Why is moe culture so prevalent in Japan?

Moe Culture" became popular around 2003 in Akihabara, Tokyo. In 2004 and 2005, "moe" was elected as the number one trendy phrase in Japan that year. Many young Japanese people no longer use words like "like", "cute", and "wonderful", but instead use "moe".

In 2006, many of the 20-24-year-old boys and 15-19-year-old girls said that they were "cute when they say they are". Some older Japanese people complained that "moe" was an elegant word in ancient Japanese, but now it is "the most abused colloquialism", which is used without any rules, and has also derived a series of "moe words" such as "moe system", "moe point", "moe war" and so on, but it is confusing.

"Moe" is the spice of life. "Moe culture" is a kind of spice in Japanese life, in a sense, it can "decompress" people and make them laugh at boring and painful things. Recently, Shizuka Kamei published a book, and when I looked at the cover, I knew that it was specifically looking for "cute spots" to sell, which shows that Japanese culture has a tendency to be cute.

The scope of Japanese "moe" has expanded to all images of beautiful girls and boys, and it is no longer limited to cute and handsome people. Naughty, dull, cold, and even speaking with an accent (especially the Kansai accent) are all classified into the spectrum of "moe". "Moe" was originally limited to "virtual characters", but later it was used to describe real people, small animals, objects, and so on.

Eventually, "moe" is used to describe anything that can make you like, fall, excited, or obsessed. As long as you think something is good, so good that it "touches people's hearts", you can say: "It's so cute".

Japanese otaku and anime fans have gradually pushed "moe culture" into the mainstream of society, and even "moe industry", "moe trademark", "moe economy", "moe **" and so on have appeared. A large number of "moe" comics and magazines have brought huge benefits to the sluggish Japanese publishing industry. Not only small and medium-sized enterprises are rushing to invest in the "moe industry", but all parts of Japan are eager to combine "moe" with tourism, and "moe temples" and "moe shrines" have sprung up like mushrooms.

The object of the "moe culture" that is widely spread in Japanese society is supposed to be people or anthropomorphic animals or objects, and it also contains a kind of "inner burning" resonance. "Moe" and "cute" are not equivalent, because in addition to "cute", other characteristics can also trigger the feeling of moe.

In the Japanese business world, it is regarded as a basic principle to find the "cuteness" of the people. In his book "Moe City Akihabara", the Japanese Kaichiro Morikawa writes that in the future, the layout of cities such as Tokyo will no longer be explained by the theory of landscape, planning, and community, but will be organized according to the excitement of the people and the principle of "moe".