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Pop Culture & Play
Anime, fashion, games, and fan culture. Pick a theme and learn the small cultural cues that make everyday life in Japan easier.
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Why do some young women in Japan wear such bold, tanned, heavily made-up gyaru looks when the mainstream ideal is pale, natural skin?Pop Culture & PlayWhy are Japanese photo booths (purikura) so elaborate, with beautifying filters, doodling pens, and huge sticker options?Pop Culture & PlayWhy do fans in Japan spend so much time and money on 'oshikatsu' — supporting a favorite idol, character or member?Pop Culture & PlayWhy do you see Lolita and other elaborate 'Harajuku' street fashions in Japan — full frilly Victorian-style dresses worn as everyday personal style?Pop Culture & PlayWhy is karaoke here in private rooms instead of on a bar stage — and do people really go alone?Pop Culture & PlayArcades died almost everywhere else — why are Japanese game centers still huge, and why are they full of crane games?Pop Culture & PlayWhy do anime fans travel to ordinary towns just because a scene was set there — and why do the towns welcome them?Pop Culture & PlayHalf a million people attend a market for fan-made comics based on commercial characters — why don't publishers sue?Pop Culture & PlayCosplay is everywhere in the world now — what's different about how Japan does it?Pop Culture & PlayWhat actually happens in a maid cafe — is it a themed restaurant, a show, or something sketchy?Pop Culture & PlayCat cafes, owl cafes, hedgehog cafes — why does Japan have a cafe for every animal, and are the animals okay?Pop Culture & PlayWhy are anime-avatar streamers such a big deal here — some fill arenas without ever showing a face?Pop Culture & PlayAt the konbini register there's a ¥700 'lottery ticket' for anime figures where you always win something — how does that work?Pop Culture & Play
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