Synopsis

Across countless aspects of daily life in Japan—from businesses and government agencies to individual interactions—anthropomorphized 2D characters are frequently employed to enrich communication. Building on a recent Japanology Plus exploring the diverse forms of this phenomenon, we now turn to examine its historical origins. Our guest expert, Professor Sadashige Aoki of Hosei University, is a leading authority in the field of "character culture." And in Plus One, we journey to a street in Kyoto