Japan is a country of many mysteries, traditions and religions which have not disappeared since the ne
w generation of popular culture has arrived. One could even say that there is more coherence now than there has been before. Soft culture or gross national cool includes manga, anime, karaoke, j-pop, films and video games which are well-know overseas and especially in the USA. At the same time Japanese middle class woman must have some knowledge of the old traditions before marriage but can still have an enormous amount of Hello Kitty phone chains or even a microwave, toaster, iron, hairdryer or one of the many products of Hello Kitty family.
Hello Kitty draws a picture of world and life trough pink glasses. She is like most of the girls in Japan want to be...kawaii. She is nice, friendly, cute, sweet, and adorable and has lots of friends and close family relations. Did you know that her last name is White? And her favorite food is apple pie? And that she actually lives in London with her twin sister Mimmy?
Anime and magna in Japan gives the public an opportunity to reflect their lives trough these icons and they give hope and create dreams. Popular culture shows to other countries what Japan is today and that it has gone through transformation and this will increase international friendship and trust. The pressure from outside has been good for Japan. The country had to open up and find new solutions to keep up with the pace of the world and Asia. Introducing the soft power Japan has done it again; it is again a leading superpower with the devoting leaders who are using the popular culture as a tool of political communication. Hello Kitty and popular culture (manga, anime, j-pop, karaoke etc.) mixed with traditions are the most valuable export goods that Japan could have. They are icons of today’s Japanization. Japan is cool again which means that it is one step ahead – again.
Check out some web-pages:
www.sanrio.com/
www.ultrakawaii.com/
www.stippy.com/only-in-japan/only-in-japan-hello-kitty-dressed-as-paris-hilton/
www.stippy.com/only-in-japan/mail-order-snowman-kitty-chan-from-sanrio/
w generation of popular culture has arrived. One could even say that there is more coherence now than there has been before. Soft culture or gross national cool includes manga, anime, karaoke, j-pop, films and video games which are well-know overseas and especially in the USA. At the same time Japanese middle class woman must have some knowledge of the old traditions before marriage but can still have an enormous amount of Hello Kitty phone chains or even a microwave, toaster, iron, hairdryer or one of the many products of Hello Kitty family.Hello Kitty draws a picture of world and life trough pink glasses. She is like most of the girls in Japan want to be...kawaii. She is nice, friendly, cute, sweet, and adorable and has lots of friends and close family relations. Did you know that her last name is White? And her favorite food is apple pie? And that she actually lives in London with her twin sister Mimmy?
Anime and magna in Japan gives the public an opportunity to reflect their lives trough these icons and they give hope and create dreams. Popular culture shows to other countries what Japan is today and that it has gone through transformation and this will increase international friendship and trust. The pressure from outside has been good for Japan. The country had to open up and find new solutions to keep up with the pace of the world and Asia. Introducing the soft power Japan has done it again; it is again a leading superpower with the devoting leaders who are using the popular culture as a tool of political communication. Hello Kitty and popular culture (manga, anime, j-pop, karaoke etc.) mixed with traditions are the most valuable export goods that Japan could have. They are icons of today’s Japanization. Japan is cool again which means that it is one step ahead – again.
Check out some web-pages:
www.sanrio.com/
www.ultrakawaii.com/
www.stippy.com/only-in-japan/only-in-japan-hello-kitty-dressed-as-paris-hilton/
www.stippy.com/only-in-japan/mail-order-snowman-kitty-chan-from-sanrio/
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