made it into Mainstream and now Everyone is infected.

Most items are now styled to be Cute, from Warning Signs to the adorable Mascots every City has to have, if they want to attract the Attention of Japanese Customers and Tourists. This also being one of the Reasons why many Foreign Companies fail in Japan, new Goods or Services are just not "Kawaii" enough to sell, even if these had been a big Hit back in their Country of Origin.

Now Cute is one of the biggest Exports of Japan and will likely be so for the considerable Future, as we Foreigners still have a lot of Room for Improvement to be more "Kawaii".

With all This ,"Kawaii" is sure to become more and more Popular in the Future, so yeah Guys, better buy the pink cute Sweater now, it's not gonna go away for a long time.

#Kawaii #cute #Japan #Unique