On my experience of Japanese quest for beauty #1

Girls in kimono during the Lantern Festival, in Tokyo (Photo owned by me)

As I've written before, I have lived 4 years in Japan. Granted, that isn't enough to grasp all things about a culture; granted, I am no expert on Japan and Japanese people. Yet, what drives me crazy in that culture is largely compensated by numerous fascinating elements, that make Tokyo home. One of the thing that fascinates me most is the place beauty holds in Japanese women's lives.

Everyday was a surprise in Tokyo. Going out in the city was always an adventure, as I always discovered something new, even doing the most normal/boring thing such as food shopping. Hey, you should see the tofu shelf or the fish department in an average Japanese store. It's a haven for pescetarians - fishlovers - truly.

As it is the case in most cultures, how the quest for beauty is incarnated varies from generation to generation, and is often very characteristic to an era. It's definitely the case in Japanese culture. Japanese girls, and apparently around the age of 12-13, start caring about their appearance, mostly to fit in with their friends. They can actually choose from a panel of countless transformations, as Japan is known to be a nest for eccentricity and the multiplicity of styles, so these girls can choose from a panel of transformations. The beginning of the quest of beauty for young Nippon girls first means discovering a new side of life, away from middle school exams, and night classes to prepare them. Teenage girls start getting interested in cosmetic products and want to look like their favorite idols or manga character. While some girls turn to extreme looks such as the Super Girly girl (burikko, pretending to be cute) like the AKB48 stars (they are all the rage in Japan, attracting both young girls, boys, but also older men..), or otaku (manga/anime-obsessed), the beauty codes that are most common and most fancied by boys are more natural make-up. In fact, even as they grow up, Japanese girls fancy the "perfect finish" beauty styling.

The quest for beauty in Japan is incredible: Japanese women put 14 beauty products, on average. That's about 7 make-up products, and 7 skincare products. Layering, to attain the Perfect Finish beauty ideal. And I'm not even mentioning hair products. Talk about transforming yourself. I was amazed at how flawless some women become after meticulous application of their layers. In fact, this sense of layering has inspired beauty brands to develop adapted products. The layering to Japanese women is what mixing products (that inspired the BB cream) is to Korean women.

But it goes further that just buying products. While cosmetic product sales have been rising on a year-by-year basis, there is more to it. The desire to be beautiful seems to know no bounds. But more of that later.