Knit caps and coats are all the rage.

Scanning the scene on the streets of Japan, one is struck by the many shapes and colors of knits being worn by young people these days. From knit caps of various designs to coarsely woven cardigans, mufflers, and stoles, knit trappings are definitely in fashion this winter.

Be It Hot or Cold
The biggest favorite, especially among teenage boys and teenage girls, is knit caps. Young wearers of knit caps used to be mostly limited to skateboarders, who wore them as a substitute for helmets. But now these headpieces are all the rage, and they come in a variety of styles, including caps with big pompons on top and caps with earflaps.

The popularity of knit caps actually began simmering around the summer of 2002 and then boiled over from the following autumn. Those who caught on to the trend from early on endured a particularly hot summer wearing close-fitting caps under a scorching sun. Some observers suggest that this fashion trend was sparked by the preference for the style among a number of young Japanese stars, such as singer Ayumi Hamasaki and actor Yosuke Kubozuka.

Young men mostly wear knit caps to top off the street-fashion look, consisting of varsity jackets and jerseys and oversized jeans. Young women wear them with just about everything - from classic skirts and blouses to the street look. The affordability of these caps, which typically range in price from around ¥2,000 to ¥4,000 ($16.70 to $33.30 at ¥120 to the dollar), also contributes to their popularity.

Head-to-Toe Knits
Besides caps, other knit garments enjoying popularity among young women include long cardigans, mufflers, and stoles. Here simplicity is not the word of the day; cute and playful styles, such as flower patterns, coarse weaves, and fringes, are the more popular. Moreover, some women are accumulating a fun assortment of knit garb in various colors and designs.

The hottest-selling knit accessories at one Ginza department store are coarsely woven triangular shawls - of a kind that conjure up the shawls worn by elderly women in decades past, often over their kimono. The store offers these products in about 30 different colors, including white, black, and beige, and sometimes sells more than 50 pieces a day. The shawls retail for around ¥4,000.

Knits have a warmth and softness that cannot be found in other fabrics, which people find particularly appealing in winter. The splendid variety of knit shapes and colors being worn by today's young people are providing the chilly winter streets of Japan with a cheerful sparkle.