Japanese Pop Culture ポップ・カルチャー

Published on : 17/05/2022
by : C.W.

Kawaii and more

Japan is also the country of Kawaii and much more. Here is our Pop Culture selection.

The trendy Harajuku is the birthplace of the most unlikely fashion trends.

Totoro and the two heroines of the film, Satsuki and May.

A crane game at a games arcade, Nakano Broadway

Despite the 10,000 Japanese karaoke, Tokyo has several original and unique rooms.

Discover the best of Japanese popular culture. Japanese "soft power" captivates both young Japanese and visitors: the culture of kawaii is now exported everywhere! The Harajuku district of Tokyo is known to be one of the active centers of this movement.

MANGA

Manga has a rich history that can be dated back to the 12th Century; throughout time the themes changed. Nowadays, there are many different genres within manga, and it's not easy to define; manga has as it has many styles as it has artists. The appeal lies in the attention of detail in the graphics, as well as the complexity of the plot and the attachment to the characters.

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Tetsuda Atomu, also known as Astro Boy, marked a revolution in the world of animation and manga.

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ANIME - JAPANESE MOVIES

Japanese animation films and series, called anime or sometimes japanime / japanimation, have a large audience, similar to that of manga. The anime developed in Japan during the 1960s, thanks to the work of Osamu Tezuka in particular, and was exported overseas the following decade. Today, one of the most popular masters of animation is undoubtedly Hayao Miyazaki and his team at Studio Ghibli.

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Grave of the Fireflies (1988) by Isao Takahata

The Grave of the Fireflies

VIDEO GAMES

Playing 24 hours a day is possible in Japan! Welcome to the land of games centers and arcades. Huge rooms or retro game centers, the choice is yours: discover our selection of must-see game centers in Tokyo. Do not hesitate to take a tour through the Akihabara district, also located in Tokyo. Formerly known for its home appliance stores, this area has mutated into a stronghold of Otaku culture.

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COSPLAY

Cosplay has become a very popular part of Japanese culture. Cosplay is a phenomenon that appeared more than 30 years ago, with the first successful manga. The costume player, or cosplayer, dress up as their favorite manga or anime character by wearing the same costume and immerse themselves in the role. When the trend first appeared, it was meet with a negative perception; however, since the 2000s, cosplay has become an accepted phenomenon.

Japanese Fashion

Sometimes crazy but always avant-garde, Japanese fashion is a source of inspiration for designers from around the world, as well as for international artists.

Tokyo has become over the years a fashion capital where the trends of tomorrow are created.

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J-Pop: Japanese Pop Music

This Japanese music genre has reinvented pop music and has been popular worldwide. In groups or solo, the Japanese "idols" seduce the crowds with their catchy songs and their choreography. With essential figures like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Perfume, AKB48 or Arashi, the phenomenon is not about to run out of steam.

Its popularity is particularly noticeable in karaoke, where music catalogs are full of successful Japanese pop songs!

Karaoke rooms are open throughout Japan. — Karaoke rooms are open all over Japan.

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Our selection of the best place to visit for pop culture fans:

Colourful Akihabara! — The colors of the Akihabara district

Takayuki Miki (三木貴幸)

Puroland Sanrio, Tokyo, is the realm of the World mascot Hello Kitty. — Sanrio Puroland, Tokyo, is the realm of the cute Japanese character Hello Kitty.

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Japanese Pop Culture

Attack on Titan

A real phenomenon since its release, Attack on Titan , or Shingeki no Kyojin in Japanese, is one of the most universally recognized manga of the last decade.

See the article

Hunter x Hunter

Extremely popular action-adventure shonen, despite the numerous interruptions it was subjected to to preserve its author's health, Hunter x Hunter is a real reference of the genre.

See the article