(..another topic that makes me rather sad, angry and disappointed..I can't really see the purpose of digging all the negative things, it just makes everyone piss off, and forget the good side of things..And if there are some negative things, shouldn't we try to understand the reasons behind them?Cause and concern. I don't mean to see everything with roses, but where's the middle-way at least... try to see things from the point of view of another culture, and not just your own..)
About the creativity of Japanese youth, just my thoughts;
I do think that in Japanese design schools the students are encouraged for real creativity and expressing their even outrageous ideas freely, and the students imagination and the growth of it is supported. Unlike in Europe, where we're stuck in the old traditional european (german) way of making patterns and basing all the designs on to that...In Europe I think people are more afraid of taking risks, and that kills the creativity.
In Japan I saw so many young people (maybe from ages 12 to 30) with really clever ideas, cool style, expressing themselves and being bravely _themselves_, walking down the street, and being proud (in a healthy way) about their appearance. I mean all the really Japanese/Asian ideas (not all the girls with 'haihiiru', jeans, britney spears make-up etc.) - cool new cuts, buttons, colors, combinations, recycled ideas..
I just _wish_ we could all do that. Of course many people don't approve their style etc, but also many(at least the same amount) people support their style, they let them be, as they are. Here you get far more easily judged, and it takes a lot of character to keep on doing your own thing. I raise my hat to the Japanese creative youth, the teachers who encourage imagination, the people who let wacky people be wacky, Japanese style in general...etcetc..!
P.S. ..yeap, of course Japan is not perfect, there is no such place... but it's quite close in being one, neh?