If You Want to Make it Big in Japan
You have to Make it Cute!
You have to Make it Cute!
Boyé Lafayette De Mente
One of the elements of Japanese culture that has a powerful impact on the way the Japanese think and do business is subsumed in the word kawaii (kah-wah-eee), which means dear, darling, lovely, charming, attractive, tiny, winning—and above all, cute.
The Japanese have been culturally programmed since the beginning of their civilization to refine things down to their essence, eliminating all excess material, and making them the epitome of kawaii in appearance and sensual to the touch.
From the earliest times this dedication to the kawaii principle incorporated kitchen utensils, food, wearing apparel, accessories of all kinds, dolls, and other toys.
The foundation of the kawaii principle no doubt derived from Shinto, which emphasizes the beauty of all things in nature, especially things that are small and delicate, such as flowers.
Another source of the hold that the kawaii syndrome has on the Japanese may be the fact a significant percentage of young girls are extraordinarily cute, with small, refined features that are perfect in their symmetry and doll-like in their appearance.
In any event, the kawaii factor plays a major role in Japan’s entertainment, toy, publishing, advertising messages, print ads, public signs, product development industries, bullet trains, etc. You name it, and if it was designed by Japanese it will exhibit at least some kawaii qualities.
There is an ephemeral quality about things that exhibit kawaii characteristics—and its affect is so powerful that the syndrome long ago became associated with what was regarded as the ideal look and behavior for girls and young women—so much so that until recent times it was common for them to affect the voice and mannerisms of very young, innocent, soft, fragile females…something that acted like an aphrodisiac on males.
This kind of behavior is not nearly as common among present-day Japanese girls and young women, but the kawaii factor continues to play a major role in Japan, especially in the advertising and marketing industries.
Foreigners who want to succeed in Japan should make a thorough study of the kawaii syndrome a key part of their market research.
Copyright © 2007 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente
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Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 40 books on the business, culture and language of Japan, including the pioneer Japanese Etiquette & Ethics in Business, first published in 1959 and still in print (Mc-Graw-Hill). For a list and descriptions of his titles go to http://www.phoenixbookspublishers.com/, or key his full name into Amazon.com’s book search window.
Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 40 books on the business, culture and language of Japan, including the pioneer Japanese Etiquette & Ethics in Business, first published in 1959 and still in print (Mc-Graw-Hill). For a list and descriptions of his titles go to http://www.phoenixbookspublishers.com/, or key his full name into Amazon.com’s book search window.
