This was just a good read. Figured I’d share.
Sphere: Related ContentCute is cool in Japan. Look anywhere and everywhere: Cartoon figures dangle from mobile phones, waitresses bow in frilly maid outfits, bows adorn bags, even police departments boast cuddly mascots.
These days, Japan Inc, known in the past for more serious products like Toyota cars and the Sony Walkman, is busy exporting the epitome of cute - bubble-headed Hello Kitty, Pokemon video games, the singing duo Puffy and the Tamagotchi virtual pet, just to name a few.
But the obsession with things cute - or “Kawaii” (pronounced Ka-wuh-EEH) in Japanese - has the world’s second biggest economy doing some soul-searching, wondering what exactly is making its people gravitate so frantically toward cuteness.
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