Land of the Rising Sole.

• Author: Freund, Charles Paul
• Position: Atsuzoko super-platform shoes worn by girl fashion gangs in Japan - Brief Article

Those boots on display in a trendy Tokyo store are the notorious atsuzoko super-platform shoes. Such "death boots"--they've been implicated in numerous injuries--are worn by Japan's ganfuro garuzu, or girl fashion gangs, and by women who want to emulate the gangs' dark-tanned, spiky-haired, mini-skirted look. But those climbing onto up-to-nine-inch soles can be found well beyond Japan's shores: Atsuzokos are also popular in Taipei, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Manila--all over Asia.

Some nations whine endlessly about American cultural power, their citizens spinning out theories of "hegemony," calling for protectionism, and trashing the local McDonald's. But other nations are still vital, and are competing. Japan's export industry, for one, has moved beyond gadgetry. Its hugely popular TV shows, animation, character toys...