Tourists are sometimes disturbed by how women are depicted.

Yet since equal rights legislation went into effect after WW II, it may be that the role of women in society is paralleling what’s happened in other “western” nations:

… the fixed image of the Japanese woman has been that of the office lady, who becomes a housewife and a kyoiku mama after marriage. But a new generation of educated women is emerging, that is seeking a career as a working woman. …

wikipedia – Working women in Japan

The large eyes were actually originally inspired by American characters such as Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse, and Disney’s Bambi.

Manga (comics) are still popular in Japan. On every train car I’ll see a few people reading them.

Anime (animated cartoons) are very popular too.

Discomforting are Japanese manga and anime porn, often violent. But that’s a small subset of the industry. In 2011 strong warrior princess stereotypes are (arguably) good role models for girls. If you feel Buffy and Xena are good role models.

Better than this, I’d say:

Cosplay (コスプレ), short for “costume play“, is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan …

In Tokyo there are a subset of those called Harajuku girls:

… teenagers gather with like-minded friends in places like Tokyo’s Harajuku district to engage in cosplay.

Since 1998 Tokyo’s Akihabara district has contained a large number of cosplay cafés, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans. The waitresses at such cafés dress as game or anime characters; maid costumes are particularly popular. …

… So, it may just be all dress-up fun.

One thing is certain, Japanese women spend an incredible amount of time and money getting dressed.

I feel their pain, a fashion victim myself, agonizing over what to wear each morning.