tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77272345138693573562024-03-12T16:45:44.384-07:00Cute JapanKawaii Japan's culture of cute is a book by author Manami Okazaki that documents Japan's kawaii culture in all its manifestations. We interview some of the most famous Japanese shojo manga artists, illustrators, designers, artists who encapsulate the kawaii aesthetic in their work.
All photos under creative commons, feel free to use for non-commercial usage, but check with me first as some of the photos are not mine: meowth23@gmail.comCute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-55685914598893916452019-09-05T02:28:00.001-07:002019-09-05T02:28:47.503-07:00Land of the Rising cat book!My latest book, Land of the Rising Cat (prestel UK) is out today! Check it out<br />
xxx<br />
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Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-3608650770205975962019-09-05T02:12:00.001-07:002019-09-05T02:12:25.449-07:00Sway Gallery Land of the Rising Cat show Ill be hosting a three week exhibition, Land of the Rising Cat at Sway Gallery London with curator Malene of Tiger tanuki, illustrator and sofubi designer Konatsu and illustrator Kaori Mitsushima.<br />
If you are in London during this time check it out!<br />
I'll be releasing my new book, Land of the Rising Cat on the 5th evening (RSVP essential) and the show will continue for the next three weeks.<br />
xxxx<br />
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Sway Gallery London is proud to present an exciting, 100 purrcent
cat-themed pop-up, introducing over 200 items, including collectables,
kawaii crafts and folk toys, artworks, as well as Japanese woodblock
prints! <br /><br />The event is a collaboration between Manami Okazaki,
Japanese culture maven and author of Land of the Rising Cat: Japan’s
Feline Fascination, which will be released and sold on the opening
night, and Tiger Tanuki, Japanese art dealer and curator. <br />Manami
introduces a unique selection of traditional folk crafts from across
Japan, ranging from wooden kokeshi dolls to porcelain manekineko (lucky
cats). Tiger Tanuki presents original Japanese woodblock prints,
showing some of Japan’s most renowned cat woodblock prints from artists
like Tomoo Inagaki, Tadashige Nishida and Utagawa Kuniyoshi, spanning
the 19th to the 21st century. <br />For all the cat and Japanese pop
culture lovers, contemporary art pieces, including sofubis (collectable
figurines) and artworks, will be provided by the acclaimed artist
Konatsu, whose creations cause her die-hard fans to queue for long
hours, just to be able to claim a lottery ticket which provides them
with a chance to purchase one of her creations! <br />Kaori Mitsushima, a
Prague based Japanese artist, will also present a series of cat
inspired artworks painted with simple but strong lines, reflecting a
deep connection to Japan. <br />A great number of the cat-themed
artisanal crafts and rare collectables will be exhibited and available
for purchase at Sway Gallery London. <br />From lucky kittens to cool
cats, from paw prints to art prints – this is a unique opportunity to
own a bit of Japanese kawaii cat culture! <br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-77540693249815154552019-03-23T05:28:00.001-07:002019-03-23T05:28:39.771-07:00Fodor's Just a quick post to say Kawaii, Japan's Culture of Cute was featured in Fodor's Essential Japan Travel Guide as part of their "Read This" list.<br />
Thank you so much so the editorial team at Fodor's Travel xxxx<br />
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I also saw we were listed in the Historical Dictionary of Postwar Japan. </div>
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Thanks so much William!!</div>
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Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-78523640682646752652018-07-19T23:15:00.002-07:002018-07-19T23:15:43.817-07:00London<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Thanks to everyone who dropped by my Daiwa Foundaition event! It is very much appreciated, and thank you to Daiwa as always, it was an honor and pleasure to be there. </div>
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The SWAY GALLERY pop up has started, and will go for another two weeks, please drop by if you are in London, it looks fantastic! Thank you to SWAY for having me!</div>
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They have kindly arranged for everyone to pick up the kokeshi after the exhibition closes, so everyone can enjoy the entire show for the full two weeks. </div>
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Over one hundred kokeshi (ranging from traditional, neo-traditional to creative/ contemporary), folk craft, folk toys and my books. It is a rare chance to see many of these exquisite and quirky works outside of Tohoku hot spring villages. </div>
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-9943852429986471282018-07-16T21:55:00.003-07:002018-07-16T21:55:50.051-07:00SWAY GALLERY LONDON<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
Im having a pop up at SWAY GALLERY LONDON! </div>
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please drop by if you are in the area xxx</div>
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【19th – 31st July 2018】<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Pop-up shop, talk and exhibition by Manami Okazaki, the author of<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Kokeshi, from Tohoku with Love.</div>
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Kokeshi are traditional wooden dolls that are predominantly made in rural hotspring villages in the Tohoku region. Originally a children’s toy made by farmers, these simple and charming folktoys have captured the hearts of collectors around the world.</div>
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More than 100 kokeshi will be available, from traditional,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />orthodox types to kawaii, modern varieties. A rare<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />opportunity to purchase new kokeshi by master<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />artisans in the Tohoku region.</div>
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Meet the author:<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Sway Gallery (in store) 19th and 28th July all day.</div>
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Looking forward to seeing you here!</div>
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FREE ENTRY</div>
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Opening hours: MON – FRI 11am – 7pm<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />SAT (21st and 28th July only) 12pm – 6pm<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Sunday closed</div>
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Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-33378253527425667612018-07-11T15:47:00.000-07:002018-07-11T15:47:00.628-07:00Daiwa LondonDoing a talk/ mini exhibition of kokeshi at Daiwa Foundation in London.<br />
This is a rare chance to see genuine, new kokeshi from living artisans from Tohoku in London!<br />
If you are interested, please contact them directly!<br />
Hope to see you there xxxx<br />
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Tuesday 17 July 2018 <br />6:00pm – 7:00pm<br />
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Drinks reception: 7:00pm – 8:00pm</div>
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13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle (entrance facing Regent's Park), London NW1 4QP</div>
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Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation</div>
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Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-4003993440187612282017-12-30T16:05:00.002-08:002017-12-30T16:05:47.416-08:00SorbetWrote an article on Kawaii culture and Hello Kitty for Dubai fashion magazine Sorbet magazine's Kitsch issue.<br />
Check it out!<br />
thanks Katy xxx<br />
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Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-31085122131812812172017-10-07T20:11:00.001-07:002017-10-07T20:11:27.860-07:00Gaijin Pot's Instagram list<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I only just saw this, I received an email saying that they found my IG on Gaijin Pot!</div>
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Thank you Gaijin Pot! I really appreciate the shout out (my IG is @tohokukokeshi)</div>
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I really don't use social media (I don't have personal accounts) and really have no idea what I am doing. I very am grateful, even if I feel like it is an undeserved place on this list!</div>
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-87653590878464510212017-09-03T03:46:00.000-07:002017-09-05T03:32:24.044-07:00ManekinekoDid a story about manekineko (auspicious beckoning cats) for Hong Kong Airlines in flight magazine based on my travels to Okayama and Onomichi. Had a truly fantastic time at both, and can't wait to go back, especially to Onomichi. They also hired Singaporean illo<a href="http://www.puffingmuffin.com/" target="_blank"> PuffingMuffin</a> to draw some cats for the feature, her sensibilities are really different to Japanese kawaii cats so it is quite fun to see her quirky take on these manekineko figurines.<br />
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-32211364249000428302017-07-12T03:45:00.001-07:002017-07-17T00:21:34.892-07:00Tokyo Toy Show<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
Some outtakes from the Japan Times Licca chan story (see previous post). </div>
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If you are into Japanese character design, heinously cute stuff, and overloading on kawaii in general, the Tokyo Toy Show at Big Site will probably be up your street. </div>
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Like anything at Big Site, it is really overwhelming, it takes several hours just to see everything, and once you have, you are so exhausted you barely have the energy to make it home. </div>
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A tip -- you can ride the incredibly cool monorail (wait til it gets dark, and sit at the front). The views are sci-fi, and you get to see some of the best (or worst depending on your aesthetic sensibilities) modern architecture in Tokyo. </div>
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OR you can get a boat back to downtown Tokyo, which is also really fantastic. You can see the city slowly morph downtown, with its old school atmosphere, and you go past Tsukiji fish markets. You need to change at Hinode pier, but from there, try and get the Hotaluna boat (designed by manga artist Matsumoto Leiji)<br />
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Also went to the Koriyama Museum's Licca show, fabulous show with over 580 Liccas. You can easily see how fashion, beauty standards and society have changed in Japan over the years. </div>
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The exhibition also had a bunch of Licca collabs, such as Ariana Grande, Kumamon, Bear Brick, Denpagumi, Hello Kitty and so on. </div>
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-84123417909132230652017-07-08T19:43:00.000-07:002017-07-12T02:13:33.717-07:00Licca Chan Japan TimesWrote a story for the Japan Times on Licca-chan <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/07/08/lifestyle/living-doll-licca-chans-legacy-lives/#.WWGXboWEL3V" target="_blank">here,</a> who is celebrating her 50th anniversary.<br />
<br />
thank you so much Elliot at JT for your editing wizardry. m(_ _)m<br />
<br />
I'll do a few outtake posts later from the Licca-chan Castle and the Toy Expo at Big Site (both are definitely worth checking out if you like kawaii culture!)<br />
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<br />
<br />
Japan has undergone significant social and cultural change over the
past 50 years, and a chestnut-haired, saccharine doll affectionately
named Licca-chan has seen it all.<br />
While fashion and pop culture trends have changed, the dress-up
doll’s popularity is arguably as strong as ever. More than 60 million
units have been sold both at home and abroad — most notably, in Taiwan —
since it was first released on July 4, 1967.<br />
Licca-chan was first produced by Takara Co., the forerunner to Tomy Co. The companies later merged and became Takaratomy Co.<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="align_right inline_image single_block medium" id="post-1205826 media-1205826"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="Fourth generation (1987~): Licca-chan regularly collaborates with brands such as Issey Miyake's Pleats Please and Godiva Chocolatier. | COURTESY OF TAKARATOMY" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" data-fresco-group="inline-images" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-a-20170709.jpg"><img alt="Fourth generation (1987~): Licca-chan regularly collaborates with brands such as Issey Miyake" src="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-a-20170709-310x536.jpg" /></a><figcaption>Fourth
generation (1987~): Licca-chan regularly collaborates with brands such
as Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please and Godiva Chocolatier. | COURTESY OF
TAKARATOMY</figcaption></figure>Maiko Murayama, a public relations officer at Takaratomy, says that
Licca-chan struggled in the 1990s but has since bounced back. According
to Japanese news reports, the doll suffered a decline in sales after
rival goods based on manga and anime characters for girls such as Sailor
Moon grew in popularity.<br />
“Dolls are on the increase again,” Murayama says. “I think it is
primal — something close to human instinct — to like dolls. We
essentially think Licca-chan dolls help a child’s development. They’re
not just for playing.”<br />
Licca-chan is instantly recognizable by her cute, innocent
appearance, possessing sparkly manga-style eyes that always look
slightly to the left.<br />
Licca Group Product Development Manager Ayumi Kinoshita unveiled this
year’s Licca-chan model at the recent International Tokyo Toy Show.<br />
The 2017 model boasts pink- and aqua-colored hair that changes when
placed next to a special light. Takaratomy releases 50 new products each
year, including new models, friends and family, houses, accessories and
workplaces.<br />
Kinoshita believes the compositional design of Licca-chan’s face,
which has an ambiguous expression akin to Japanese toys such as
traditional kokeshi dolls and Hello Kitty, is part of her appeal.<br />
“She isn’t looking straight at you,” Kinoshita says. “If a doll is
staring right at you, it would be a bit scary. If she were laughing,
people would think she is having fun, but she isn’t smiling and showing
her teeth. You can interpret her expression in a number of ways.”<br />
<h3>
Changing times</h3>
If you compare the latest Licca-chan to the original model, it is
evident that much has changed over the years. Indeed, the dress-up doll
has gone through a total of four different “generations,” where
everything from her height to her facial structure has evolved to
reflect the times.<br />
<br />
The first generation was produced by Takara Corp., which at the time
was a vinyl production company. Takara had hoped to use its technical
knowhow to make a dollhouse in which to keep toys such as Mattel’s
Barbie and Ideal’s Tammy doll.<br />
<br />
However, the dollhouses made to fit Western toys were too big for
many Japanese rooms and so when planning new products for the domestic
market, including a fold-out house that was better-suited for playing on
tatami floors, Takara decided to make an entirely new doll as well.<br />
Takara had been awarded the licensing rights to make Barbies in Japan.<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="align_right inline_image single_block medium" id="post-1205833 media-1205833"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="Licca Group Product Development Manager Ayumi Konishita poses for a photograph at the International Tokyo Toy Show in June. | MANAMI OKAZAKI" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" data-fresco-group="inline-images" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-g-20170709.jpg"><img alt="Licca Group Product Development Manager Ayumi Konishita poses for a photograph at the International Tokyo Toy Show in June." src="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-g-20170709-310x413.jpg" /></a><figcaption>Licca
Group Product Development Manager Ayumi Konishita poses for a
photograph at the International Tokyo Toy Show in June. | MANAMI OKAZAKI</figcaption></figure>But Yoshino Hakata, assistant general manager of Licca-chan Castle, a
theme park and museum in Fukushima Prefecture, says the U.S. doll
wasn’t very attractive to domestic buyers.<br />
“(Barbie) didn’t appeal to their sensibilities,” Hakata says, “so
they made a localized Barbie with features that suit Japanese tastes.”<br />
Murayama adds that Barbie’s relationship with her boyfriend, Ken, was
also “a bit too much” for the domestic market, so Takara produced a
dress-up doll that Japanese children could feel an emotional affinity
with.<br />
<br />
Licca-chan was created to be closer in age to the girls who owned
her, and her narrative focused on family and friends — although she was
eventually given male friends as well.<br />
The original Licca-chan model was 21 centimeters tall and featured
apricot-colored lips, a slightly bent nose and a white glint in her eye.
Her last name, Kayama, was inspired by musician Yuzo Kayama and actress
Yoshiko Kayama.<br />
<br />
Manga artist Maki Miyako provided the visual inspiration for the
first Licca-chan, which was sold with a booklet that featured an
illustration by Miyako on the cover.<br />
<br />
Over time, Takaratomy has given the doll a detailed character
background. Licca-chan is an 11-year-old fifth-grader at Heart Hills
Gakuen. Her father is a French musician and her mother is a Japanese
fashion designer. She loves to dress up and is a bit goofy. She excels
at drawing but is not so good at schoolwork. She constantly worries
about the whereabouts of her father, who has traveled to France.<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="align_right inline_image single_block medium" id="post-1205827 media-1205827"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="First generation (1967-71): The original Licca-chan doll was 21 cm tall and featured apricot-colored lips, a slightly bent nose and a white glint in her pupil. | COURTESY OF TAKARATOMY" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" data-fresco-group="inline-images" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-b-20170709.jpg"><img alt="First generation (1967-71): The original Licca-chan doll was 21 cm tall and featured apricot-colored lips, a slightly bent nose and a white glint in her pupil." src="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-b-20170709-310x465.jpg" /></a><figcaption>First
generation (1967-71): The original Licca-chan doll was 21 cm tall and
featured apricot-colored lips, a slightly bent nose and a white glint in
her pupil. | COURTESY OF TAKARATOMY</figcaption></figure>The first generation of the doll was sold from 1967 to 1971. It was
quickly followed by her mother and friends, as well as a suntanned
version called Pichi Pichi Licca.<br />
The Japanese generation of baby boomers had more disposable income
than their parents and a growing interest in global fashion. As a
result, Licca-chan often mirrored overseas style trends such as garments
worn by the counterculture movement of the hippies, embracing the
domestic miniskirt craze sparked by British model Twiggy’s visit to
Tokyo in 1967.<br />
<br />
During the 1960s and ’70s there was also an increase in manga and
literature that were set overseas, particularly in France and the United
States. A plethora of biracial stars also rose to prominence in Japan
at this time, including Linda Yamamoto, Seri Ishikawa and Yoko Caroline,
as well as a female idol group made up of biracial members called
“Golden Half.”<br />
<br />
Konan Women’s University manga research scholar Nozomi Masuda says
model Emiri Takami (who married politician Kunio Hatoyama, 1948-2016)
played an important role in the decision to give Licca-chan a mixed
background.<br />
Takami, whose father was Australian, was the cover girl for the weekly Shojo Friend magazine in the latter half of the 1960s.<br />
<br />
Yasuhiro Kojima, head of manufacturing development at Takaratomy,
wrote in his 2009 book “Licca-chan Umaremasu” (“Licca-chan is Born”)
that Takami was slated to appear in Licca-chan’s advertising campaign.<br />
<br />
The prototype of the doll was even called Emiri before it was ultimately
named Licca.<br />
“Magazines for young females have depicted a fascination with the
West from the early days,” Masuda says. “Illustrator Junichi Nakahara,
who was responsible for the covers of Shojo no Tomo from the prewar
days, drew Western-style young girls with large pupils and introduced
French culture.”<br />
<br />
In addition to contributing to magazines such as Shojo no Tomo, which
was highly influential on prewar girls’ culture, Nakahara also created a
magazine in 1946 called Soleil, which is still a source of inspiration
in the fashion industry today.<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="align_right inline_image single_block medium" id="post-1205841 media-1205841"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="Second generation (1972-81): Licca-chan dolls in the 1970s were interested in lifestyle pursuits. | MANAMI OKAZAKI" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" data-fresco-group="inline-images" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-c-20170709-1.jpg"><img alt="Second generation (1972-81): Licca-chan dolls in the 1970s were interested in lifestyle pursuits." src="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-c-20170709-1-310x413.jpg" /></a><figcaption>Second generation (1972-81): Licca-chan dolls in the 1970s were interested in lifestyle pursuits. | MANAMI OKAZAKI</figcaption></figure>Later, illustrators such as Makoto Takahashi and Eiko Hanamura were
fascinated and visually inspired by Western culture, especially the
things they saw in the postwar era. They popularized the sparkly,
wide-eyed kawaii aesthetic that is still the norm in girls’ manga and
characters goods today.<br />
The popularity of postwar girls’ manga such as “Candy Candy,” the
creation of Licca-chan and the development of characters with foreign
backgrounds such as Hello Kitty are some of the many ways Western
influences have manifested themselves in kawaii culture.<br />
<br />
Masuda says this admiration for Europe and the United States inspired
biracial protagonists in manga and anime, which subsequently allowed
creators to use them as “a device to make the ‘overseas’ — in other
words, ‘the West’ — more accessible to audiences.”<br />
<br />
Waki Yamato’s 1971 series “Mon Cheri CoCo” features a heroine with a French father and a Japanese mother.<br />
Licca-chan also had her own manga serial by Michiko Hosono in Shojo
Friend called “Licca-chan Trio” between 1968 and 1969, featuring
catchphrases such as “The rainbow bridge that ties Japan and France.”<br />
<br />
Masuda recognizes that these developments could be construed as
denigrating Asian physical attributes and Asian culture. Conversely,
however, this could also be viewed positively.<br />
“In male manga and anime culture, protagonists are usually drawn as
black-haired Japanese,” Masuda says. “Heroine figures for young girls
are diverse and not bound to a specific racial image. You could say that
it gives readers a greater opportunity to identify with a diverse
outlook.”<br />
<br />
The second generation of Licca-chan dolls appeared on the market
between 1972 and 1981. The new incarnation was given some baby siblings
as well as some pets.<br />
Two stars were added to the pupils of each eye, giving them more of a
twinkle. Her fashion reflected the style that could be found in the
streets of Harajuku, as well as a disco-chic aesthetic.<br />
There was an increased focus from work to lifestyle-oriented pursuits
in society and, as such, Licca could typically be found roller-skating,
scuba diving or riding a scooter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="align_right inline_image single_block medium" id="post-1205842 media-1205842"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="Third generation (1982-86): The third incarnation of Licca-chan was released in the middle of the bubble era. | MANAMI OKAZAKI" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" data-fresco-group="inline-images" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-d-20170709.jpg"><img alt="Third generation (1982-86): The third incarnation of Licca-chan was released in the middle of the bubble era." src="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-d-20170709-310x413.jpg" /></a><figcaption>Third generation (1982-86): The third incarnation of Licca-chan was released in the middle of the bubble era. | MANAMI OKAZAKI</figcaption></figure>A third generation of dolls was produced between 1982 and 1986, and
sees Licca-chan in the middle of the bubble era, when conspicuous
consumption was in vogue and women flaunted brands.<br />
This incarnation of Licca-chan had long straight hair and a smaller,
rounder face. Her hypergirly, colorful clothing was reflective of ’80s
pop, replicating the idols of the time. She also wore glamorous outfits
accented with pearls and lace, as well as prom-style dresses.<br />
<br />
The fourth generation of dolls was released in 1987 and continues to
this day, with Takaratomy saying it has no plans for another overhaul
anytime soon.<br />
Licca-chan’s style and interests have diversified over time — in
tandem with Japanese youth culture in general — and the doll frequently
collaborates with brands such as Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please, Godiva
Chocolatier and Kumamoto Prefecture’s mascot, Kumamon. She also makes
regular appearances in advertisements and music videos.<br />
<br />
The doll has worked in a variety of jobs over the past 50 years,
often as part of a tie-in with companies such as McDonald’s and
Baskin-Robbins.<br />
“We look at the popularity ranking of jobs that girls want to do and
use one that matches Licca-chan as a concept,” Takaratomy’s Kinoshita
says. “We would draw inspiration from seeing things like kids merrily
grabbing donuts with tongs at Mister Donut. The pet store is also
popular because of the pet boom.”<br />
<br />
Licca-chan has also been an advocate for global exploration since her
creation, constantly jetting off to overseas locations. She has a slew
of international friends and wrote an extensive travel blog in 2007 when
she traveled solo to destinations such as Kenya, China and Finland.<br />
<br />
More recently, Licca-chan appeared in Instagram advertisements for
cosmetics company Shiseido’s D program, which imagines what she would be
like as a busy 30-year-old OL (office lady). She is pictured at a desk
in front of a laptop and documents, with Post-it notes stuck to the
computer, her arms and hair.<br />
<h3>
The ultimate OL?</h3>
Despite these seemingly prosaic jobs — at least compared to Barbie,
who has campaigned for U.S. president every election since 1992 —
Licca-chan has for the most part avoided the criticism her Western
counterpart has received from feminists, who have accused dolls of
establishing a false standard of gender roles and body idealism.<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="align_center inline_image single_block large" id="post-1205834 media-1205834"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="A blogger has pointed out that Licca-chan and her mother always appear to be cooking in the kitchen in product shots, while her father sits at the dining table reading a newspaper. | MANAMI OKAZAKI" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" data-fresco-group="inline-images" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-h-20170709.jpg"><img alt="A blogger has pointed out that Licca-chan and her mother always appear to be cooking in the kitchen in product shots, while her father sits at the dining table reading a newspaper." src="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-h-20170709-870x653.jpg" /></a><figcaption>A
blogger has pointed out that Licca-chan and her mother always appear to
be cooking in the kitchen in product shots, while her father sits at
the dining table reading a newspaper. | MANAMI OKAZAKI</figcaption></figure>At least one blogger has criticized Licca-chan’s creators for
utilizing outdated gender stereotypes, insinuating that women can juggle
their jobs in addition to using technology to help with their household
chores even if their husbands are uncooperative. The blogger also
pointed out that Licca-chan and her mother always appear to be cooking
in the kitchen in product shots, while her father sits at the dining
table reading a newspaper.<br />
<br />
Overall, however, fans in their 30s, 40s and 50s are increasingly
expressing an interest in the doll. A line-up of models has been
specifically created to target a more mature audience, while adults make
up the majority of regular customers at the Licca Castle souvenir shop
in Nihonbashi.<br />
Murayama thinks that social media has helped create an adult fan base.<br />
<br />
“The concept of ‘adult hobbies’ such as collecting dolls is much more
popular now,” Murayama says. “You don’t have to hide any love you may
have for Licca-chan nowadays. In fact, people are showing it off and
posting things such as ‘Look at how cute Licca-chan is in my photo!'”<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="align_right inline_image single_block medium" id="post-1205831 media-1205831"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="Kumi Ikeda is a 52-year-old collector who owns close to 1,000 Licca-chan dolls. | MANAMI OKAZAKI" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" data-fresco-group="inline-images" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-e-20170709.jpg"><img alt="Kumi Ikeda is a 52-year-old collector who owns close to 1,000 Licca-chan dolls." src="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-e-20170709-310x413.jpg" /></a><figcaption>Kumi Ikeda is a 52-year-old collector who owns close to 1,000 Licca-chan dolls. | MANAMI OKAZAKI</figcaption></figure>One such fan is Kumi Ikeda, a 52-year-old collector who owns close to
1,000 Licca-chan dolls. Ikeda grew up with Licca-chan during an era
when “kids were only bought things for birthdays and Christmas.”<br />
Ikeda began her collection just 15 years ago, when she stumbled
across a Licca-chan doll on a Yahoo auction site while looking for
branded goods.<br />
<br />
“The price was incredible,” she recalls. “All those memories of when I
was young and happy, and when my mum bought her for me — all those
emotions came flooding out.”<br />
Ikeda is attracted to Licca-chan because of her narrative.<br />
“Her mum is trying hard on her own, and Licca-chan is asking where
her father is,” she says. “This sparked empathy with young girls and
captured their hearts. She isn’t just cute and sunny; she is tinged with
a little sorrow. You want to protect her, as if she is saying, ‘Don’t
leave me alone.'”<br />
Ikeda’s collection primarily focuses on the first generation of
dolls, which are regularly sold for as much as ¥30,000, with rare models
attracting higher bids. She also finds joy in rescuing disheveled
Licca-chan dolls at flea markets and restoring them to their former
glory.<br />
<br />
Communities of Licca-chan fans overseas have also become increasingly
vocal on social media. Scrolling through the #Licca hashtag on
Instagram reveals scores of women who take photographs of the dolls in
elaborate homemade sets.<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="align_right inline_image single_block medium" id="post-1205832 media-1205832"><a class="fresco" data-fresco-caption="Takaratomy Co. has given Licca-chan a detailed character background. | MANAMI OKAZAKI" data-fresco-group-options="ui:'inside'" data-fresco-group="inline-images" href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-f-20170709.jpg"><img alt="Takaratomy Co. has given Licca-chan a detailed character background." src="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/p10-licca-chan-f-20170709-310x413.jpg" /></a><figcaption>Takaratomy Co. has given Licca-chan a detailed character background. | MANAMI OKAZAKI</figcaption></figure>One such fan, Florence Caoile, is a 33-year-old American woman who
purchases Licca-chan dolls on eBay and Amazon. Speaking as an
Asian-American woman, she finds the physical traits appealing.<br />
“Back when I was growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, there was not much
diversity in hair and skin color,” she says. “I would have really liked
to have had a Licca-chan doll when I was a young girl, because she is
made to appeal to an Asian audience with a shorter stature and more
Asian-like features.”<br />
<br />
Yuliya Mokhova, a 41-year-old woman from Moscow, first received a
Licca-chan doll from her mother, a former Japan Airlines worker.<br />
Mokhova says there is a large community of Licca-chan lovers in Russia, with second-generation dolls being particularly popular.<br />
She adds that she prefers Licca-chan’s “beautiful childish face with
round cheeks” to Barbie’s overt sexiness when looking for a doll for her
daughter.<br />
<br />
Licca-chan Castle’s Hakata is not surprised by the doll’s perennial appeal.<br />
“You can do the things you want to do with Licca-chan — she stimulates the imagination,” Hakata says.<br />
And now, she says, there are three generations of fans to continue the doll’s legacy.<br />
<br />
“Mothers treasure the dolls they have, fix them up a bit and hand
them down to their kids,” she says. “As a result, a (Licca-chan) doll is
not a one-off thing for a child. It’s like a kimono, which is passed
down from generation to generation.”Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-10573446682584272242017-06-20T21:34:00.003-07:002017-06-20T21:35:44.573-07:00Bento Box MagazineCanadian Japanese culture mag Bento Box have written a review of Kokeshi, From Tohoku with Love. I really appreciate this review more than most I have received, as I really felt that the writer Michelle Crowson actually understood the intent of the book.<br />
Of course, this book is about kokeshi, but it is moreso about the people and culture of Tohoku, their heart and spirit, and their warmth -- that is what makes a kokeshi what it is.<br />
Even though they went through such an enormous tragedy with the 3/11 tsunami, I felt I was getting healed, and learning life lessons of them. I really appreciate every visit I make up there, the combination of the people's kindness, the nature and the culture is a really rejuvenating and inspiring.<br />
<br />
Thank you so much Bento Box and Michelle m(_ _)m<br />
<br />
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When it was first published in 2012, Manami Okazaki’s coffee table
book, Kokeshi: From Tohoku with Love, highlighted traditional artisans
from Tohoku, the region hit hard by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear
disasters of March 11, 2011. Proceeds from the first printing were
donated to Tohoku-related charities, organizations that brought relief
to locals afflicted by the disaster. The hardbound, full-colour reprint
brings attention once again to an art form in danger of extinction, and
to the people still struggling with the fallout of the triple disaster
of 3/11, which resulted in 15,891 initial deaths and 2,579 missing
persons. Tohoku residents have continued to suffer physical and
psychological effects, and many displaced residents were forced to
relocate to new communities, where they have suffered bullying and
stigmatization in schools and at work. Okazaki’s book is an important
reminder of Tohoku’s humanity and artistry.<br />
Okazaki focuses on the production of Kokeshi, traditional handmade
wooden dolls known for their lack of arms and legs and their charming
painted faces. Kokeshi disciples spend a decade training to become
official artisans, and because each doll is custom made with the
greatest care, the process of ordering a doll to getting one in hand can
take months. Kokeshi artisan numbers have dwindled since the advent of
mass-produced, disposable plastic toys, but there’s currently a boom in
interest among collectors who appreciate the Kokeshi’s craftsmanship and
durability, and the rich beauty that each doll gains with age.</div>
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Originally, Kokeshi were children’s toys created out of scrap wood in
hot spring towns during the 1800s. The dolls eventually became symbols
of healing and rejuvenation, as visitors and workers travelled to the
hot springs for the healing power of the natural waters. Okazaki’s book
balances the history and variety of Kokeshi production with plenty of
full-colour photos.<br />
The photos also give us a glimpse into the workshops of contemporary
Kokeshi artisans, and a step-by-step explanation of their process,
transforming untreated wood (dogwood, camellia, painted maple, melon
maple, zelkova and cherry, to name a few) into delicately painted
Kokeshi dolls.</div>
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The book details 11 styles of traditional Kokeshi, as well as more
contemporary styles. Okazaki also interviews 23 artisans, highlighting
interesting differences in their personalities and styles. No interview
asks exactly the same questions, so the chapters don’t get repetitive,
and each interview includes pictures of the artist’s own Kokeshi. The
overall picture is compelling for anyone interested in traditional
Japanese culture, but will be especially great for readers who are also
artists in their own right.<br />
Of course, you don’t have to be an artist to appreciate the book.
Okazaki includes resources for people who are interested in travelling
to Tohoku to get their hands on a Kokeshi, as well as instructions for
those who want to order one from abroad. One chapter lays out the
directions to famous hot spring towns and museums where Kokeshi dolls
are made, complete with an adorable illustrated map of the famous
artistic and cultural symbols of Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata
and Fukushima Prefectures. The nal chapters are devoted to introducing
Tohoku’s famous hot springs and raucous culture festivals, an ideal
primer for anyone planning to visit the region in the near future.</div>
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-27080796529521150402017-04-14T01:54:00.001-07:002017-04-14T01:54:25.308-07:00Chicago TribuneThis was a while ago, but saw the Chicago tribune included Kawaii, Japan's Culture of Cute in their 5 Great fashion- forward summer book reads list.<br />
Thanks so much!!!! What an honor m(_ _)m<br />
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Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-34249259391489957152017-03-09T00:16:00.002-08:002017-03-12T01:22:22.008-08:00RedBull Radio Did an interview on kawaii with Red Bull radio in Brooklyn, for their show, the Vortex. I haven't heard it yet as it was playing in the middle of the night Asia time -- I would have woken up to listen to it, but I've been dreadfully sick. Boo!<br />
Anyways, it will be streaming <a href="https://www.redbullradio.com/shows/the-vortex/episodes/march-1-2017" target="_blank">on demand here soon. </a><br />
I'm on with Anamanaguchi, Ujico, Mieshi Smile, Carpainter, Moe shop, MYLK, Lewis can cut and Ducky.<br />
Thanks so much Vivian and Paula xoxox<br />
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edited to add: just listened it -- asides from my ridiculous accent (I'm not living in Oz, I was a long time ago) it's awesome -- I love the line-up and Vivian's voice is so lovely!!<br />
Please check it out, if for nothing else for the Namie Amuro x Hatsune Miku collab, the conversation around Hatsune Miku is really fascinating, they bring up authenticity and the community around her. Really, really interesting interview.<br />
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ps I LOVE Namie Amuro, I used to have such a girl crush on her (eye candy for you)<br />
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-11915803487312016372017-02-01T20:05:00.000-08:002017-02-01T20:05:03.068-08:00Elle JP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_2105880498"></span><span id="goog_2105880499"></span>Just received this, from ELLE (JP)'s February 2017 print edition. They ask editors of prominent magazines to recommend three books that moved their soul, and Ms. Deguchi from Fujingaho, a culture magazine with over 100 years history listed my kokeshi book.<br />
I am so grateful and honoured!<br />
m(_ _)mCute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-23001542158473320102016-12-06T01:58:00.001-08:002016-12-08T03:26:59.135-08:00Shell Valentine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Went to Oz this year, hadn't been for ages! I had a sneaker related job in Melbourne and added a few days to catch up with friends in Sydney and see a bit of Melbourne. Did a story for Tatowier as well on <a href="http://tattoosmadewithlove.com/" target="_blank">Shell Valentine,</a> a tattooer working out of Dangerzone tattoo, who is a purveyor of super kawaii tattoos. </div>
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Kawaii culture in the west is often co-opted with already existent subcultures, and her interview is a mix of her feminist beliefs, body positivity, PMA and all things sweet. </div>
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Had a really, really nice time hanging out, getting inked and dossing around this fantastic city. </div>
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PS It is in the December issue if you happen to be in Germany, Switzerland or Austria, check it out!</div>
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this is a donut….<br />
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-75771878120323615332016-11-23T21:58:00.002-08:002016-12-01T03:22:06.056-08:00HK snaps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Some pix from Hong Kong…</div>
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Hit the Road with Hong Kong lolita quartet Kat, Clare Sammi and Angela. </div>
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details...<br />
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Sheema Sherry, a Muslim kawaii fashionista from Jakarta. OMG such a sunny personality, completely loved meeting this ray of sunshine, and her wonderful husband. Sheema is now back in Jakarta to have her baby! </div>
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These are Sheema's insta pix, she uses kawaii fashion to subvert negative stereotypes about Muslims. </div>
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She integrates Harajuku sensibilities to fit her own culture (not just copying the fashion from Japan). Harajuku fashion is comprised heavily of layers, and focuses on how various components are put together to create an ensemble. Somehow all these layers really suit the hijab, as well as the muslim requirements for modesty. </div>
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Adorable!!!!</div>
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-13723923400493183012016-11-23T00:22:00.002-08:002016-11-23T02:37:54.743-08:00South China Morning Post<div class="c3" id="U10880242767F7H">
<span class="c2"><span class="c1">Wrote an article for South China Morning Post, the most widely-read English language newspaper in Hong Kong on kawaii culture. It'll be out in the Post Magazine as well this weekend. </span></span></div>
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<span class="c2"><span class="c1"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="c3" id="U10880242767F7H">
<span class="c2"><span class="c1">thanks so much Mark for editing the story! </span></span></div>
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<span class="c2"><span class="c1">xxxx</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44S3lq7ilOLRy8UVM4oj_UGY1xI60qkldSDYh2-qXJdhxUo6fuWpuGP95UYdmu_VUB19K8hFgA_83QjcC68_1abR0w73oNG0f-ORIfm40a0jYwukegfAiLiJr92yNxwjcPQYZkq6hMw6z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-23+at+4.18.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44S3lq7ilOLRy8UVM4oj_UGY1xI60qkldSDYh2-qXJdhxUo6fuWpuGP95UYdmu_VUB19K8hFgA_83QjcC68_1abR0w73oNG0f-ORIfm40a0jYwukegfAiLiJr92yNxwjcPQYZkq6hMw6z/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-23+at+4.18.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="c3" id="U10880242767F7H">
<span class="c2"><span class="c1"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="c3" id="U10880242767F7H">
<br /></div>
<div class="c3" id="U10880242767F7H">
<span class="c2" id="U10880242767xcH"><span class="c1" id="U10880242767Xs">E</span>legantly dressed and</span>
opulently coiffured, four girls sit around a table eating dainty
pastries and sipping tea. They giggle coquettishly in their puffy
dresses embellished with lace cuffs, tulle accents and oversized bows.
The scene could be from an animated version of 18th-century Versailles
but, in fact, we are in the Hit the Road café, in Causeway Bay, and
these girls – blond wigs and vivid contact lenses notwithstanding – are
most definitely Chinese.</div>
<div class="c3" id="U10880242767F7H">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427673OC">
Kat Wong, Sammi Wong
Kwok-yee, Clare Lau and Angela Leung Yuen-ting are devotees of kawaii
fashion. Their signature style, known as “Lolita”, hails from the Tokyo
youth-culture hub of Harajuku.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767GPG">
The brands and magazines
that gave rise to Lolita fashion knew that the Vladimir Nabokov novel
from which the style takes its name featured a young, pretty Western
girl, but perhaps not that it contained themes of paedophilia. The book
itself played no role in informing the look, the aesthetic of which is
inspired instead by the 18th-century French Rococo movement.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767GPG">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767M2B">
Having made its mark on the
international fashion scene, the style can be found from Los Angeles to
London, and even Paris, where captivated girls buy dresses from
Japanese labels such as Angelic Pretty and Baby, the Stars Shine Bright.</div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/5dcf10be-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_486x.JPG?itok=UvJNDT2d" height="729" title="Angela Leung hosts “Lolita tea parties” in Hong Kong. Picture: Paul Yeung" width="486" /></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<span class="caption-text">Angela Leung hosts “Lolita tea parties” in Hong Kong. Picture: Paul Yeung</span></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767nb">
“I love the details,” says
Leung, who first came across Lolita fashion on the internet a decade
ago. Since then, she has been an active member of Hong Kong’s Lolita
community, hosting events known as “Lolita tea parties” in a range of
venues, including The Cityview hotel, in Yau Ma Tei.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427679uC">
“It is really beautiful and
gorgeous,” she says. “Before I knew about Lolita, I dressed in trousers
and shorts, but then I started to wear dresses – it’s very pretty.”</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427679uC">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767dYC">
There are some 500 Lolitas
in Hong Kong, according to Leung, a surprising number given that the
fashion remains niche even in Tokyo. “But some of them are active and
some are inactive,” she points out. “I know some Lolitas and they will
dress up one or two times in a year. For me, it is one or two times a
month.”</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767dYC">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="c4" id="U108802427670LC">
<strong>LOLITA FASHION IS JUST</strong>
one aspect of kawaii culture being embraced in Hong Kong, which has
seen installations by Japan-influenced artists in its shopping malls and
a proliferation of kawaii characters.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427670LC">
<br /></div>
<div class="c5" id="U10880242767SvF">
Similar in meaning to the
English word “cute”, kawaii references physical characteristics common
in babies and animals that provoke feelings of love and the instinct to
care for and protect. In Japan, the aesthetic’s influence has been felt
across creative disciplines, from fashion and art to design and
typography. Its distinctive qualities of roundness and soft, pastel
colours are present in architecture, food and, of course, the country’s
ubiquitous saccharine cartoon characters.</div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c5">
<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/4f816f70-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_486x.JPG?itok=HC9p84G_" height="729" title="Clara Lau poses for a photograph in Causeway Bay. Picture: Paul Yeung" width="486" /></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c5">
<span class="caption-text">Clara Lau poses for a photograph in Causeway Bay. Picture: Paul Yeung</span></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c5">
<span class="caption-text"><br /></span></div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427670rD">
Since the post-war period,
popular manga has portrayed a female ideal that is sweet and endearing
but at the same time strong of spirit. With the boom in cute idols from
the 1980s onwards, girls not only wanted adorable products, they wanted
to <em>be</em> kawaii themselves. In Harajuku, a centre for alternative
style, independent labels sprang up to meet the demand. Many in Japan
today would rather be described as cute than beautiful or elegant.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427670rD">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767qN">
As frivolous as a
strawberry-shaped bus stop might sound, in Japan, cuteness can determine
the success or failure of almost any product. According to the Bank of
Japan, Kumamon, the gormless bear mascot for Kumamoto prefecture,
generated an estimated 124.4 billion yen (HK$8.7 billion) in tourism and
merchandising revenue for the region in 2013-14. Kawaii mascots have
been adopted by organisations as unlikely as the Tokyo Metropolitan
Police Force and the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant. </div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767qN">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767qN">
The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs has even appointed Lolita models as kawaii ambassadors –
the most well-known being Misako Aoki – to tour the world promoting
Japan at expos and J-pop events. Alongside sushi, samurais and ninjas,
kawaii is one of Japan’s most recognisable cultural exports and the term
was entered into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011.</div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660x385/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/47b58a38-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_660x385.JPG?itok=ZiVZBmp0" height="385" title="Kumamon, Kumamoto prefecture's popular mascot, makes an appearance at a Japan-themed festival in Paris. Picture: Kyodo" width="660" /><span class="caption-text">Kumamon, Kumamoto prefecture's popular mascot, makes an appearance at a Japan-themed festival in Paris. Picture: Kyodo</span></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<span class="caption-text"><br /></span></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767bdF">
A stroll through Causeway
Bay confirms the popularity of Japanese street style among young Hong
Kong girls. Tokyo brands such as Liz Lisa and Cecil McBee are well
represented, and bookstores carry a range of Japanese fashion magazines
aimed at teenagers, such as <em>Popteen</em> and <em>ViVi</em>. Japanese
cosmetics on offer include fake eyelashes and pastel blushes, sold at
stores such as Sasa and the aptly named 759 Kawaiiland.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767bdF">
<br /></div>
<div class="c6" id="U10880242767oaE">
For Kat, Sammi, Angela and
Clare, who all travel frequently (each visits Japan at least twice a
year), Hong Kong is one of the best places in the world to be a Lolita
enthusiast.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767XND">
“Most Hong Kong people are
looking down and playing with their mobile phones,” Leung says. “But
they are also opened-minded to other fashions.”</div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/6214ddb6-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_486x.JPG?itok=qcP2DXIs" height="729" title="Hong Kong Lolita Kat Wong shows off some of her accessories. Picture: Paul Yeung" width="486" /></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<span class="caption-text">Hong Kong Lolita Kat Wong shows off some of her accessories. Picture: Paul Yeung</span></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<span class="caption-text"><br /></span></div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427679uD">
This is not necessarily the
case elsewhere. At the 40th anniversary celebrations of Hello Kitty,
held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles over a weekend in
late 2014, enthusiasts complained they often experienced verbal abuse
when dressed in kawaii costume. And when Kumamiki, a popular YouTube
personality from Harajuku, was asked at the event why kawaii culture is
so prolific in Japan, she answered, “Maybe it’s because Japan is …
safe?”</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427679uD">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767XKG">
“When I travelled to Canada
wearing Lolita,” says Leung, “I thought the people would be more
open-minded than in Hong Kong, but it is not so. Most of them dress in
just trousers, and if they see you in Lolita they will take your photo
without permission. It’s the same in China.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767CzG">
“I am lucky to live in Hong Kong.”</div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660x385/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/6bd69e20-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_660x385.JPG?itok=5M18gvvg" height="385" title="Hong Kong Lolitas (from left) Clara Lau, Angela Leung, Sammi Wong and Kat Wong in Causeway Bay. Picture: Paul Yeung" width="660" /><span class="caption-text">Hong Kong Lolitas (from left) Clara Lau, Angela Leung, Sammi Wong and Kat Wong in Causeway Bay. Picture: Paul Yeung</span></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<span class="caption-text"><br /></span></div>
<div id="U10880242767hBG">
<strong>ALONGSIDE THE FASHION</strong>,
just as it is in Japan, kawaii design is one of the most visible
aspects of cute culture in Hong Kong. The K11 shopping mall, in Tsim Sha
Tsui, is one of several to feature character installations; themed
restaurants such as Pompompurin have appeared; and Gudetama (the popular
egg-yolk cartoon character) have popped up promoting super-cute café
cuisine.</div>
<div id="U10880242767hBG">
<br /></div>
<div class="c5" id="U10880242767DaH">
By far kawaii’s most
popular character, Hello Kitty’s bulbous white head can be spotted on
everything from shopping bags and pyjamas to toasters and laptop
computers. The cute kitten’s appeal has been attributed to both its lack
of a mouth – expressionless, the face offers a wide range of emotions –
and a simple design that licensees can use on everything from
aeroplanes to aerobics equipment.</div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c5">
<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660x385/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/3e293ca8-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_660x385.JPG?itok=_ZBn26Ij" height="385" title="Hello Kitty dim sum by Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine restaurant in Jordan." width="660" /><span class="caption-text">Hello Kitty dim sum by Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine restaurant in Jordan.</span></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c5">
<span class="caption-text"><br /></span></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767gNE">
Perhaps the best known of
Hong Kong’s kawaii-themed eateries is the Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine
restaurant, in Jordan, where the kitten adorns chairs, lanterns and
bamboo baskets. Even the food cleverly integrates the feline design, its
mouthless visage depicted on a variety of buns and dumplings.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767R1C">
“I spent a lot of time and a
lot of money,” explains owner-manager Maurice Man Kwong. “It took 1½
years, because we are not just talking about one piece of merchandise,
we are talking about a whole dining concept.”</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767R1C">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767iZB">
Hello Kitty has had a
presence in Hong Kong for almost 40 years and it’s not uncommon for
three generations of a family to dine at the restaurant. “The kids like
Hello Kitty because their mothers like Hello Kitty,” he says.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767iZB">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427678dG">
Talking to Man, it’s clear a
sense of escapism plays a big part in the appeal of kawaii. “In Hong
Kong, people are so tense – most are not happy,” he says. “Everything is
so expensive in Hong Kong, they work all day long and there is so
little resting time.” Man believes Hello Kitty’s simple design imparts a
sense of peace.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427678dG">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427670IC">
“Luckily, I have this
chance to do something for the Hong Kong people,” he says. “I can help
people have a short moment of happiness.”</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427670IC">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767YTE">
In Japan, the psychological
and therapeutic benefits of kawaii are widely recognised. Cute robots
resembling baby harp seals, known as Paro, are used in day-care centres
for the elderly across the country and were deployed in rescue centres
in the Tohoku region after the 2011 tsunami.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427677HG">
“Humans have a lot of
memories,” says Paro designer Takanori Shibata, talking at his lab in
Tsukuba Science City, about 50km northeast of Tokyo. “Interacting with
Paro is like going through an old medicine chest with various drawers.
The brain is invigorated, and the process is close to reminiscence. Not
all memories are good, but by remembering things, the soul may be
calmed.”</div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660x385/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/38d50570-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_660x385.JPG?itok=c-oYomiT" height="385" title="Paro robots interact with patients in hospitals. Picture: AFP" width="660" /><span class="caption-text">Paro robots interact with patients in hospitals. Picture: AFP</span></div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<span class="caption-text"><br /></span></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767uOD">
The desire to unwind is a motivation for Hong Kong’s Lolitas, too, Leung included.</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427673XF">
“Dressing as a Lolita
releases pressure from work. My work as a project executive is very
serious, I need to work in detail, and rush the timeline for every
project. When you dress as a Lolita and walk in the street, you feel
more relaxed. There is a different dimension. It is a different
personality to my work life.”</div>
<div class="c4" id="U108802427673XF">
<br /></div>
<div class="c4" id="U10880242767DrC">
Leung’s three friends all
lead double lives. Each has two Facebook accounts – and all agree it is
their Lolita identity that represents their “real” self. Their
colleagues are mostly unaware that they dress as elaborate marionettes
at the weekend. Sammi Wong, a civil engineer who wears typical work
attire during the week, says that just thinking about her make-up and
coordinating her dresses provides an “escape from reality”.</div>
<div class="caption-wrapper c4">
<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/2673b340-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_486x.jpg?itok=v9Ob__x4" height="488" title="Hong Kong “kawaii hijabi” Sheema Sherry. Picture: Zenkih" width="486" /></div>
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<span class="caption-text">Hong Kong “kawaii hijabi” Sheema Sherry. Picture: Zenkih</span></div>
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<div class="c4" id="U10880242767G7H">
<strong>FOR OTHERS IN</strong> Hong Kong, kawaii offers more than a diversion; it is a way of challenging the status quo.</div>
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<div class="c4" id="U10880242767toG">
Sheema Sherry, 25, arrived
in Hong Kong from Indonesia with her engineer husband two years ago and
the couple have settled in Tuen Mun. What began with her husband
encouraging her to start dressing in pastels eventually led to her
integrating kawaii fashion into her everyday dress as a Muslim. Today
she describes herself as a “kawaii hijabi”</div>
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Through her blog, <a class="color7" contenttype="text" href="http://www.sheemasherry.com/" shape="rect" target="_blank">www.sheemasherry.com</a>,
which details her love of what she calls “powerful and independent”
characters, such as Japanese anime’s Sailor Moon and “girly
princesses”, she has become an unlikely role model for Muslim youth.</div>
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<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660x385/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/332b26cc-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_660x385.jpg?itok=bIJJ_3QW" height="385" title="Sheema Sherry has become an unlikely role model for Muslim youth. Picture: Zenkih" width="660" /><span class="caption-text">Sheema Sherry has become an unlikely role model for Muslim youth. Picture: Zenkih</span></div>
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<div class="c4" id="U10880242767PB">
Sherry dresses in pinks and
purples, her hijab – the headscarf worn by Muslim women – accessorised
with flowers and ribbons framing her pink-blushed cheeks.</div>
<div class="c7" id="U10880242767CYE">
“What makes me happy is
that people even interview me on radicalism, because they see me and
say, ‘You are a Muslim and you look so warm, kind and cheerful. You
don’t represent anyone’s idea of radicalism,’” Sherry says. “I didn’t
know I could make people see Muslims in a better light.”</div>
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<img class="caption caption-processed" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/11/23/2ab98a38-a7e2-11e6-a836-75a661626cad_486x.jpg?itok=GdiItWZP" height="486" title="Sheema Sherry has more than 5,000 Instagram followers. Picture: Zenkih" width="486" /></div>
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<span class="caption-text">Sheema Sherry has more than 5,000 Instagram followers. Picture: Zenkih</span></div>
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<div class="c4" id="U10880242767hzH">
Her sweet ensembles are
presented on her blog while her Instagram account, which features photos
taken by her husband, has more than 5,000 followers. It’s a humanising
window into the life of a regular Muslim millennial who enjoys fashion
and make-up. Comments left by visitors are almost entirely positive.
“You’re so cute and inspirational,” writes one fan.</div>
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<div class="c4" id="U10880242767jSH">
Sherry says that dressing
kawaii has ultimately made her life better. “I have been more positive
and I have started to care more than before. I have started to know more
about myself. I learned to know myself – what people want to see from
me and what makes me happy, too.”</div>
Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-8972594289831175702016-10-29T03:01:00.000-07:002016-11-23T02:44:34.505-08:00HK dim sum! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Working on a story in Hong Kong... Ill post later, but first some pix from the Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine resto, SO GOOD. </div>
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Most of the themed restaurants in Japan I've been to look cool, but the food is absolutely dreadful (the only exception being the ninja restaurant in Akasaka, which was pretty good) </div>
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Basically you go to take photos, and it's a bit of a joke as the target demographic in most cases is little kids, or otaku men in Akihabara who clearly don't care if they are eating a cold omelette covered in ketchup. </div>
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So, I was really pleasantly surprised at both the design and the food at the Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine dim sum restaurant. Seriously, what a feast, and SO cute!! </div>
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I really recommend visiting here if you are ever in Hong Kong, the attention to details is impeccable. </div>
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-37234245662438748152016-10-15T05:05:00.001-07:002016-10-15T05:14:42.633-07:00Swiss quote magazineDid an interview recently for Swiss Quote magazine, a banking mag (!) about kawaii culture. They called me a "he" despite the fact I did a phone interview -- I will admit I have a ridiculous accent, but I truly do not sound like a guy. And not too sure about the quote (I have never used the term "Generation Y" in my life). But anyways…if you want to read about the kawaii phenomena from the perspective of a finance journalist check it out. Thanks for dropping me a line Swiss Quote!<br />
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-22738838486291332052016-04-14T03:23:00.002-07:002016-04-14T03:23:59.326-07:00Bustle MagazineThe awesome thing about making books is that you have NO idea where they end up!<br />
Found Kawaii, Japan's Culture of Cute on a book recommendation list on Bustle magazine based on the readers favorite Neko Atsume Kitty. Apparently if you like Sassy Fran, the maid cat, you should read my book!<br />
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Check it out <a href="http://www.bustle.com/articles/148079-18-book-recommendations-based-on-your-favorite-neko-atsume-kitty" target="_blank">here. </a><br />
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According to Nako Amtsume wiki:<br />
<ul>
<li> Sassy Fran's waitress outfit seems to be that of a French maid.
</li>
<li> Sassy Fran's English name is from a song by Danny and the Juniors, which is about a Cat (a 1950's term for a hip woman) that everyone loves and wants to be with. </li>
</ul>
thanks Kristian Wilson for the shout out xxxx<br />
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Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-78643505069960554752016-04-09T18:46:00.002-07:002016-10-14T03:09:36.399-07:00Tohoku donations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just a quick one to say we donated 12,695 Y to Animal friends Niigata (via a lovely Ozzie lady who purchased kokeshi books off me) which brings the total of donations to 400,000Y to Tohoku related charities. Thanks so much!!!! </div>
<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-4151892995342818732016-03-14T19:58:00.003-07:002016-04-19T00:47:03.022-07:00instaI've finally started instagram, I work in media, so I usually get my books reviewed/ receive interviews with traditional publications to promote them, and get bored with social media, as it seems like a bit of a chore --I don't even have FB or twitter!<br />
Buuuut I will try and stick with this, I have a couple of thousand unused kokeshi photos, and I am passionate about promoting Tohoku culture, so please check it out!<br />
My handle is tohokukokeshi; I will upload my kokeshi outtakes (photos that didn't make it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kokeshi-Tohoku-Love-Manami-Okazaki/dp/9881250730/ref=dp_ob_image_bk" target="_blank">my book</a>) I've already met some amazing artists, which has been nice, I didn't realise how many people overseas make contemporary kokeshi, it is really cool to see.<br />
<br />
edited to add, I am not a shop!<br />
<br />
PS I'm using insta to upload outtakes from my books -- not to sell kokeshi, I have had a few enquiries about it. The two best places to buy kokeshi in Tokyo are:<br />
<br />
Tohoku Standard Market in skytree -- this place has a lot of kokeshi, as well as other Tohoku related products, from food to hand crafted items. It is beautiful! It is in Sky Tree, Japan's tallest monument, check out the view and buy some kokeshi.<br />
<br />
Kokeshka in Kamakura, this place is curated by the makers of Kokeshi Jidai, an amazing magazine for kokeshi fans. It is truly one of the best magazines coming out of Japan, the design and photography is so superb. Anyways, this shop is in Kamakura and has a fine range, they also have English speaking staff (the co-owner is bilingual).<br />
<br />
I recommend both, not one or the other. Both are in places you'd want to go to anyways!<br />
drop by xxxxxx<br />
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<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-11815423956811562402016-02-29T22:35:00.001-08:002016-02-29T22:35:32.615-08:00LA TERCERADid an interview with La Tercera newspaper, in Chile about kawaii culture. Thanks Nicolas Diaz for dropping me a line. It is in Spanish, but check it out if you understand!<br />
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<br />
Si se le preguntara a una persona común y corriente qué es
lo primero que relaciona con Japón, las respuestas variarían mucho según
la edad: tal vez los mayores recordarían al país del sol naciente como
la cuna de los samuráis y las geishas, mientras que otros recordarían la
calidad de sus productos electrónicos, como los televisores. Pero en el
caso de la generación más joven, está claro que la principal y más
reciente influencia del país nipón ha sido, simplemente, la estética
kawaii.<br />
<br />
Esta tendencia está representada principalmente por animales
antropomorfizados como Hello Kitty o el oso Rilakkuma, los que son
fácilmente reconocibles por sus formas redondas y colores fuertes que
dominan prácticamente todo tipo de juguetes, libros y accesorios. Si
bien estos personajes llegaron al mundo occidental a través de medios
como los videojuegos, el manga y el animé, ahora forman parte de la
conciencia colectiva.<br />
<br />
Los orígenes más profundos de la cultura kawaii -término que
significa “lindo” o “tierno” en japonés- se remontan al período Edo
(1603-1868), una era de paz y prosperidad en la historia japonesa en la
que las artes y culturas experimentaron un alto crecimiento. En esa
época surgieron obras de xilografía que muestran a animales
antropomorfizados y que podrían ser los antepasados más antiguos de
Hello Kitty. Según Keiko Nakamura, curadora del museo Yayoi-Yumeji en
Tokio, el año decisivo para el establecimiento de esta estética fue
1914, cuando el ilustrador Yumeji Takehisa abrió una tienda
especializada en artículos con ilustraciones que representaban imágenes
dulces y tiernas, con el objetivo de venderlas a muchachas escolares de
la alta sociedad japonesa.<br />
<br />
“El boom definitivo no fue hasta los 80, con el lanzamiento de íconos
como Hello Kitty. Eso se extendió a los 90, durante la burbuja
económica japonesa que significó una larga época de crecimiento y
consumo”, dice Manami Okazaki, periodista japonesa especializada en
cultura pop y con nueve libros publicados, entre ellos Kawaii!: la
cultura japonesa de lo lindo.<br />
<br />
“La cultura kawaii ha significado una gran influencia en la cultura
pop mundial, porque resuena con una juventud global que está muy
motivada por lo visual, con una gran atención al detalle y que admira la
sensibilidad japonesa cuando se trata de la moda o el arte. Estos
aspectos son ideales en un mundo que busca compartir y conseguir ‘me
gusta’ en redes sociales como Instagram”, dice Okazaki.<br />
Si bien internet ha sido clave para propagar este fenómeno, el kawaii
también se manifiesta en otras formas: “Hoy se la ve en una gran
variedad de formatos, desde comida hasta ropa y diseño gráfico. Además,
puede mezclarse con otras tendencias ya existentes. Por ejemplo, en
EE.UU. muchas chicas usan imágenes kawaii mezcladas con elementos del
punk y feminismo para crear su propia imagen”, añade Okazaki.<br />
<br />
<strong>El movimiento en Chile </strong><br />
En nuestro país, el inicio del fenómeno está fuertemente vinculado a
la masificación de la cultura “otaku”, es decir, aquellos fanáticos del
manga y el animé, así como también los videojuegos. Si bien marcas como
Hello Kitty y otros personajes de Sanrio (su compañía creadora) ya
existían en Chile al momento del “boom otaku” que trajo al país series
como Dragon Ball y Sailor Moon, el alcance del animé en la TV abierta
atrajo a más personas hacia este fenómeno.<br />
<br />
“Hoy te das cuenta que ya no es una mera moda, sino un concepto
cultural, artístico e intelectual que se ha establecido con fuerza”,
dice Carlos Humberto Rozas, magíster en educación de la Universidad
Católica y profesor de historia y cultura de Japón del Instituto
Chileno-Japonés. “Incluso, ya existen tiendas de accesorios,
peluquerías, talleres de tatuajes y grupos musicales que apuntan a esta
estética sin estar vinculados directamente a los fanáticos del manga y
el animé”, agrega.<br />
<br />
Tal como explica Rozas, la última década ha visto un crecimiento
explosivo de la cultura y estética kawaii fuera del grupo que la vio
nacer en el país. En la cultura pop chilena existen una serie de
exponentes que, si bien consideran al animé y el manga como claras
influencias, comparten sus creaciones con un público objetivo lejano a
las comunidades de nicho.<br />
<br />
Un ejemplo es Milton Mahan, mitad del dúo pop Dënver junto a Mariana
Montenegro. Al preparar el debut del nuevo disco titulado Sangre-cita,
Mahan apostó por utilizar una estética kawaii en su último video musical
Mai Lov. Su primer acercamiento con la estética de lo tierno fue de
adolescente, en pleno boom otaku: “Entre los animé que daban por la
tele, los videojuegos y muchos ratos de ocio acumulé muchísimas montañas
de dibujos hechos por mí y algunos cómics malísimos. Por ahí logré
entrar a este lenguaje que para mi tenía que ver más con lo kawaii que
con la cultura real del Japón”, explica.<br />
La ingeniera en sonido, estilista y músico Felicia Morales, también
se cautivó por la imagen del animé durante su adolescencia, algo que aún
conserva como parte de su estética en el día a día. “Empezó a aceptarse
de forma más masiva en Chile en la época de las tribus urbanas. Cuando
se mostraron todos los estilos en programas de televisión abierta se
masificó todo lo sucedía con la juventud en Chile. Pese a que nunca
faltó la gente que se reía, se hizo más normal ver a gente vestida de
forma muy distinta por las calles y lo kawaii se empezó a conocer”,
cuenta.<br />
<br />
Morales cumplió con uno de sus sueños al viajar a Japón por primera
vez en 2015. Aunque reconoce que es una parte importante de toda la
estética, cree que no es necesario ser un experto en el país nipón para
identificarse con su estilo de imagen tan característico. “Yo me
considero una seguidora hace ya bastante tiempo y lo que conocí más a
fondo fue el lado religioso y ancestral del país”.<br />
Otra fuerte exponente de la cultura kawaii local es Karina Marchant,
tatuadora profesional y especializada en todo tipo de diseños de este
estilo basados en personajes del mundo del animé, manga o videojuegos,
así como también otros diseñados por ella misma. Su estudio de tatuajes,
Pequeño Tokio Tattoo Studio, ha amasado una importante popularidad en
las redes sociales locales, sumando más de 30 mil seguidores entre
Instagram y Facebook.<br />
<br />
“Muchos de mis clientes me cuentan que les daba vergüenza ir a una
tienda de tatuajes a pedir que le hicieran su idea porque quizás se iban
a reír de ellos o no lo iban a querer hacer simplemente porque no es
una temática de tatuaje tan tradicional”, cuenta. Entre sus principales
influencias hay artistas japoneses y otros artistas americanos o
europeos que siguen esta línea: “Principalmente, la marca de ropa Doki
Doki, los artistas del estilo “superflat” Aya Takano y Yoshitomo Nara,
la cantante japonesa Kyary Pamyu Pamyu y la tatuadora norteamericana
Alex Strangler”.<br />
<br />
<strong>En el mercado</strong><br />
No sólo de arte vive el mundo de lo kawaii: concebido para un mundo
consumista, no es difícil encontrar todo tipo de accesorios, juegos,
juguetes y snacks, entre otros. Si bien en un principio eran difíciles
de conseguir porque se requería viajar a otro país o conseguirlos por
internet, ahora el mercado chileno tiene opciones para cualquiera que
desee echarle un vistazo a todo este colorido universo.<br />
<br />
Pamela Díaz Catalán (27) es una pionera: dueña de la tienda Paraíso
Kawaii, ubicada en la galería Dos Caracoles de Providencia (Providencia
2216 Local 18A), explica que tras un tiempo vendiendo artículos
importados de Asia a través de redes sociales, la demanda la motivó a
abrir una tienda presencial: “Partió como un proyecto personal, ya que
veía que no habían muchas tiendas que vendieran productos kawaii en
Chile y creía que podría ser un buen negocio. Con el tiempo me lo tomé
más en serio y pudimos abrir un local que lleva dos años en
funcionamiento. En total, ya son cinco”.<br />
<br />
Ella explica que, entre los artículos que más vende destacan los
polerones con personajes como Totoro (de la película del estudio
Ghibli), Alpacasso (alpacas de peluche) y accesorios de escritorio, como
lápices o libros de notas. Supermercados asiáticos, como los del barrio
de Patronato en Recoleta, también son enclaves clásicos para hallar
artículos kawaii. China House Market (Antonia López de Bello 310) se
especializa en snacks como galletas en forma de Koala (Koala’s March),
los clásicos chocolates en palito que son parte de cientos de animés
(Pocky) o los más nuevos sets de comida instantánea “Popin Cookin”,
todos de origen japonés.<br />
<br />
El caso de “Popin Cookin” es especial, ya que a pesar de venderse en
Japón hace ya un buen tiempo no se popularizaron en Occidente hasta que
YouTube se empezó a llenar de videos que mostraban cómo prepararlos. El
set consiste en pequeños sobres de polvo con ingredientes deshidratados
que se mezclan con agua usando herramientas que vienen incluidas
(cucharas, platos, etc.), por lo que permite “cocinar” una muy pequeña
cena completa sólo agregando agua.<br />
<br />
<br />
La llegada y masificación de estos productos es una clara muestra de
que Chile sigue los pasos del resto del mundo occidental frente a la
invasión kawaii. “Cuando entrevisto a gente en Japón sobre el tema, no
entienden qué tiene de especial”, explica Okazaki. “Para ellos es parte
de la vida cotidiana. Por ejemplo, mi tarjeta de crédito tiene una
imagen de Miffy (un personaje de libros infantiles), viajo regularmente
en un avión con personajes de manga pintados encima, y estoy comiendo
galletas en forma de koala. Sí, creo que definitivamente pasará lo mismo
en Occidente”.Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727234513869357356.post-70275014207071699192016-02-19T18:55:00.002-08:002016-02-19T18:55:44.900-08:00First We FeastDid an interview with Regan Hoffman for her story on Gudetama for food website<a href="http://firstwefeast.com/eat/gudetama-lazy-egg-internet-star/" target="_blank"> First We Feast.</a> I didn't know their site before, but their long form articles are really fantastic!<br />
Thanks so much Regan, and congrats on such great read, really well researched and written xxx<br />
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<br />
<br />
He’s lazy. So lazy. He lies around in bed all day, and generally
won’t move unless prodded with a giant stick. Drop him in boiling water,
and his reaction is to sigh and accept his imminent doom. His bare ass
is nearly always hanging out. He’s a goddamn superstar.<br />
That’s Gudetama, or Lazy Egg, Sanrio’s newest cartoon character and
its biggest hit since Hello Kitty, the mouthless cat-girl whose most
noteworthy quality is that she wears a hair bow. Since his launch in
2013, Gudetama’s apathetic yellow face has appeared on nearly 1,700
items, from pencil cases to <a href="http://lavitsfigure.com/products/sanrio-gudetama-watsons-limited-18-sushi-board-chassis-roller-baggage-travel-bag-trunk?variant=967752593" target="_blank">luggage</a>, to <a href="http://www.sanrio.com/product/gudetama-kigurumi-fleecy-fun/" target="_blank">full-body costumes</a>.
That’s incredible success, especially for a company that’s struggled
over the past two decades to create a follow-up to its powerhouse Kitty.
But why is an anthropomorphic piece of food the one to hit the big
time, let alone a lumpy yellow egg with a butt and a bad attitude? It’s
complicated.<br />
<br />
Life in Japan has been filtered through a layer of cartoon for hundreds of years, from the 18th-century origins of <em>manga</em>,
to the first anime of the early 1900s. Unlike comics and cartoons in
the West, they’ve never been just kids’ stuff; the earliest manga books
were stories of life in Japan’s red-light districts, and contemporary
works don’t shy away from adult situations either. Japanese cartoons
tend to reflect what’s happening in the world right now, and in this
moment, what’s happening is food. “Gudetama’s popularity is equally an
obsession with food as it is <em>kawaii</em> culture,” says Manami Okazaki, author of <em>Kawaii, Japan’s Culture of Cute.</em><br />
If cartoons have been around for centuries, kawaii is what made them
big business. Kawaii—literally a combination of
“cute”/”lovable”/”pitiful”—began in the 1970s as a high-school trend;
kids changed their handwriting to a childlike scrawl studded with hearts
and smiley faces, and adopted babyish language and actions to go along
with it. Parents and teachers were dismayed, but as the years passed and
those teenagers grew up, the posturing childishness stuck and
infiltrated daily life. With it came a cult of cuter, more innocent
cartoon characters, starting with Western imports like Mickey Mouse and
the Dutch bunny Miffy, and <a href="https://www.sanrio.com/timeline/character/2000/cinnamoroll.html" target="_blank">hitting its stride in 1973 with Hello Kitty</a> and her roly-poly Sanrio squad of penguins, bunnies, and flying cloud-puppies.<br />
<br />
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<br />
n 2014, Sanrio pulled in $6.5 billion in licensing fees to put its
characters on everyday home goods, from toilet paper to toasters. Now,
companies know that adding a cute mascot (known as <em>yuru-kyara</em>) to whatever they’re selling—even boring, thoroughly <a href="http://boingboing.net/2012/09/26/kawaii-catastrophe-japanese-i.html" target="_blank">grown-up products like home insurance</a> and
savings bonds—will help it sell. Every prefecture in Japan has its own
mascot to boost regional tourism and make a few extra bucks on swag.
Since 2010, yuru-kyara have even had their own pageant—in 2014, more
than 1,700 characters participated.<br />
<br />
Because the competition is so stiff, the pressure is on to keep
generating new characters that will resonate in the over-saturated
Japanese market. At one Sanrio competitor, every employee is required to
design a new kawaii character every month. Gudetama himself was the
result of an in-house <a href="http://sanriocharacterranking.com/tabe" target="_blank">contest to come up with a food-based character</a>.
He came in second to a slice of salmon (he was robbed!) but handily
trounced more than a dozen others, including Soygeisha, a makeup-wearing
block of tofu, and a bread-panda named Omupanda.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
“Japan has a long history of making food aesthetic, and merging food
presentation and art,” says Okazaki. “Given that kawaii is one of the
most prominent contemporary movements and resonates with most youth in
Japan, it isn’t much of a surprise that food merged with kawaii design.”
Food has also been lurking on the sidelines of kawaii culture from the
beginning—it’s just never been in the spotlight before. The first major
food character, a man with a bread-roll head named Anpanman, was created
in 1973, and for years he was a culinary anomaly, an Oscar Meyer
weinermobile in a land of Vespas. Sweets and fruit have been an
aesthetic component of kawaii —Sanrio’s in-house newsletter is called
the <em>Strawberry Times</em>—but Gudetama represents the first time a straight-up piece of food, and a savory one at that, has been the center of attention.<br />
<br />
What makes Gudetama stand out even more so is his attitude. While most
kawaii characters’ personalities range from polite obedience to manic
cheerfulness, Gudetama just can’t seem to give a fuck. Like a ’90s
standup comedian, he says what we’re all thinking—a revolutionary
concept in the highly repressed, work-obsessed Japanese culture.
Partially because of this nonchalance, and because of that whole naked
butt thing, he’s also considered part of a new kawaii subculture called <em>kimo-kawaii</em>,
or gross-cute, which is resonating more with underground youth culture
than the sweetie-pie characters of yore. Kimo-kawaii’s biggest star is
Gloomy, a murderous bear who routinely disembowels and eats his
little-boy owner. He’s adorable.<br />
<br />
In the West, where <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2016/02/08/why-puppymonkeybaby-was-the-best-commercial-of-super-bowl-2016/#492304ff7c3d" target="_blank">weird for the sake of weird</a>
is a well-established marketing technique, kimo-kawaii characters are a
natural fit. The U.S., especially, has a longstanding love of
characters with bad attitudes (remember<a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/6-compelling-reasons-to-wear-a-hip-hop-looney-tunes-t-shirt#.ok2y1jMrP7" target="_blank"> hip-hop Looney Tunes</a>?). Gudetama’s 120,000 followers on his English Facebook page attest to his popularity outside of Japan, as does his command of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypBqvzzuhQw" target="_blank">Sanrio’s largest YouTube viewership</a>.<br />
<hr style="border: none;" />
It doesn’t hurt that the unofficial motto of Internet food culture is
“put an egg on it,” either. Gudetama is often pictured as part of a
composed dish, his little face peering out from a roll of <em>tamago</em> or an egg-salad sandwich, and easily <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/gudetama/" target="_blank">half of the #Gudetama Instagram results</a>
are home-cooking attempts to recreate these scenes. Sanrio cafés around
Japan and beyond market Gudetama meals, and last November, they <a href="http://www.lamag.com/digestblog/the-cutest-thing-we-ate-at-last-nights-gudetama-x-plan-check-launch" target="_blank">partnered with L.A. restaurant Plan Check</a> for a special three-course dinner. When a Hong Kong café came up with a <a href="http://firstwefeast.com/eat/sanrio-lazy-egg-gudetama-character-bodily-functions-addition/" target="_blank">Gudetama-shaped steamed bun</a> that could vomit or shit custard, it was reported on around the world.<br />
<br />
“The abundance of food in kawaii culture points to the burgeoning
affluence of Japanese youth and their growing leisure time post-WWII,
where eating and cooking food gradually became regarded as hobbies,”
says Okazaki. “I think you need a certain degree of affluence to find
things like Gudetama amusing.”<br />
<br />
<br />Cute Japanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11044735795169696507noreply@blogger.com