Phenomenon: Kawaii

I don't think that many would argue that the Japanese have cornered the market on "cute". In fact, "kawaii" (Japanese for cute) is thought by some to be the most widely used word in the Japanese language. (See this interesting Wired Magazine article for more.) The kawaii invasion is not new to the United States - Sanrio, San-X, Pokemon and many other characters have been very popular for some time. But, the kawaii trend is now firmly taking hold within the American crafting community. What I find particularly interesting is the uniquely American spin applied to the imported aesthetic. It seems that traditional folk art and craft traditions are being integrated with the kawaii look for an end product that is less polished and commercial and shows more of the hand that made it.

Now, I didn't intend for this to be a social anthropology dissertation, so I'll just get to the point of my post - links! Here are some links to American and Japanese sites that I think are particularly fun. I aspire to one day have half the creative genius shown by these folks...

American

• beautiful paper goods from Iomoi
• organic screenprinted goods from Lotta Jansdotter
• too cute stuffed toys, artwork, magnets, etc. from Sewing Stars
• adorable stuffed toys and paintings from My Paper Crane
• who could forget Shawnimals?!?
• vinyl goodness from Queen Bee Creations
• bags and softies from Maria Samuelson
• incredible bears from Jennifer Murphy
• beautifully crafted Peng-Peng Bears
• the amazing Jill Bliss

Japanese

• gorgeous, tiny Anano bears
• incredibly creative amigurumi from Usakichi no Chiisanaomise
• the prolific Aranzi Aronzo
• adorable Decole (where can I get this stuff in the USA???)
• yet more Decole (anyone in Japan want to do a trade???)
• cute amigurumi and zakka at Cupboard (can anyone explain what zakka means?)
• great accessories from Nordic Section
• illustrations by Toshiyuki Fukuda

I know that this list is just a tiny piece of sand at the tip of the iceberg. Please share your favorite kawaii links!

Comments

[hillary]

Great links! I really like Toshiyuki Fukuda. And that decole is too cute!

[myra]

Oh, wonderful links! I love the word kawaii, it just sounds cute. I too have been trying to figure out what "zakka" means, and I found this somewhere:

In Japan, all the “small, various sundry products used in everyday life” are commonly called “zakka,” a term which encompasses household goods, daily necessities and sundries. However, the specific range of products covered by this term is unclear.

[molly!]

I live in Japan and I *LOVE* that Decole stuff, I always linger in front of the displays here, but I have so far managed to control myself and my need to buy lots of cutesy Japanese things. Is there anything in particular that you really have your eye on? Let me know and I will be on the lookout for you.

[queen t]

like molly! I also live in J. e- me if you want to trade

[teresa]

hey thanks for the mention! ^_^

[aoi wowie]

My mom, who is Japanese, says that "zakka" means "crap you can live without". ^_^ I am zakka obsessed.

[lol]

go see www.allthingskawaii and you will understand ...it's a bit like CHICHI in french or maybe Zakka means BAZAR??

[cameron]

merci pour la découverte de votre blog , trés interessant et plein d'idées , je reviendrai avec plaisir
see you later