Japan is experiencing the first generation gap in its recorded history. It's obvious that change is happening. Not only do the vast majority of Japanese live in urban settings, but also urban culture is transmitted throughout the country by a mass media concentrated in Tokyo. Young urban Japanese are increasingly known for their conspicuous consumption and for their penchant for trends and fads that quickly go in and out of fashion.

Japan's youth are out for thrills, stepping clear of the buttoned-down, uniformed life of their parents and onto society's dance floor. They are crafting their own style, an unfocused commitment to doing things differently with in-your-face manners that are shocking a country that reveres politeness. They dye their hair shades of brown, red, yellow, blue and purple. They tan their skin until their complexions resemble those of California lifeguards. They jabber noisily on phones in public.

Falling back on tradition is not the typical approach of this generation. Young people are discovering they can learn from their roots, and even their elders, while injecting new energy into old customs. It may be only a baby step toward transforming society, but Japan's youth aren't just talking about change - they are experimenting with it. Some of this amounts to no more than dabbling with frivolous things like hair color, but there is a deeper significance. These are rites of passage and they fulfill an ancient tradition.

During medieval times the samurai class initiated youngsters into adulthood, the grandparents and parents of today's youth were initiated by war and the task of rebuilding. Contemporary society has no initiation rites, so young people have created their own. It is a part of their search for the things that will unite them in the future. It's an exciting search and it's just beginning.

The country, like the rest of the world, is anxious to see what Japan's youth find.