In recent years, Japan's kawaii culture has exploded in popularity. WSJ's Eric Bellman speaks with author Manami Okazaki about how cuteness has gained a global fanbase.
Cuteness as a Japanese concept predates the modern use of the word “kawaii” — for example, in Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868), “netsuke,” or miniature charms made of ivory or boxwood ...
In Japan, ‘cute’ is a big deal. Their own word for it, kawaii (“ka-why-ee”), is more of an ethos than an adjective. Shops and billboards are filled with big-eyed fluffy figures.
Part of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu and other ...
Richard Magarey, better known as Ladybeard, is a cross-dressing pro wrestler and a heavy metal singer from Adelaide who’s made it big in Japan. Ladybeard is a Japan-based Australian wrestler ...