I still occasionally find things about Japanese culture that surprise me. It’s no secret that Japanese girls are really into fashion, shopping, and makeup, but it is surprising at what age they start getting them hooked.
Card collecting is a big fad among Japanese kids, especially among boys who collect “Mushi King” cards or cards with different kinds of beetles on them, which they then use to battle each other at one of the many battle stations around Tokyo. I recently found though, that girls are collecting “Fashionable Witches - Love and Berry” cards. These are similar to collecting beetle cards, but instead they collect new hairstyles, clothes, shoes, and accessories. Instead of battle stations, they have dance stations where the fashionable witches dance around. Amazing! Now all they have to do is put brand labels all over the clothes. It’s creating customers before they even have an allowance to spend.