In a land of Sanrio and perfect plushies, meet the monsters who are stealing the spotlight with their “so ugly it’s cute” ...

Japanese artist Sebastian Masuda, known as the "King of Kawaii," is reintroducing his kaleidoscopic world of color to New York with the opening of Tokiodelic, a rebranded café and bar that fuses Tokyo ...

Between January and July, 395,375 Japanese travelled to Hong Kong, a healthy 32.2 per cent increase on the same period last year. This figure is still, however, slightly more than 46 per cent down on ...

Born from the trauma of World War II, this bow-wearing cartoon icon became a powerful tool for diplomacy, reinvention, and cultural soft power. Dressed in a kimono, Hello Kitty performs a classical ...

With digital overload and constant stress dominating life, soft colours and whimsical objects work like visual therapy. That’s what Kawaii interiors aims to do. When GS Shruti (@shrustudies), a ...

For Deepa Kumar, 34, it started with Korean pop culture. The Mumbai-based analyst at a market insights major got hooked to K-dramas during the pandemic. Soon after, the algorithm started filtering in ...

When Japan held Upper House elections this July, the rise of the far-right anti-immigrant political party Sanseito, with its ‘Japan first’ campaign, became a surprising highlight of the polls. As ...

Convenience stores, a very American concept for people on the go, were first introduced in Japan in the 1970s. Today, they’re an intrinsic part of life throughout the country – even more so than in ...

From Hello Kitty to Pikachu, the country changed what the world considers adorable. But do these characters represent joy — or rage? By Ligaya Mishan Artwork by Hiroshi YoshiiKimiaki Yaegashi and ...

Sporting a pair of jeans and sneakers, Japan's prime minister ditched his usually solemn demeanour for a fashion show to tout a "cute, lively and cool" Japan. Surrounded on stage by members of an ...

Tokyo (AFP) – Sporting a pair of jeans and sneakers, Japan's prime minister ditched his usually solemn demeanour for a fashion show to tout a "cute, lively and cool" Japan. Surrounded on stage by ...

Kawaii to the max, the series follows the adventures of two of the most beloved characters from Japan's Sanrio, world-famous as the creator of Hello Kitty. By Patrick Brzeski Asia Bureau Chief Netflix ...