Pop Culture | Trends in Japan

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Come to Manga Country: Japan

The Real-World Settings for Japanese Comics
Today, growing numbers of anime and manga feature specific locations and real buildings in detail, making them popular pilgrimage spots for fans.

Fascination with Personification

Japanese Creativity Brings Objects to Life as Cartoon Characters
The personification phenomenon has entered the mainstream of Japanese culture. Cute, humanlike characters have become a vital part of popular culture and a key element in corporate and government public relations.

The Creation of Manga

What has enabled Japan to produce one high-quality manga hit after another? We take a look behind the scenes at some of the factors that have made Japanese manga such a phenomenon around the world.

Japan's Social Manga Networks

Behind Japan's rich manga culture is a long history of drawing as a hobby among young people. The latest twist on this culture is a range of hugely popular social networking services that allow people to post their own manga on the Internet.

Songs of Character

"Anime songs" sung by voice actors are the latest thing to hit the Japanese music world. In particular, character songs that portray an anime character's image are taking the charts by storm and coming to be regarded as a new genre.

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A Monstrous Database

In June 2010, the International Research Center for Japanese Studies published an online "Database of Images of Strange Phenomena and Yokai (Monstrous Beings)", introducing people around the world to the monsters and folk beliefs that frequently appear in Japanese pop culture classics like theanime masterpieces of director Miyazaki Hayao.

An Evolving Anime Legend

Evangelion, is one of the best-known works of anime, with millions of fans all over the world. Fifteen years after its debut, Evangelion continues to evolve and capture new fans. In 2010 a new chapter was added to the story of this legendary anime.

Comic Book Classics

In the past, young people have tended to think of Kabuki and Noh as impenetrable and inaccessible, but a number of popular manga set in the world of the classical theater have sparked new interest in the traditional performing arts.

The Art of Japanese Emoticons

Emoji (literally "picture characters") is the Japanese word for the faces and other symbols people use to convey their feelings in e-mails and text messages. Here we present a look at how emoji are used and how they differ from Western "emoticons" and "smileys."

The Voices of Japanese Pop Culture

CDs by seiyu, the actors who provide the voices for characters in anime and video games, routinely appear on Japan's music charts. As seiyu achieve new levels of popularity, more and more people are aspiring to careers in voice acting and trying their hand at dubbing using karaoke-like facilities.

Musical Manga

Manga that depict the lives of young musicians have recently been capturing the imagination of comic fans, and some are being made into anime and live-action movies. Their success has spurred increasing numbers of young people to take up music and join bands with their friends.

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