Screams erupted from 22,000 young women in flowery frills, boots, really short shorts and glittery jewelry whenever a model — dressed similarly — waltzed down the runway in a Tokyo stadium.
"Kawaii," cooed the women in Japanese. "Cute, adorable." As they gushed over the models and their outfits, many also pulled out their cell phones and placed orders for the clothes as the models marched past.
Japanese do on cell phones almost anything that Americans do on computers: read e-mail and news, search for restaurants, blog and shop. Enough new mobile phones were sold in Japan last year — 52.3 million — for nearly half the population.