If there’s a rule that penetrates every aspect of life in Japan, it’s this simple credo: it has to be cute. And by cute, we mean “Hello, Kitty” cute. In fact, the origin of “kawaii” (cute) culture can be traced to Sanrio’s market saturation in the ’70s. It’s not just in the manga. “Kawaii” penetrates the fashions, the corporate pitchmen, government functions, and the sports logos.
So why are the Japanese so obsessed with the cute? An article in Wikipedia gives two viewpoints. One one hand, Tomoyuki Sugiyama says that the Japanese embrace “kawaii” due to their love of harmony. On the other hand, Professor Hiroto Murasawa says that “kawaii” breeds a mentality of non-assertion. Who’s right?
These are questions I contemplated while I was reading today’s subject: Meghan Murphy’s Kawaii Not.
