Understanding of beauty greatly differes in various parts of the world and in different periods. Someone can be considered beautiful in one culture, but plain and unnoticable in other. Ideal of beauty in Japan has greatly changed from the early periods until present day, and that is best seen through fine art. From white complexion long haired court ladies in Heian period, through geishas and courtesans from the early modern period, to modern and contemporary women - a lot of beauty styles and techniques have changed and that is immensely a reflection of parallel social changes. Modern girls of the time were looking for new style, which was the mere opposite to to the traditional beauty. It has made a transition from subculture to dominant culture making a foundation to female freedom and feminism which, together with physical appearance and clothing, brought changes and greater rights to female population in the Japanese society. This work follows historical review of ideal of beauty, from the early periods until today. Historical as well as different social circumstances that influenced forming of specific characteristics in the female appearance as an ideal are explained. Then, current situation in Japan is presented and how beauty industry is creating its own ideals thanks to smart marketing and social pressure. After that, it is shown how beauty ideals in Japan transcend three-dimensional world, and some displays of beauty from animation and comic books are explained. Also, it is demonstrated how besides pop culture, there are countless number of subcultures whose ideals are slightly different then the ones in dominant meadia.