In time for the 2025 Sanrio Character Ranking voting, here are 10 other characters outside the usual favorites.

From Hello Kitty to Pikachu, the country changed what the world considers adorable. But do these characters represent joy — ...

Born from the trauma of World War II, this bow-wearing cartoon icon became a powerful tool for diplomacy, reinvention, and ...

Oita, a scenic region known for its natural hot springs on the Japanese island of Kyushu, has recently renamed its air hub ...

And that's just in Japan, her literal birthplace but not the ... power of Hello Kitty. Forget the understated wabi-sabi aesthetic historically associated with Japan. A chameleon-like cat-girl ...