ONNA, Okinawa Pref. — A healthy techno beat pounds against the walls of the studio where dancers groove, their motions sharp as they study their moves critically in the mirror.

On the floor of a classroom, a small group gathers around one student who instructs her peers on eyebrow drawing during a course on makeup art, while another guides grade-school children as they shape clay into gargoyles with convincing grins and scowls.

A quick glance into the computer lab reveals a chaotic range of hair color among the students editing their profiles on an English-language Web page.