In Photos: Kyoto's Aoi Matsuri festival showcases Japanese courtly history
Aya Yamauchi, this year's "Saio-Dai" festival heroine, is seen on a palanquin as the procession parades through a forest at Shimogamo Jinja shrine in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward on May 15, 2025, as part of the Aoi Matsuri festival. (Mainichi/Ririko Maeda)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
14-07-2025
- The Mainichi
In Photos: Fukuoka locals beat the heat with summer festival splash
A float is carried in Fukuoka's Chuo Ward as water is splashed on the participants during the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival on July 13, 2025. (Mainichi/Tatsuro Tamaki)
The Mainichi
10-07-2025
- The Mainichi
China's rabbit-eared character 'Labubu' stirs global craze, social issues
KUALA LUMPUR (Mainichi) -- The rabbitlike character "Labubu" marketed by Chinese toymaker Pop Mart has taken the world by storm to the point of causing social problems. As the first time a Chinese-born character has sparked a global fad, attention has been focused on whether it will become part of China's "soft power" helping the country improve its image and expand its influence, like Japan's anime and manga and South Korea's K-pop. Labubu, known for its rabbitlike ears, big eyes and jagged teeth, is popular for its seemingly unpleasant look, with fans describing it as "ugly and cute." According to Beijing-based toy giant Pop Mart, the character was created in 2015 by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung and is portrayed as a cat-sized forest sprite. Labubu also enjoys immense popularity in Southeast Asia. When this reporter visited a Pop Mart store in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on July 8, it was crowded with families and women snapping up Labubu goods even past 8 p.m. It was Lisa, a Thai member of K-pop quartet Blackpink, who ignited the Labubu boom. Her post on social media of a photo of the character in 2024 swept it to global stardom. It is said that the craze initially spread across Southeast Asia, primarily in Thailand, before reaching European and U.S. soil. The global Labubu phenomenon boosted Pop Mart's sales overseas to about 5.07 billion yuan (approx. 101.3 billion yen) in 2024, up nearly fivefold from some 1.07 billion yuan the year before. Meanwhile, there has been a spate of bulk purchasing of Labubu goods worldwide for the purpose of reselling them. Other social issues have also been reported, such as crowding and fighting when people go to buy Labubu, as well as thefts of the items. While there are some reports that the overhype surrounding Labubu has made the boom go downhill, the universal phenomenon has shown that China is shifting from being "the world's factory" churning out quality products at low cost to becoming a global trend-setter. (Japanese original by Tetsuro Hatakeyama, China General Bureau)
The Mainichi
07-07-2025
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Special event for Japan, S. Korea idol fans held in Tokyo
TOKYO -- A special event for idol fans opened on July 2 at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward, Tokyo. Fans call this "oshikatsu" -- activities to show love and support for favorite idols. This event was called the "Oshikatsu Merch Collection Expo," and it continued until July 4. About 100 different businesses showed many idol fan goods, especially for K-pop (Korean pop) groups. It was part of a bigger fair about lifestyle. The K-pop areas showed items for idol birthdays and small goods with cheerful messages for idols. One area showed how idol fans in Japan and South Korea like different goods. In Japan, fans usually buy official goods and keep them like they are. But in South Korea, fans often change official goods or make items by hand. Visitors at the expo could put stickers next to the goods they like best. A woman in her 50s from Chiba Prefecture visited the event. She teaches how to sew handmade idol goods. She said, "I like customizing. Today I'm here to get new ideas for my sewing class." (Mainichi) Vocabulary idol: a famous singer, actor or performer who is liked very much by fans goods: small things or items that people buy and use expo: a large meeting or event where many things are shown official goods: items made and sold officially by idol groups or companies handmade: items made by people themselves and not produced in factories customize: to change something the way you like it fan: someone who likes a famous person or group very much
