With cuteness being a sort of “mental staple” of Japanese culture it is highly regarded and very important being cute. Cuteness is everywhere and often very confusing and frustrating to the average foreigner. Understanding the concept of cuteness has taken me several years. Cute can mean many things in Japan and perpetuates a childish pop culture that is unmatched by any other country.

If you are cute then you are popular. Needless to say girls want be cute and do there best to do so. Japanese girls are cute in the way they look, talk, behave, think, eat drink, pose, walk, stand, sneeze and so on. Some of the time it is a turn on and some of the time is can be a major turn off. I have been on dates with cute girls and felt bewildered by the lack of intelligent conversation and childlike antics. I have friends and students who are too cute for me to handle – squeaky voices, massive soft toy collections, kitty and Disneyland fetishes to name a few.

If looks were everything then I guess many men who like cute Japanese would indeed be happy in Japan. Japanese girls have this inborn genetic make up to look cute and sexy at the same time…….well sort of. The point being cuteness and sexiness go hand in hand in Japan. Combined with a “cuteness is best” socially conditioning it can be a little overwhelming and confronting. Just taking the train in Tokyo is an experience. The cuteness and sexiness of high school girls is something I think I will never get used to or feel comfortable with. Lots of school girls with their cute smiling faces, skirts hiked up, sexy legs dressed white loose socks……….

However, if I were living in Japan and had a teenage daughters I would have serious concerns about what they would be exposed to and encouraged to do in order to look cute or beautiful.  With girls as young as 11 years old  becoming Gravure idols and posing in bikinis, leotards, and other provocative clothing for photo spreads in magazines and photo books aimed largely at men cuteness takes on a very different meaning.