>>> ALL RIGHT.
WE MAY NOT BE IN TOKYO TO CHEER
ON TEAM USA, BUT CHANCES ARE
THERES A PIECE OF TOKYO IN YOUR
HOME RIGHT NOW.
>> THE IMPACT JAPAN HAS HAD ON
POP CULTURE IS UNDENIABLE.
AND IT GOES BEYOND THE HELLO
KITTY BACKPACKS.
>> YES.
GET READY FOR CUTENESS OVERLOAD.
JAPANS INFLUENCE ON EVERYTHING
FROM PLUSH TOYS TO TV SHOWS IS
BIGGER THAN EVER RIGHT NOW.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> POKEMON, HELLO KITTY,
SUPERMARIO WORLD.
POPULAR IN THE U.S. AND EACH ONE
CREATED IN JAPAN.
TOKYO-BASED WRITER MATT ALT IS
THE MAN BEHIND PURE INVENTION,
HOW JAPAN MADE THE MODERN WORLD.
>> WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED ABOUT
THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN JAPANESE POP CULTURE AND
AMERICAN POP CULTURE?
>> IN JAPAN, IT HAS NEVER BEEN
SEEN AS INFIN TILE FOR ADULTS TO
ENGAGE IN PLAYFUL BEHAVIOR,
WHETHER ITS DRESSING UP IN
COSTUMES OF CHARACTERS.
FROM THE FIRST MOMENTS WHEN
WESTERNERS MADE CONTACT WITH
JAPAN, THEY WERE STRUCK BY THE
SENSE OF PAFLNESS.
>> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TRENDS
YOURE SEEING IN JAPANESE POP
CULTURAL IN 2021?
>> I THINK THE MOST INTERESTING
IS HOW MUCH JAPANESE FANTASIES
HAVE TAKEN OFF ABROAD.
IN PARTICULAR, AN IME.
THE CARTOONS HAVE BECOME ONE OF
THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENTS.
NETFLIX IS PUTTING A HUGE AMOUNT
OF MONEY INTO PRODUCING ANIME
SHOWS AND AN ANIME MOVIE WAS THE
TOP GROSSING MOVIE OF 2020
GLOBALLY.
>> WHERE DOES POKEMON FALL ONTO
THAT LIST?
>> BOY, WHAT A WORLD CHANGING
SERIES.
>> HI.
YOU AND I ARE GOING TO BE BEST
FRIENDS.
>> WHATS GOING ON?
>> SO POKEMON STARTED AS A VIDEO
GAME ON THE GAME BOY.
WHEN IT TOOK OFF, IT WAS
ANIMATED INTO A CARTOON SERIES.
IT WAS MADE INTO A CARD GAME.
SO ITS AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING
JAPAN IS GOOD AT WHICH IS MAKING
THE MULTIPLATFORM FRANCHISES.
>> TALK TO US ABOUT THE KAWIA
CRAZE.
>> IT MEANS CUTE.
IN JAPAN ITS A KIND OF PURE
UNALOIED ADORABLENESS.
AND IN THE 1970s IN PARTICULAR,
A COMPANY STARTED USING THE
DESIGN LIKE REALLY CUTE-LOOKING
DESIGN TO SELL ITS PRODUCTS.
MOST FAMOUSLY, HELLO KITTY.
>> AN RIO, THE COMPANY BEHIND
HELLO KITTY IS VALUED AT $1
BILLION BY INVESTORS.
>> ITS STRANGE HOW THIS DOODLE
OF A CAT HAS PULLED PEOPLE IN
AROUND THE WORLD.
>> THE WALKMAN WHICH WAS
INVENTED IN JAPAN IN 1979.
THE GAME BOY THAT WAS INVENTED
IN JAPAN IN A 1989.
IT MAKES A POWERFUL PRESENCE IN
OUR LIVES.
WHETHER ITS IN THE FORM OF
JAPANESE ENTERTAINMENT FOR AN
ESCAPE OR SELF-HELP LIKE MARIE
KONDO.
>> AFTER MY KAWAII CRASH COWARD,
I DECIDED TO LOOK FOR JAPANESE
CULTURE RIGHT HERE IN THE
STREETS OF NEW YORK.
FIRST UP, AT THE PICK NYC GIFT
STORE.
>> TAKE ME ON A TOUR OF SOME OF
THE HOTTEST JAPANESE TOYS RIGHT
NOW.
>> SO FIRST WE HAVE OUR MAIN
CHARACTER, AND HIS NAME
LITERALLY MEANS BEAR THAT IS
LAID BACK.
THEY EVEN HAVE A SHOW ON
NETFLIX.
IT EMPHASIZES THEIR
PERSONALITIES.
>> WE HAVE THE ICONIC HELLO
KITTY.
>> CONVENIENTLY ENOUGH, ITS FOR
TEAM USA FOR THE JAPANESE
OLYMPICS.
>> EVERYBODY LOVES THESE.
>> THIS IS PART OF A BLIND BOX
TREND.
WHAT IS THAT?
>> BLIND BOX MEANS THAT INSIDE
THE BOX YOU DONT KNOW WHAT
YOURE GETTING.
ITS A SURPRISE.
ON THE SIDE OF THE BOX, THEY
TELL YOU WHAT YOU COULD GET.
AND ITS KIND OF LIKE A LITTLE
GAMBLE EVERY SINGLE TIME.
>> NEXT, I SEARCH THE SHELVES A
BOOKSTORE.
>> WHATS THE MOST POPULAR MANGA
HERE?
>> RIGHT NOW THIS ONE IS SELLING
A FEW HUNDRED COPIES.
THE STORY REVOLVES AROUND THE
YOUNG BOY.
ITS THE REALITY OF TROUBLES AND
WHERE THEY MANIFEST IN EVERYDAY
LIFE.
>> EVERYTHING WERE TALKING
ABOUT IS PREVALENT AND POPULAR
IN AMERICA.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A TEST MANT
TO THAT?
>> I THINK THAT KAWAII DESIGN
AND JAPANESE DESIGN SUCCEEDS FOR
A SPECIFIC REASON WHICH IS THAT
IT APPEALS TO SOMETHING IN ALL
OF US.
YOU DONT HAVE TO BE JAPANESE TO
APPRECIATE HELLO KITTY OR MARIO.
YOU DONT HAVE TO BE JAPANESE TO
APPRECIATE THE POKE MONO.
THAT IS KEY, I THINK TO THE
SPREAD OF JAPANESE POP CULTURE
ALL OVER THE WORLD.
>> THIS IS --
>> AND A COUPLE OF FUN FACTS.
NINTENDO GOT ITS STARTS IN THE
LATE 1800S WITH PLAYING CARDS
AND HELLO KITTY, NOT A CAT.
>> WHAT?
>> ITS A GIRL.
SHES A LITTLE GIRL.
>> IM SORRY.
HELLO KITTY IS A GIRL.
>> SHES A LITTLE GIRL.
>> SHES A GIRL KITTY, YALL.
ALL RIGHT.
THIS IS CONTROVERSIAL.