Cute Culture in Japan

The Cute'ness that is Japan, is a mastered art. I feel safe generalizing when I say that EVERYTHING in Japan can and will be altered so that it will make all the young school girls squeal "Kawaiiii!" School supplies and clothing are one thing, but Japan has turned food, manholes, cookware, non-cute things, and even poop into unbearable cute versions of themselves.

Japan's cute culture influences everything and everyone. On buses I would see lots of different types of people, male and female, old and young, and clipped to their phones and backpacks/bags/purses would be cute little figurines of one piece characters, or mini stuffed animals, bells, or a Shinto
and/or Buddhism piece that had been cute-a-fied. The cute culture of Japan is so strong of a movement that most Japanese people have to participate in. Every tourist shop in each prefecture had an abundance of cute phone charms, snacks & sweets, stationary and just about anything else you could think of. There were stores at the malls dedicated to only selling EXTREMELY cute things.

To be cute is all that matters in Japan. Woman in America want to be seen as beautiful and mature; however in this cute culture in Japan, being cute is everything. Most girls at my college in Japan would all dress in the same skirt, tights, and blouse if it meant they were cute. Compliments were only valid if they had 'kawaii' or 'amai' in them. I always overheard young men sayin
g to one another 'me-chya kawaii ne!!' (Super cute!) when checking girls out on tv, mags, or at school. Cute cute cute.