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Why everyone's going to Japan

Why everyone's going to Japan

Gen Z and millennials are finding comfort and meaning in Japanese pop culture

The Story · The Times

March 28, 202534m 13s

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Show Notes

Japanese ‘kidults’ revolutionised pop culture in the 90s and 00s, turning to their inner children to cope with economic crisis and post-industrial societal ills, despite being ridiculed. As the milestones of adulthood - property, marriage and careers - become increasingly difficult for millennials and Gen Z to achieve - are westerners now turning to ‘kidulting’ to find answers? 

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Guest: Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak.

Further listening: 

Clips: SEGA, Pokémon Theme/POKEMON, MSNBC, CNN, AJ+, Sony, PlayStation, CBS, SXSW, TikTok/@otakuintokyo, TikTok/@kaitlyneats, Your Name/dir. Makoto Shinkai/CoMix Wave Films/Toho.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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