Feature: Harajuku in Tokyo is all about self-expression, says Punk Lolita

Once upon a time the word cute or " kawaii" in Japanese language and culture referred to an aesthetic that was deemed by the masses to posses the qualities of beauty and refinement. But fast forward to modern-day Japan, the word has become so pervasive that it can be used to describe anything from Chihuahua's dressed in doggy Chanel clothes and being pushed around in baby buggies, to the way a young lady has applied her eyeliner, or even to express the delight found in the way soft- scoop ice cream that is artfully decorated with strawberry sauce- shaped heart marks.

But, however the word is applied, one thing is for sure, in Japan being kawaii in any of its standard, trendy or outright bizarre manifestations is a good thing. To many, in fact, there's no greater compliment than being called or having something about your person, referred to as being "kawaii" and this refers to both men and women.

Such is the deep-rooted love of all things kawaii in Japan, that its constant evolution, particularly in the fashion world, is more science than culture and in Harajuku in Tokyo -- the universe 's spiritual home of all things "kawaii" -- to the uninitiated, kawaii fashion, usually a sub-genre or reinterpretation of one of the many Lolita fashion sub-genres, is just a "quirk" of Japanese fashion and for tourists the chance to snap a pic of something far- removed from wherever they've hailed from.

Take the Gothic Lolita style for instance, which has borrowed heavily from more traditional eastern as well as Victorian Gothic style; comprising knee-length black skirts worn over ruffled petticoats for added volume, lace-trimmed white blouses with ruffled collars and cuffs for the Victorian effect, knee-length boots with optional ripped stockings and sometimes finished with bonnets and a parasol to ensure the edgy look is still "kawaii," -- to the untrained eye, odd, to the fashionists an expression of " self."

"I hang out in Harajuku most weekends and as much as I can when I'm not at school because it's not like Japan here, it's a different world; it's a world that we have created for people like us," Sae, 17, a senior high school student, told Xinhua recently through her mesmerizing, yet clearly fake green eyes.

"When I was younger, I preferred the Sweet Lolita style, cause it's more girly and childish and it made me feel really pretty and innocent, like I'd be young forever and never grow up. I used to where a lot of pink pastels and lace and always wear lace socks or stockings under my ruffled skirt."

"My pink 6-inch platform shoes completed my transformation, as a I felt so tall. But of course I carried a pink parasol, even if the sun wasn't out, just so everyone could see how super-cute I was," Sae, who said she plans to study veterinary science in university once she's finished school, said.

Clearly over her Sweet Lolita phase and looking distinctly more edgy in her gothic-inspired outfit and dark-hued makeup, Sae and her friend Chie said they're in no way rebels, as they're sometimes vilified as being in the media, nor are they "freeters" - - young Japanese with no jobs, who don't study and spend most of their time on the streets, although still rely on handouts from their parents.

Chie, in fact, a year older than Sae, who describes herself as more Punk Lolita than Gothic Lolita, is something of a mathematics prodigy who not only tutors younger students at her school to pass the high school entrance exam, also plays mahjong at an advanced level and while gambling is illegal in Japan, confesses to have taken the odd guy or two for a ride.

"They assume because I'm cute, have long eyelashes, wear my hair in pony tails and speak in a high-pitched voice -- probably more so when I was into Sweet Lolita-Decora fusion fashion, and my entire baby pink outfits were decorated in tons of cute accessories, so you could hardly see my bag or shirt or anything -- that I must be dumb."

"If I told them which high school I went to, or which university I was likely to attend, they'd have been utterly surprised. So with mahjong booming for younger players like me, it 's kind of easy for me to dupe these old suckers!" she said giggling.

For Sae's part she likes the attention, but knows it's more of a hobby and way to spend her pocket money than a fixed lifestyle, and while she's happy to stop and have her picture taken by foreigners and sometimes poses at the "Lolita bridge" between Harajuku station and Meiji Shrine just next door -- so named for the gathering of hundreds of Lolitas of all descriptions on a Sunday afternoon -- is quick to dismiss any notion of her having ulterior motives for playing dress up.

"When I was a Sweet Lolita and taking the train from my house in Saitama Prefecture to come and hang out here, I could feel guys checking me out all the time and it made me feel really uncomfortable, because I wasn't dressing for them or for anyone, I was dressing this way because it made me feel really comfortable; putting on my cute outfits and my makeup was like putting on my real skin," Sae said, adding that hanging out with her girlfriends who were all into the same fashion made her feel comfortable, united and even more cute as they'd check out each other's outfits and accessories and compliment each other.

"I was only like 14 or 15-years-old in those days, so these guys on the trains and sometimes on the streets trying to secretly take pictures of me were really creepy. I know that some guys have a 'lolicon' (a Japanese abbreviation of the term Lolita Complex), but their dysfunction has nothing to do with our style and I'm sure they'd ogle young girls however they were dressed," Sae said, adding that some parts of Shibuya and Shinjuku were renown for such behavior, yet Harajuku remained in her words "pure."

Harajuku is one of the fashion capitals of the world, with global heavyweight celebrities like singers Gwen Stafani and Lady Gaga frequently referencing the styles and the place itself in their songs and music videos. Indeed, a host of well-known European and to a lesser extent U.S. fashion designers flock to Harajuku and its famous Takeshita Dori shopping street, to pluck ideas off the streets and from the storefronts to reinterpret into their next season's collection and sell it back to the world.

"But it originates in Harajuku, this place has its own pulse, its own energy and it's so creative. The whole Dolly kei (style) and Fairy kei look, that is more vintage and eighties-looking than Sweet or Gothic; with their big hair bows and toy accessories, can be seen all over the world now -- I know because I follow a bunch of foreign fashion blogs online -- and I think to myself: 'The girls were wearing that here a couple of years ago'," Chie said.

"In that sense Harajuku is very fashion-forward, but doesn't copy or follow any major influences. All the 'icons' are the store owners or some of the homegrown models," said the teenager.

Chie was referring to self-made celebrity and advocate of all things "kawaii" Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, a 22-year-old singer and model, known for her elaborate costumes, brightly colored wigs, and signature dance moves for her specific brand of J-pop, bubblegum pop, electropop and EDM.

Known globally as "Harajuku's Pop Princess" the Japanese idol following her first chart-breaking hit PonPonPon in 2011, has gone on to be a model, blogger, bone fide businesswoman launching her own brands, and is a regular TV personality.

"She reflects the more commercial side of what this scene is all about. She was a normal girl at home, but would leave and change into her Harajuku-self in cafe toilets once she was outside, like many teenagers with disapproving parents do. She wrote about the fashion scene here, so she's clearly a bright girl and then after modeling for Kera! and Zipper -- "I've been in both!" chimed in Sae -- she started making 'Harajuku Doll' fake eyelashes and we were all wearing them," said Chie.

"Not only is she super-cute, she's smart, funny and famous everywhere," Chie explained.

"People get it twisted. They think I'm into death, vampires and possibly S&M cause I'm a Gothic Lolita and that Chie must be a rebel 'cause she's more punk. They read into things too much. We' re young, we're having fun and if people want to interpret the way we look in a weird way that's up to them, that's a reflection of them and not us," Sae piped in again.

"We're a little bit of everything, gothic, cult party, punk, fairy, sweet, decora, depending on our mood. I might mix gothic but pull out some of my sweeter stuff, to give my look a softer edge. It's all about self-expression."

"That's what we're about and that's what Harajuku is about. We are Harajuku," concluded Sae, somewhat philosophically, while batting her ludicrously long eyelashes and flashing her well-honed Harajuku smile a-la-peace sign with long multicolored gel nails. Endi