Kogals (コギャル): A Japanese Valley Girl

The etymology is ambiguous but probably comes from a combination of two words: high school (kōkō; 高校) and girl.

Known for perpetually wearing short miniskirts, fake tans and traveling in packs, this subculture of young Japanese women are often found around trendy shopping centers—their natural habitat. As soon as kogals began popping up in large urban areas in the late 90s (identifiable by their uniform love of Burberry scarves and Louis Vuitton handbags) cultural critics quickly decried their materialism. The media followed suit, interpreting their dyed hair and constant cell phone chattering as signs of drug use and sex work. But kogals kept hiking up their skirts, gluing their long socks in place and throwing back their heads—and screaming kawaii the whole time.

In the basement level of every department store is a colossal food emporium. There are dozens of vendors selling piles of boxed lunches, barrels full of pickled vegetables, sushi rolls as thick as your arm, seafood so fresh the crabs literally walk across the floor, gift sets of exquisite handmade chocolates, and enough pastries to send me straight into a diabetic coma.

The pastries are so exquisite that the berries on the tarts glisten, the croissants are perfectly buttery and flaky, and the whipped cream on the strawberry shortcake melts in your mouth. The sweets are so mouthwatering that one company, Prairie Dog Co., Ltd. created a line of hand towels, rolled up and packaged to look like real cakes. The “Le Patissier” brand of towels are rolled up, wrapped in a paper cupcake holder, and topped with strawberry and cherry shaped magnets to mimic the look of berry-topped shortcakes. They’re even individually wrapped in clear plastic and tied with a bow to look like irresistible confections. These petite towels are perfect for gifts and so cute, they can be displayed as charming interior ornaments. This is one case where you can indulge in the sweets…without risk to your waistline (or insulin level).

The most famous dog in Japan, Hachiko, has a statue in his likeness at Shibuya Station in Tokyo. Legend has it that every evening Hachiko would go down to the station to meet his master getting off the train after work. Years and years went by, and the loyal dog would meet his master like clockwork every night. One day the master suddenly passed away after leaving for work. That evening, as usual, Hachiko went down to the station…and waited…and waited. He waited there for weeks and weeks, and eventually the station staff noticed the dog. They learned of Hachiko’s tragic story then passed it on to the media, and soon he was an icon all over Japan. Hachiko became a national symbol of unfailing loyalty and devotion, and so a statue was built to honor him. His statue still stands at the exit of the station, eternally waiting for his master.

If your dog is an icon of loyalty like Hachiko, show your love with pet grooming supplies from Yamahisa Co., Ltd. For more than 30 years, it has been creating products to care for your pets, like the Petio grooming comb that cleans the hair of dogs and longhaired cats. Like many pet owners, the company believes that a pet is just like a family member. Or, like my sweet Dad says, “Better than kids... at least the dog doesn’t complain”.

There are few people who enjoy eating airplane food, my dad being one of them. But then again, he’s the kind of guy who buys Spam and instant ramen by the case. I despise airplane food so much that when I book my flight I always pre-order the vegetarian meal…I figure it’s hard to screw up salad. So, imagine my surprise the first time I went to Japan. Instead of mystery “beef” or “chicken”, a rock-hard dinner roll, and assorted inedibles, I enjoyed chicken curry, simmered vegetable stew, a silky egg custard with shrimp, and a fresh fruit salad (not that prepackaged fruit cup thing). For our snack, instead of a soggy old ham-and-cheese hoagie, we had cold ramen noodles served with a tasty dipping sauce and garnished with strips of cucumber. Also, those overcome with a Trans-Pacific snack attack can order a steaming cup of instant noodles…which beats a bag o’ peanuts any day.

Japan has a well-deserved reputation for delicious food, and apparently that starts on your airplane ride there. After your meal, you may want to sit back with a cup of hot green tea and tackle your paperwork, catch up on your correspondence, or enjoy an aggravating round of Sudoku…just whip out one of your uni-ball pens from Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd. These ergonomically designed pens with silky-smooth ink flow have been Japan’s premier brand for the last 50 years. The company is dedicated to continually improving its technology…the hugely successful uni-ball line has durable fade/water resistant inks that embed itself in paper, preventing fraudulent check-washing. The pens have a long shelf life and will not dry out, and the uni-ball line is specially designed to not leak or explode in flight. Just as good airplane food (and free airplane liquor) can make a 13-hour flight fly by, a good pen can make a game of Sudoku…well, equally frustrating, but ergonomically enjoyable, at least.

One of the best things about moving from Tokyo to New York was that, incredibly, I became skinny on the 13 hour plane ride. It wasn’t some newfangled liquid diet, it was that the beauty ideal had shifted internationally in my favor. In America, I’m a size 2 (okay, 4), small-boned, and taller-than-average. When I moved to Tokyo, however, after a good steak dinner, I can fit into an extra-large. The diet advertisements in America show women who go from obese to stocky, whereas in Japan they go from skinny to barely 90lbs, soaking wet. The last time I was near 90lbs, I had braces, jelly sandals and a perm.

As if being 115 lbs wasn’t bad enough, in a land of porcelain-skinned beauties, my Hawaiian suntan made me look like a wild savage from the jungle. Japanese women are so obsessed with staying out of the sun, they use parasols, elbow-length gloves, hats, and sunblock so concentrated, they come in bottles the size of a cell phone. For those unfortunate women who happen to get a tan, there are whitening soaps, lotions, creams and pills to chemically leach all pigment from your skin. Although I tried all the above, I could never get ivory-white skin. I cursed my abundant melanin production until I moved to New York. Now, there are tanning salons on every block and enough self-tanners to turn everyone in Manhattan the color of an Oompa Loompa.

Like New York, women in Tokyo have a reputation for being fashionable. Those stylish girls tend to curl their bleached-brown hair a la Farrah Fawcett, use enormous quantities of mascara, and wear stilettos so high, I should’ve become a podiatrist so I could retire at the ripe old age of 25. I just can’t spend 30 minutes on my hair, wrangle with false eyelashes every day and wear shoes that’ll only take me from my front door to the lobby before eating off my feet. Lest you think I’ve always been a Birkenstock-wearing, Chapstick-fearing bag lady, I used to be stylish (for Hawaii)…mani-pedi every week! Salesgirl at Chanel! Never go jogging without lipstick! But still, Tokyo girls are hard-core. I’m too old already to keep up...

Whether you live in New York or Tokyo, are as skinny as a preadolescent, tan as an otter or think a one-inch heel is masochistic, beauty ideals are as transient as the time zones that often define them. It’s so much better for your self-esteem and sanity to just appreciate what you have (and blame the rest on jet lag).

For a healthy perspective on beauty, visit the Japan C exhibit this week, where items that emphasize both beauty and health are on display.

One morning at tea ceremony class, I was sitting Japanese-style on the floor, minding my own business. Evidently, my American-style slouch caught the eye of my teacher, who commented to me, “Cathy, when you sit, you look like an old lady”. Since then, I’ve tried to mind my posture, but it just takes too much energy. After an hour preparing tea, or a long, terribly exhausting day writing blogs, my lower spine becomes physically unable to support my upper body. I lose about half a foot as my lower back slumps as low as my pelvis allows.

After many years of living in Japan, I realize that good posture is an innate characteristic of their culture. In Japan in the old days, school children who don’t sit up straight in class get paddled on the hand by their teacher. If you’re a Buddhist monk and you don’t sit up straight, your teacher whacks you on the back with a long bamboo stick. When I was a kid, in school the only punishment I ever got were demerits. In comparison, the fear of being whacked with a bamboo stick is sure to give you a back as straight as a flagpole.

Alas, my jelly core probably won’t do my health any favors, so to improve my posture I could try the products from Foot Techno Inc. Originally a footwear company, they discovered that walking properly in high-performance shoes stimulates the brain and spinal cord. From this discovery they introduced the world’s first meditation aroma, which enhances creativity and memory. Also, to specifically correct posture, they created the Chie-Mat (Wisdom mat). It’s a high-tech, ergonomically designed cushion specially made to straighten your posture and, as a side benefit, sharpen your concentration. When you sit on the Chie-Mat, it naturally adjusts your posture into the correct alignment, no effort (or bamboo sticks) required.

In Hawaii, you need to watch out for falling coconuts. In New York City, lately it’s large panels of glass plummeting from the sky in Times Square and two-ton cranes falling off high rises that keep you on your feet. In Tokyo, watch out for the mattresses. On a clear day, everyone hangs their futon mattresses on their balconies to air out. The Japanese believe in the freshening power of sunlight, so when the weather is nice, millions of Japanese housewives hang their laundry and bedding outside. Although there are specially designed clips to keep your futons safely anchored to your guardrail, believe me, if one of these fall on you from thirty stories up, it’ll definitely leave a mark.

Hanging laundry out to dry is the preferred method in Japan. It’s eco-conscious, cost-efficient, and fun to see your grumpy neighbor’s unmentionables flying down the street on a windy day. Something I’d be loath to lose, however, are the high-quality socks from Sunayama Socks Co., Ltd. The Cocoonfit brand, made from natural silk, is designed to protect sensitive skin and alleviate skin problems. The material is also excellent at wicking away moisture from the skin and is naturally antibacterial. The silk is also ideal for keeping the skin moisturized, absorbs UV rays to prevent sun damage and manages to keep the skin cool in the summer and warm in the winter. In addition to their premium silk socks, Sunayama Socks also produces a line of underwear, beauty and bath products, and articles for aiding sleep. With all these intrinsic benefits, when your unmentionables go flying down the street on a windy day, I’m sure you’ll be shamelessly running after them.

In Japan, athletes have as much influence as A-list celebrities. Japanese soccer star Nakata is masculine, cutting-edge fashionable and really, really sexy in those silky shorts (did I just type that out loud?). Whenever he carries around a Louis Vuitton bag, that style instantly sells out, nationwide. Baseball sensation Ichiro is known for sporting high-performance sunglasses, and that style has become a hit amongst Japanese men. When Japan won its first Gold medal in Women’s Figure Skating, the athlete, Shizuka Arakawa, was on every network station and became a cultural obsession. Her magical performance was broadcast perhaps a hundred times as she performed to the breathtaking music of “Turandot”. To quench the nation’s endless fascination with Arakawa, in addition to numerous TV specials on Arakawa herself, there were TV programs on the history of Turandot, regular people who share the name “Shizuka Arakawa”, and restaurants named “Turandot”.

More recently, in the Athens and Beijing Olympics, Japanese Gold medal swimmer Kosuke Kitajima absolutely dominated the Men’s Breaststroke event. During the relay event, he pulled Japan to first place because of his overwhelming strength in his event. Alas, they couldn’t hold onto the lead, but it was awe-inspiring to see him enter the water a few competitors behind and blow everyone out of the water by the end.

Being that Olympic men’s swimmers (thank you, God!) don’t wear clothes, their goggles are about the only accessory that can become mainstream popular. The high-tech eyewear company Yamamoto Kogaku Co., Ltd. produces lenses that can control light, and their line includes sunglasses, swimming, skiing and snowboarding goggles, dustproof and industrial safety goggles. They have goggles specifically designed for children (SJ-B5) which are easy and painless to put on, as well as high-performance goggles for sports (Swans & IDENT lines) that is popular amongst world-class athletes. As millions of Japanese men take to the water to emulate their Olympic star Kitajima, they’re sure to whip on a pair of Yamamoto goggles…and hopefully, not a pair of tiny Speedos.

Like millions of women every morning, Geisha apply their makeup to create the illusion of beauty. However, unlike most nine-to-fivers, they use a wide brush to paint their faces and necks completely white, rim the outside corners of their eyes with black cake liner, and paint only the center of their lips into a diminutive, vermillion-red rosebud. Completely theatrical, the makeup of a Geisha conceals the true color of the skin and makes the face resemble a living doll. This artistic approach is actually commonplace even in contemporary Japan. Instead of plucking obsessively, many Japanese women simply shave off part or all of their eyebrows then draw in whatever shape they desire. Likewise, double-eyelid glue is hugely popular. Those with hooded or single lids can simply glue it in place to create a more wide-eyed look. Although these women with no eyebrows and eyelids glued together might not look very good first thing in the morning, they are willing to sacrifice their “natural” beauty to create a face with much greater impact.

That said, many women prefer to naturally define their features. Without any noticeable lines or hard edges they define their eyes and add subtle color to their lips. Such flawless application is possible with the right brushes, such as those from Takeda Brush, Inc. Takeda produces absolutely luxurious makeup brushes, crafted from such exotic materials such as red sable and blue squirrel hair. Established in 1942, they produce over 800 makeup brushes using expert craftsmen. The silky soft natural bristles are used by the world’s top cosmetic manufacturers and makeup artists, and include Kabuki brushes, eye shadow, blush and lip brushes. Takeda Brush also produces kits of their most popular brushes and mini makeup brushes that can be used for touch-ups. Their chic signature red handles, luxurious bristles and wide array of styles are sure to suit your individual makeup style, whether natural, sophisticated or modern-day Geisha.

In America, the question every girl longs to hear is, “Will you marry me?” In Japan, however, it’s “Can you make me miso soup?” or the equally romantic, “Can you do my laundry?” In lieu of a clichéd engagement ring, these heartwarming words are the unequivocal signs that a Japanese guy wants to live the rest of his life with you (or hire you as his maid). When my husband popped the question, I made him miso soup with fish that had been in his refrigerator so long, it was about to sprout feet and walk out of there, Darwinian-style. Strike one. I’m pretty good at doing laundry, however, so that was my saving grace…he might not be able to eat anything I cook without fear of food poisoning, but at least his clothes are nice and clean.

Once you get married, Japanese women traditionally become chained to the kitchen. You’re expected to wake up before your husband, make breakfast, make lunch, and make dinner, then wait for hubby to come home so you can pour him a beer, serve him his food, then worship his feet as he watches the news. A typical Japanese breakfast includes grilled salmon, miso soup, steamed rice, and assorted pickles. Lunch and dinner usually includes a main dish like Japanese-style fried chicken, and two side dishes like stewed vegetables and a seaweed salad. For dessert, it’s sliced seasonal fruit, artfully presented. All this cooking was incomprehensible to me as an American…growing up, it was Hamburger Helper, forget about the side dishes, and Jell-O for dessert, so I had a lot to learn.

My mother-in-law typically spends 2 hours preparing dinner, and she pulls out all the stops. I feared I would be totally inept at Japanese cooking, that is, until I met my husband’s sister, who can’t peel an apple. Then I realized that, while being able to cook like an Iron Chef may be the ideal, in our busy modern lives, who has the time or the energy? I still can’t bust out the Hamburger Helper without my husband signing over divorce papers, but at least I can whip up something vaguely resembling Japanese food, serve it with love, and hope to hell the foot-worship makes up for the questionable cuisine.

Visit the Felissimo Design House this week for a display of kitchen products from Japan that will turn even the worst cook in your house into a Japanese sous chef.