The period of relative prosperity that Japan enjoyed in the mid- to late 1920s gave rise to the country¡¯s first recognizable youth culture.

However, this new cultural phenomenon wasn¡¯t spearheaded by young men in Japan at that time. Instead, ¡°modern girls¡± (modan g¨¡ru, or moga for short) were the talk of the town, sauntering down the streets of Tokyo in neat bob cuts and wearing chic dresses and heeled shoes.

These women were Japan¡¯s equivalent of flappers in the United States or garconnes in France, abandoning traditional kimonos and conservative societal values to embrace Western fashion and lifestyle.