Purikura

　 

One of the most fascinating things in Japanese culture is the obsession with photo booths, or purikura. Purikura are Japanese photo booths where you take pictures with your friends and you can write on them and decorate them to make them look however you want. Lately, purikura have become even more advanced. When you are taking the picture, they make your skin look clearer, softer and whiter. They also make you look skinnier. At the beginning you can chose how white you want your skin to look or how big you want them to make your eyes look. Even at the so-called “natural” setting, they still manage to make your eyes look much bigger than normal, especially if you are a foreigner. Lately, there are even machines where you can press a button that makes your face look smaller. You can even zoom in on certain parts of your face to erase blemishes or fix your make-up. You can change your hair color and eye color as well. I recently went to one where you could even attach larger tear bags underneath your eyes. All of these functions attempt to make Japanese girls look more foreign. However, for foreign people, it sometimes makes us look like aliens.