How the 20th-century arrival of milk products shook up the country’s traditional ideas about creaminess.
Category: Japan
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10 Japanese Innovations That Shape Our Daily Lives
The country’s objects and ideas, including matcha and emojis, that have had an outsize influence on the world.
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Why Some of Japan’s Most Exciting Cultural Figures Are of Korean Descent
The artists, musicians and writers pushing past decades of historical erasure.
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Many Cultures Borrow. Japan Transforms.
Throughout its history, the country has taken imports and changed them into something else entirely.
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How Impermanence Became Central to Japanese Thought
Transience has come to inform so much of Japan’s culture — even its sense of self.
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What Will Be the Next Big Thing From Japan?
We asked some of our favorite chefs, designers and artists to predict what will become our new obsession.
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How Japanese Superfans Redefined What It Means to Be Obsessed
Otaku, people for whom hero worship is a way of life, have changed everyone’s relationship to the culture.
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The Darker Side of Japan’s Love of Cuteness
From Hello Kitty to Pikachu, the country changed what the world considers adorable. But do these characters represent joy — or rage?
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The Japanese Citrus You’re About to See Everywhere
Yuzu has already gone mainstream. Which fruits will make a splash on menus next?
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How Japan Turned Packaging Into an Art Form
A look at Japan’s love of packaging, from impeccably crafted cardboard to lacquered works of art.
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How Japan Remade American Culture
Convenience stores, ice and whisky first came as U.S. imports. Then, they were reinvented.
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Why Japan Is Best Experienced By Foot
In Japan, the simple act of walking has long been connected to working toward enlightenment.