I was surprised when I saw one whole store dedicated entirely on Hello Kitty. This is just one of the examples that is the kawaii culture. I find it very fascinating for how a country have built a whole industry for just the cuteness. In one of the following articles I found online - Japan smitten by love of cute. In the article the author discusses the cute phenomena. For instance, she quotes a Japanese professor that believes that cute proves the Japanese simply don't want to grow up.
I can relate to what he means. Sometimes it does feel like you are being treated like a child over here. Especially when even the warning signs are in cartoon or in manga form. Everything here is illustrated in manga drawings or with pictures of small and cute kids. The picture below is a great example of how they mixed something serious with something cute. This sign is a warning to not swim, but still the same time, it is very cute. I feel like the warning doesn't feel as important when it is illustrated like this.
So how come the kawaii culture doesn't hit big in the rest of the world? In Japan you do have a huge variety of things for the younger generation. Places like arcades, game halls, different stops where you can win teddy bears and so on. Sometimes I feel like a kid in a big toy store. This can of course make the Japanese younger generation be kids a longer time, but still it can create problems for them in the future. To see a manga kid telling you to use condoms with a big grin don't really give you the serious impression as you hoped it to be. There's nothing wrong with kawaii, but what happens when I am 40 years old, I would get tired of all cuteness, and honestly, I would feel like a pervert in a toy store, and no thank you, that I can do without.
/Quang
1 comment:
Yes, the cult(ure) of cute(ness) is a force to be reckoned with here in Japan and a good example to explore popular culture. Don't be so sure about despising cute at 40. But you might be on to something with the pervert thing.
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