While Japan has a variety of traditional arts that are dictated by firmly established rules and incorporate intricate rituals it also has a fun cute side as well. Japan is home to Hello Kitty and Studio Ghibli which makes widely popular animated films such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. Its not uncommon to find menus, banners, signs and even depictions of Jizo, a bodhisattva to be kawaii (cute). Below are an assortment pictures of some of the cute things we found during our travels in Japan.
Written By: Mindy Ward Photos By: Tayln Cox, Collin LaMothe and Mindy Ward Edited by: Tayln Cox
Bibliography: Rowthorn, Chris, Andrew Bender, Matthew D. Firestone, Timothy N. Hornyak, Benedict Walker, Paul Warham and Wendy Yanagihara. Lonely Planet: Japan. Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 2009