Many young Japanese girls adore the African American pop/hip hop culture to an extent that they are ready to compromise everything natural about their looks, including their fair skin.

These girls make trips to the tanning salons, not just for a sun-kissed look, but for a deeper and darker shade, along with hair braids, clothing and accessories that reflect African American lifestyle to the core.

For Hina, one of the many young Japanese girls who are crazy about African American lifestyle, it all started when her hair turned frizzy in high school. She then got interested in African American artists and found them pretty cool. Today, she is an employee at a trendy Tokyo boutique, completely dedicated to African American fashion.

Hina's mother has no problems with what her daughter has done with her appearance as long as she is not dying from cancer.

Hina and her friends undergo deep tanning on a regular basis. One of her colleagues said, "With a tan, you look slimmer, healthy and of course, great."

Beside tanning and dressing up in African American style, they also enjoy 'African American nights' -- hanging out with hip hop dancers, rappers and clubbers.

STOMPer Nicola wrote:

"It's quite cool!

"But I hope that Singapore girls don't start doing that."