"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?