KAWAII

The word KAWAII is a Japanese word that refers to anything cute, adorable, sweet, pure, genuine, etc.

It began as a form of standing against traditional Japanese culture however, today is mainly a marketing tool. It can contain different meanings depending on the context. Generally it is used to refer to something sweet and lovely or to refer to immature behaviour.Essentially it is used to describe a state of being childlike. In Japan the term has a strong presence as a concept and can be seen everywhere.

The influence of the term Kawaii can be perceived in every face of Japanese popular culture, It started as an element of the counter culture against Japan traditional societal values but nowadays has become part of the mainstream culture. It could be because once Japanese people come of age they must shoulder a extremeley heavy burden of responsability, duty and expectation. Through Kawaii merchandasing Japanese people might try to return to an idealised childhood
More about kawaii here.

The following photo was taken in the Hiroshima Shinkansen (bullet train) station last summer.

Those girls had their backpacks with a lot of cuddly toys hunging from them. They were so kawaii!!! that I couldn't avoid taking them a picture
This is an example, not very uncommon of "Kawaiism" in Japan.