li Wang

Western culture and outfits have slowly replaced the Japanese culture and attire. The impact is more obvious since the arrival of pop stars like Koda Kumi, who not only sing numbers that have more western notes but also exude “sexiness” that is associated with western singers. In the past, Japanese have not been open to such depiction of their womenfolk notwithstanding them being male dominated society with the usual attraction towards sex and related subjects. For Japanese the beauty of women was essentially confined to her cuteness, gracefulness, accomplishments, modesty, and yet strong character. The credit for painstakingly cultivating this image of Japanese women should go to Geishas, who were primarily trained entertainers. To an outsider Japanese were indeed an exotic lot. From the way they dressed, and painted their faces, to their music, cuisine, and valor, everything was beautiful, touching, yet unearthly. Geishas did preserve the culture through centuries, and became symbolic of what Japanese women are like. But the respectability that was attached to geishas took a beating around the Second World War after some prostitutes identified themselves to be geishas. Even then, it is strange that Japanese were bashful about their women looking sexy and seductive, considering the fact that there were no laws against prostitution in this country for quite sometime. Performers like Koda Kumi have pushed aside the quiet soft-spoken charms of geishas and Japanese courtesans. Strangely, there is little opposition to this trend. Technological advancement is possibly the other major reason for this changing trend. Japanese people are now exposed to different cultures on Internet, so the enigmatic appeal of traditional Japanese women seems more quite old fashioned. A third but equally significant reason could be that the industries in the country are adopting this trend with greater enthusiasm as otherwise, their market shares would dwindle rather rapidly amidst growing competition from the western companies. Today there are ample adult videos featuring well-known Japanese women, wearing western clothes instead of kimonos. Their faces are no longer painted in whites, reds, blacks, and oranges, nor are their hairdos very different from that of women from other parts of the world. The younger generation in Japan has no objection to flaunting their sex appeal, wearing considerably less than what would have been frowned upon just a few decades ago. But the older generation doesn’t seem to be appalled either. In fact, many from the previous generations are also adopting these makeovers. The cosmetics being used by these women have undergone a drastic change. Even men have changed the way they look. Tanning, and tattooing are here to stay for good. The world knows Japanese for their electronic and electrical products as well as sleek and efficient cars. In fact, Japanese excel in such products and are quite at ease with anything new in these directions. So there are several play stations, and television sets with latest technologies that are periodically unleashed by the Japanese electronic giants on unsuspecting markets. The toys, videos, and bit torrents that are created to perfection by the Japanese are not merely confined for use by children. There are ample adult videos, and adult toys, which have some links to Japanese erotic past. Many well-known actors and models appear in the BTs, catering to growing demand for such things in the country. Of course, such images may also be contrived using software programs. KnowingClick here to learn more Japanese tendency to be on top in any field, the day when it would reign in such products doesn’t seem very far.