When you walk down the streets of Japan, especially in large cities as Tokyo and Osaka, you see girls dressed in things westerners would never wear. Flamboyant colors and shoes so high you wonder how they can stand! But to many of these girls it is the little things that make the biggest difference.

The most kawaii things that a hip, self-respecting Harajuku or Shibuya girl can get her hands on are the accessories. Little cell phones (particularly with a cell phone charm - How men and women shop differently for cell phones) fly off the shelves - the littler the better. Even more kawaii points if the accessories bear the face of Hello Kitty Purple Fairy - The symbol of all things Japanese-cute.  And although Japanese school girls are forced to wear their uniforms to school, they have, of course, found ways to make them cute. They accessorize with precise little bows at the collar, and awesome loose socks that have to be glued into place.  Combine this with the cute little sailor uniforms and maybe a headband and pigtails, and it's no wonder men in Japan often have desire for schoolgirls.

What other accessories are popular in Japan? 

Anything Hello Kitty of course - From hair ties to cell phone straps to key chains to lunchboxes. Almost anything can be somehow transformed into a super-cute accessory, even a handkerchief tied around the neck like a necklace. And the latest cute product is a laptop computer.

Bags are of course popular in Japan - A 'gal' is got to have the right bag. Preferably designer, duh. And really, anything else that can transformed or considered into the realms of kawaii. In a culture where if you blink you could miss a trend, it's important to stay on your toes.  And the trend is now popular not just among schoolgirls.  Young housewives have taken the kawi and combined it with erotic to come up with the erokawa look - cute, but sexy.

In the past, "kogal" style was very popular. Dark faces, panda makeup, and high platforms were all the rage.  Even though many girls still dress and look like that, a new style trend is emerging. This trend is more adult, more refined. Hair is now light brown, not blond. It's all about lower-heeled shoes and faded jeans.  But "gal" fashions are still selling strong, mostly because country-Japan girls are just coming into Tokyo to buy up these past crazes.

So what is kawaii? Do you know yet?  It's not just how we dress, it's how we are.