Batan! Hiso hiso… Tatatata… GAAA-N!* These sound effects might sound familiar if you have gone through Japanese manga comics before. Monchhichi, Pikachu, and Tamagotchi have become part of an international collective memory. With the travelling exhibition ‘JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters’, the Japan Foundation examines characters like these as a radical aspect of a Japanese subculture related to anime and manga. As seen in the showcase of a toy store on 26th of July Street, one meter tall Hello Kitties accompanying fluffy sheep toys decorate the window panes ahead of Eid. Whether you like it or not, Japanese characters pop up regularly in our daily landscape. Where do these characters come from? What is their relation to Japanese society? What does the future hold for them? ‘JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters’ tries to answer these questions with a chronological walk-through alongside the characters themselves. The flown-in exhibition is divided into three sections. The first describes the ‘Honeymoon Between Characters and Japanese People’. Characters that emerged in several eras (50’s-60’s; 70’s; 80’s; 90’s; 2000’s) are showcased, deeply linked to Japan’s post-war history. The second section shows an example of someone who can’t live…
