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☆ The US didn't feel safe enough to raise a kid, so we moved to Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Trevor D. Houchen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

He and his wife felt it would be unsafe to raise their child there and decided to move to Japan. He finds Japan more affordable, safe, and is happy to be living near his wife's family — but he's scared of bullying. AdvertisementMy wife was already six months pregnant when we agreed she would leave the US and have our baby in Japan. I want him to learn to speak Japanese fluently and feel safe enough to enjoy his childhood to its fullest. As a professor myself and after a 20-year long career in education, I have read studies that note the lack of critical thinking taught in Japanese high schools.

Persons: Trevor D, Houchen, —, We'd, — we're, she'd, we'd, we've, Care.com, I'm, I'd Organizations: Service, Georgia Technical College, Georgia Gwinnett College —, of Health, Ministry of Health, Labor, Welfare, Kaiser Family Foundation, Japan Times, New York City —, US Naval Locations: Atlanta, Japan, LA, Yokosuka —, Tokyo, Houkien, New York City, Yokosuka

☆ Hello Kitty theme park in Tokyo closed after ‘terrorist threat’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A Hello Kitty theme park in Tokyo has been forced to close for the day after it received a “terror threat,” its operator said. Sanrio Puroland, also known as Hello Kitty Land, is located in Tama New Town in north Tokyo. In a statement published on the park’s official website, operators said they received “a terrorist threat email” on Saturday. Hello Kitty is one of the most famous and recognizable Japanese brands of all time. Sanrio Puroland opened in 1990 and attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year – making it one of Japan’s most popular theme parks, along with Tokyo Disney Resort.

Persons: Sanrio Puroland, ”, Kitty, Sanrio Organizations: CNN, ” Police, NHK, Reuters, Tokyo Disney Resort Locations: Tokyo, Kitty, Tama New, Japanese, Japan, United States, United Kingdom

☆ How this cult Japanese artist’s eerie paintings foretold our digital malaise
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —In the land of Hello Kitty, kawaii (“cute”) culture and the Neo-Pop art of 1990s Japan, Tetsuya Ishida was an outlier. An untitled 2004 acrylic and oil painting by late Japanese artist Tetsuya Ishida from the Gagosian retrospective "My Anxious Self." Ishida, who had gone to art school, worked part-time at a print shop and as a night security guard. Many of the 200 or so paintings Ishida completed in his lifetime portray the gloom of becoming a cog in the economic machine. Another painting entitled "Gripe," painted by Ishidia in 1996, portrays a Japanese salaryman with lobster claws for hands.

Persons: kawaii, Tetsuya Ishida, wasn’t, Japan’s “, Gripe, ”, Gulliver, Tetsuya Ishida's, Gagosian, ” Nick Simunovic, “, ” Gagosian, Simunovic, Ishida, ” Simunovic, Gagosian Ishida, Jacky Ho, ‪, Martin Wong, Ishidia, Cecilia Alemani, ” Ishida, Robert McKeever, Tamaki Saito, didn’t, Sharp, Japan's, claustrophobia, Takashi Murakami, Yoshimoto Nara, ” Alemani, Alemani Organizations: CNN, Asia, Art, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, Venice Biennale, Hong Kong, Christie’s Asia, Japan Inc, dehumanization, Gagosian's, Sony Locations: Japan, Japanese, Japan’s, Gagosian, New York, Venice, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Tokyo, , York

☆ Squishmallow and Build-a-Bear head into legal battle over ‘knock-offs’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Build-a-Bear fired back with its own legal complaint, claiming “Skoosherz” is its own version of a popular toy style. The lawsuit claims Build-A-Bear has been trying to “trick” customers with such obvious knock-offs, stealing potential customers and sales from Squishmallows. Build-A-Bear claims it has sold pre-made stuffed animals on its site and on Amazon. It claims Skoosherz designs match its original stuffed animals, such as the Strawberry Cow and Spring Green Frog. “If each aspect of the claimed trade dress were in fact protected trade dress, it would be virtually impossible for competitors to create alternative designs,” the lawsuit claimed.

Persons: Bear, “, Jazwares, Kelly Toys, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, Skoosherz, Kawaii, “ Squishmallows, Moez Organizations: New, New York CNN, Warren, Central, ‘, CNN Locations: New York, Squishmallow, U.S, Central District, California, Missouri, St, Louis

☆ ‘Cute’ exhibition examines the complex power of all things adorable
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Zara Khan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

How cuteness has taken over our world — and why — is a subject being explored in “Cute,” a new (and the first ever) exhibition devoted to the movement at London’s Somerset House. The Industrial Revolution and the rise of mass production allowed cuteness to be unleashed on the world — toys, books and illustrations could, increasingly, be made easily and cheaply. The exhibition — a world first — examines the enduring appeal of the cute aesthetic amongst adults and asks deeper questions about its allure. For Simon May, a professor of philosophy at King’s College London and author of “The Power of Cute,” kawaii is just part of a story which involves the country of Japan more broadly. The Edwardian artist is credited with increasing the cute appeal of our feline friends by giving them human hobbies and pastimes.

Persons: cuteness, Hattie Stewart, David Parry, ”, Somerset, Cliff Lauson, Tim Berners, Lee, Claire Catterall, Andy Holden's, Louis Wain —, Andy Holden’s, Joshua Dale, “, Isabelle Galleymore, Yumeji Takehisa, Simon May, kawaii, Louis Wain's, Kitty, Japan ”, Setsuko Tamura, Rachel Maclean’s, Maclean, ” May Organizations: CNN, London’s Somerset House, Somerset House, Somerset, Cats, King’s College London, Bethlem, panini, Somerset House Scottish, “ Locations: London’s, London, Somerset, Tokyo, Japan, ” Japan

☆ How entrepreneurs can use livestream shopping to make thousands of dollars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Live shopping in the US is expected to become a $25 billion market in 2023. Livestream shopping has been popular in China for over a decade, where the industry was estimated to be worth $305 billion in 2021, up from $63 billion in 2019, according to Coresight Research. Virgile Ollivier, a cofounder and the CEO of Livescale, told Insider livestream shopping would soon become just as important for brands as social-media marketing. Livestream-shopping platforms pick up where Instagram falls shortApps focused solely on livestream shopping show a disconnect on traditional social-media platforms. Most sellers livestream at least once a week, at the same time so their followers always know when to expect a show.

☆ Here's how to use Lensa, the chart-topping app that uses AI to transform your selfies into digital avatars
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Sofia Pitt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Lensa AI image. Your friends are turning themselves into digital art with the help of an artificial intelligence-generated app called Lensa. Lensa AI is currently the top free app in Apple App Store, though you'll have to pay to use the AI artwork feature. Lensa avatar of Sofia Pitt in iridescent. Download Lensa AI for iPhone or Android.

☆ I turned myself into a masterpiece using Lensa, the chart-topping app that can make anyone a digital work of art — here's how it works
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After seeing all my friends transformed into works of art, I finally decided to download the Lensa app. Lensa uses AI technology to turn 10-20 images into artwork across categories like anime, fairy princess, and pop. The service costs $3.99 for 50 images, and is a fun and interesting way to see AI technology at work. So I downloaded Lensa, the wildly popular app behind the digital self-portraits, made with AI technology that renders selfies into artwork. My 50 avatars were delivered in 10 categories of 5 images including Iridescent, Light, Stylish, Anime, Cosmic, Fantasy, Kawaii, Pop, Focus, and Fairy Princess.

☆ Poshmark is the latest company to tap into the $25 billion livestream shopping market. Here's how entrepreneurs are making thousands of dollars per stream.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Li did not disclose how applications are vetted, but Popshop Live is accepting more applications as the company's team grows, she said. Virgile Ollivier, a cofounder and the CEO of Livescale, told Insider livestream shopping would soon become just as important for brands as social-media marketing. Livestream-shopping platforms pick up where Instagram falls shortApps focused solely on livestream shopping show a disconnect on traditional social-media platforms. Nguyen designed her own characters for merchandise in addition to the squishy and plushy toys she sells on Popshop Live. Most sellers livestream at least once a week, at the same time so their followers always know when to expect a show.

☆ I'm a 20-year-old who quit college to pursue my stationery business. Here's how I made $130,000 in revenue last year as a solopreneur.
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-04 | by ( Amber Sunner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Aiesha Rana, 20, decided to turn her love of stationery into a business during her gap year in 2020. She sourced "kawaii" stationery from Alibaba and began marketing her products on social media. I also opened an Etsy shop, Coral & Ink, in November 2020. I turned Coral & Ink into a limited company in April on the advice of my accountant. In the past 12 months, Coral & Ink has turned over £108,000.

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