Society11 min
Mukbang: the Korean origin of a global phenomenon
Mukbang, those videos of people eating on camera, was born in South Korea around 2009. The story of a portmanteau, a shared distant meal and a worldwide hit.
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The Kotoba Interactive journal.
Editorial features on the cultures, history and languages of Asia. Filter by culture, by topic, or search for what inspires you.
57 articles
Society9 min
Plastic Surgery in South Korea: Inside Gangnam
Blepharoplasty, V-line, medical tourism: why South Korea is a global hub for cosmetic surgery, between social pressure and feminist pushback.
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Society11 min
Macau: How a Trading Post Became the Gambling Capital
Macau (澳門) is the world's largest gambling hub, far ahead of Las Vegas. Baccarat, VIP rooms, mega-resorts: anatomy of a casino machine.
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Society12 min
Shanghai's Parent Marriage Market (相亲角)
Every weekend, Chinese parents 'sell' their single children at Shanghai's People's Park. Inside the 相亲角, its résumé sheets and its unwritten rules.
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Society11 min
Aegyo: The Korean Art of Performed Cuteness
Baby voice, finger heart, buing buing: aegyo is a Korean relational language. Origins, repertoire, the gender debate, and its Asian cousins decoded.
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Society10 min
Konbini: why Japan's convenience stores are legendary
56,000 konbini nationwide, open around the clock, official disaster shelters: inside the Japanese convenience store that became a national institution.
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Society11 min
Palli-palli: The Culture of "Hurry, Hurry" That Keeps Korea Running
Bullet delivery, the world's fastest internet, the Miracle on the Han River: inside palli-palli, the national reflex that built Korea and sometimes broke it.
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Society11 min
PC Bang: The Cybercafés That Shaped Korean Gaming
Born of the 1997 crisis and the StarCraft wave, Korea's PC bang industrialized a passion and invented modern e-sports.
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Society9 min
Cafés in Korea: the National Obsession and the Theme Café Craze
Why South Korea runs on coffee: the café as living room and office, the kagongjok, theme cafés, dalgona and bingsu, and the art of ordering like a local.
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Society9 min
Japanese Housing: Decoding Mansion, Apāto and the 1K Code
Apāto or mansion, 1K or 1LDK, tatami, shikikin, reikin: learn to read a Japanese rental listing and decode housing in Japan without getting lost.
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Society9 min
Karoshi: Understanding Death by Overwork in Japan
Karoshi, or death by overwork, has haunted Japan since the 1980s. The origins of the word, the Dentsu case, the reforms: the anatomy of a social ill.
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Society8 min
Hikikomori: The Social Withdrawal That Is Ageing With Japan
Hikikomori, the prolonged social withdrawal born in Japan, is no longer a teenage affair: it is ageing, becoming chronic, and unsettling an entire society.
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Society9 min
Yuru-chara: Kumamon and the Empire of Japanese Mascots
Kumamon, Funassyi, Hikonyan: a deep dive into yuru-chara, the regional mascots worth billions of yen that embody Japan's brand of place marketing.
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Society10 min
Korean Family Names: Kim, Lee, Park and the Clans
Why Kim, Lee and Park cover 45% of Koreans: bon-gwan clans, jokbo genealogies, the Gabo Reform and the ban on same-clan marriage.
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Society9 min
Korean Couple Looks: the keopeullook Explained
The keopeullook, those matching outfits worn by Korean couples, weaves together rings, the 100-day milestone and Pepero Day. A look at a highly coded social ritual.
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Society9 min
Lines, Lookism and Appearance: South Korea's Beauty Canon
V-line, S-line, small face: decoding the vocabulary of the Korean beauty lines, lookism (외모지상주의) and the counter-movements shaping South Korea today.
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Society9 min
Guochao: the pride of Chinese brands
Guochao (国潮), the national wave pushing young Chinese consumers toward local brands. Origins, figures and the backstage of a cultural shift.
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Society13 min
Singles' Day (11.11): The World's Biggest Shopping Festival
Born among single students in Nanjing, November 11 became, thanks to Alibaba, the planet's largest shopping festival. The story of China's Double 11.
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Society13 min
Asian Nail Art: The Manicure as a Fine Art
3D reliefs and jewels in Japan, minimalist jelly nails in Korea: a journey through Asian nail art, its techniques, its salons, and its global reach.
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Society14 min
Double Cleansing and Essences: The Heart of Korean Skincare
Oil cleanser then foam cleanser, fermented essences and the 7 skin method: the two gestures that truly build Korea's glass skin.
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Society12 min
Mianzi: The Chinese Concept of Face and Its Social Weight
Understand mianzi (面子), Chinese 'face': giving, losing, and saving face, and its ties to guanxi, renqing, and Confucianism in everyday life.
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Society8 min
The Korean Idol System: Trainees, Agencies, and the Star Factory
How the trainee system works in South Korea. Recruitment from age 10, 2-7 years of intensive training, Big 4 (HYBE, SM, JYP, YG), trainee debt and 2025 reforms.
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Society5 min
Suneung: The Day When Korea Holds Its Breath
The Suneung, South Korea's university entrance exam, is more than a test: it's a national event that determines destinies and reveals a society's obsessions.
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Society6 min
Hagwon: Inside Korea's Private Academy Phenomenon
Hagwon, the ubiquitous private academies in South Korea, shape the daily lives of millions of students. A deep dive into a parallel education system, between excellence and excess.
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Society6 min
Chaebols: The Family Empires That Rule South Korea
Samsung, Hyundai, LG, SK... Understanding the chaebols, these sprawling family conglomerates that shape the economy, politics, and daily life of South Korea.
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Society8 min
Shenzhen: how a fishing village became the tech capital of the world
From special economic zone to innovation megacity: Shenzhen embodies China's tech revolution. Huaqiangbei, maker culture, startups and futuristic urbanism.
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Society9 min
996: the work system that is burning out China
Investigation into China's 996 system, where tech employees work from 9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week. Origins, backlash, the tang ping movement, and reforms.
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Society9 min
Guangchangwu: the Chinese grannies who make public squares dance
Discover guangchangwu, the phenomenon of collective dancing on public squares in China. Origins, controversies, social impact, and 100 million participants.
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Society9 min
The Gaokao: the exam that decides the fate of eleven million Chinese students
Everything you need to know about the Gaokao, China's national university entrance exam. History, social pressure, intensive preparation, and impact on Chinese society.
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Society7 min
Beijing's hutong: in the alleyways of Chinese memory
History and life of Beijing's hutong: siheyuan architecture, neighbourhood culture, demolitions and resistance. A journey through the traditional alleyways of Beijing.
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Society6 min
Ondol: the Korean floor heating that invented a way of life
History and workings of Korean ondol: the underfloor heating that shaped architecture, sleeping habits, cuisine and daily life in Korea.
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Society6 min
Lucky numbers and taboos in Asia: the 8, the 4 and the rest
Why 8 brings luck and 4 brings fear in China, Korea and Japan: homophones, tetraphobia, missing floors, license plates and phone numbers sold for a fortune.
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Society13 min
The Japanese School System: From 6-3-3-4 to Juken
Inside the Japanese school system: the 6-3-3-4 structure, randoseru, kyūshoku, bukatsu, the juken exam war and juku. Equity, discipline and human costs, unflinchingly.
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Society5 min
The haenyeo: the sea women of Jeju
History of the haenyeo, the traditional women divers of Jeju Island: free-diving harvest, matriarchal society, the sumbisori breath and threatened UNESCO heritage.
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Society11 min
Speedrunning and Esports in Japan: RTA, Daigo, JeSU
From RTA to fighting-game legends, how Japan became the source of the games the world competes on while charting its own road to organized play.
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Society6 min
Mahjong: The History and Rules of the Chinese Tile Game
The history of mahjong, the Chinese tile game: Qing-era origins, the 144 tiles, the worldwide craze of the 1920s, and the Chinese, Japanese and American variants.
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Society6 min
K-beauty: the Korean skincare routine that conquered the world
Understanding K-beauty: the ten-step routine, glass skin, sheet masks, signature ingredients and the philosophy of Korean skincare.
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Society13 min
Japanese Minimalism: Danshari, the Art of Letting Go
Danshari, the Japanese minimalism that turns decluttering into a spiritual path. Yoga and Zen roots, three characters, Yamashita Hideko, Marie Kondō.
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Society14 min
Maid Café: Origins and Codes of the Japanese Meido Kafe
History and rituals of the Japanese maid café (メイドカフェ): birth in Akihabara, moe culture, the okaerinasaimase welcome, cheki photos, etiquette and variants.
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Society13 min
Juku: The Cram Schools That Rule Japan's Nights
Inside Japan's juku (塾), the private after-school cram schools. Definition, types, history from the terakoya, major chains, costs and the debate over academic pressure.
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Society12 min
Gachapon: Japan's Capsule Toy Culture
The history and culture of gachapon, Japan's capsule-toy machines. Onomatopoeic origins, Bandai, Kaiyōdō, Fuchiko, and an industry worth hundreds of billions of yen.
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Society13 min
Gacha Games: The Mechanics and Controversies Explained
Gacha (ガチャ) explains the economics of mobile gaming. Drop rates, tenjō pity, the 2012 komp-gacha scandal, and the worldwide loot-box regulation battle.
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Society10 min
Vending Machines in Japan: Why Are They Everywhere?
Four million machines, from city corners to mountain trails. The history, the reasons, and the wild variety of Japan's vending machines.
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Society15 min
Japanese Toilets: Technology and the Culture of Hygiene
From TOTO's washlet to futuristic public restrooms, Japanese toilets embody a cultural obsession with comfort, cleanliness, and innovation.
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Society9 min
Valentine's, White Day, Black Day: Love Across East Asia
From Valentine's to White Day and Black Day, how Japan, Korea, and China reinvented love holidays. Plus: the horror game White Day.
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Society17 min
PS Vita: Why Sony's Handheld Failed in the West
The PS Vita conquered Japan but failed in Europe and the US. A deep dive into the technical, strategic, and cultural reasons behind Sony's handheld demise.
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Society11 min
Pepero Day: November 11, Korea's Beloved Snack Holiday
On 11/11, South Korea celebrates Pepero Day. History of Lotte's iconic snack, marketing genius, Pocky Day rivalry, and cultural phenomenon.
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Society6 min
The giant panda: symbol of China and diplomatic tool
History and secrets of the giant panda: the bamboo-eating bear of Sichuan, icon of conservation, and instrument of a centuries-old Chinese diplomacy.
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Society6 min
Taekwondo: The History and Philosophy of the Korean Martial Art
The history of taekwondo, the Korean martial art: its origins after 1945, the unification of the kwans, the ITF/WTF rift, the belts, the poomsae and the Olympic path.
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Society10 min
Karaoke: From Japan to the World, the Art of Singing Together
History of karaoke, from its invention in Japan to noraebang culture in Korea and KTV in China. How a machine changed our evenings.
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Society6 min
The jjimjilbang: the Korean sauna that never sleeps
Discovering the jjimjilbang, the 24-hour Korean public bathhouse: hot and cold baths, heat rooms, matching uniforms, baked eggs, body scrubs and the etiquette of nudity.
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Society11 min
Otome Games: Japan Reinvents the Love Story
From Angelique's 1994 debut to global hits like Hakuōki and Uta no Prince-sama, discover how otome games became a billion-yen industry and a worldwide cultural phenomenon.
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Society12 min
Ib, Mad Father, Misao: Asian Indie Horror Games
From Ib to Mad Father, Misao to White Day: explore the Japanese and Korean indie horror games that terrified a generation through pixel art, dread and unforgettable storytelling.
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Society6 min
Korean age: why Koreans were one or two years older
Understanding Korean age: born at one, aging on New Year's Day, the three coexisting systems and the 2023 reform that made a whole country younger.
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Society10 min
Pop Mart and Labubu: The Chinese Empire of Global Collectibles
From Wang Ning in Beijing to the worldwide Labubu craze, Pop Mart is reinventing adult collectibles with its blind boxes and becoming China's pop empire.
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