THE new sunday express Voices Anand Neelakantan Dinesh Singh Ravi Shankar Preeti Shenoy Utkarsh Amitabh Swami Sukhabodhananda MAGAZINE Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment september 7 2025 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Made in Japan Pien, Oshikatsu, Kawaii and More are Permeating the Global Life Ethic C By Tanisha Saxena ultural power no longer spreads only through armies, products, or films. Increasingly it slips into the bloodstream of , daily life as words, gestures, and micro-rituals that change how we express ourselves. Few societies generate these and dominate living and lifestyles globally as consistently as Japan. In 2025, Japanese lifestyle trends are not about sushi or kimonos, but about new languages of feeling such as phrases, digital behaviours, and collective practices that are being adopted far beyond Tokyo. Practices like shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and ikigai (a reason for being) have found audiences in a world searching for balance amid digital overstimulation. Take Aditi Shome, a design consultant in Bengaluru who left her corporate job to pursue a life aligned with her ikigai. A self-taught ceramic artist, Shome now runs a home studio creating handmade pottery inspired by wabi-sabi aesthetics. Her cups, plates, and teapots often feature asymmetry, earthy glazes, and visible imperfections. “It’s not meant to be flawless—it’s meant to be felt,” she says. Japan’s emphasis on harmony with nature, mindfulness in daily routines, and respect for craftsmanship resonates with global movements toward slow living and sustainability Finally, Japan’s approach to . technology—functional, human-centered, and often whimsical has become a global template. The culture of convenience stores, vending machines, and efficient public transport has inspired innovations elsewhere. Even robotics, long part of Japan’s domestic imagination, is now central to global discussions on the future of work and caregiving. Let’s take youth culture. Japan’s Gen Z coins terms that travel globally through TikTok, gaming, and fandom networks. Expressions like pien (sadness expressed in a cute, self-aware way), yabai (simultaneously “dangerous,” “amazing,” “unbelievable”), or kusa (literally “grass,” online version LOL) are seeping into non-Japanese digital Japandi embraces imperfection and cozy warmth, producing interiors defined by neutral tones, natural materials, and uncluttered simplicity—a soothing antidote to today’s chaotic world conversations. Concepts like kawaii (cuteness) have permeated everything from emoji design to toy branding. In design and architecture, Japan has a vocabulary of minimalism. The principle of ma (space) and the idea that simplicity is a form of beauty resonate strongly in an age of consumer fatigue. Brands like Muji have turned this philosophy into a global retail success, selling not only household goods but also an ethos of uncluttered living. Perhaps the most visible example is food. Sushi, ramen, and bento boxes aren’t new but they go beyond the cuisine itself. Like the quiet sweep of Hinduism globally, where almost every second home boasts an idol of a God, one of Japan’s most fascinating exports is oshikatsu—the practice of organising life around one’s “oshi”, a favourite idol, character, or artist. It is not passive fandom but active devotion—themed cafés, curated wardrobes, travel pilgrimages to filming sites, and communal rituals of cheering. Global fan communities, from K-drama enthusiasts to football ultras, are adopting oshikatsu logic which means loyalty not as a hobby but as an existential anchor. In Manila, BTS fans organise “coffee truck” pop-ups inspired by Japan’s oshikatsu playbook. In Brazil, gamers redecorate entire bedrooms around Final Fantasy characters, mirroring Japanese “oshi rooms” where shelves, posters, and lighting create a shrine-like immersion. Then there is global wellness craze about glute and gluten. Unlike the obsession of countries including India with fitness regimes or supplements, Japan frames wellness as a subtle choreography of everyday acts. Hara hachi bu (eating until 80 per cent full) and performing radio taiso stretches before work are deeply integrated habits. What is being absorbed is not the act itself, but the ethos of health as micro-maintenance, not as spectacle. The shift from exporting objects (sushi, walkmans, kimonos) to exporting practices is soft power without spectacle. It is an influence that does not impose but seduces through subtle usability Japan is not dominating the . world with anime or minimalism alone, but with an invisible grammar of living: new words, small rituals, quiet aesthetics, and fandom as philosophy In this lies its true . cultural power. If America once globalised the selfie and Silicon Valley exported the “like button,” Japan is now exporting subtler tools: languages of nuance, devotion as lifestyle, and silence as power. This is not domination through spectacle, but through infiltration. They reflect deeper global shifts. It’s mindfulness over materialism; sustainability and longevity over disposability; emotional connection over flashy consumption; technology as support, not distraction. What started with Zen decades ago has evolved into a global language. And it keeps evolving. A striking ambassador of the Nipponese sensibility is Ritesh Bhatia, a Mumbai-based cyber security consultant turned minimalist advocate. Bhatia credits Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up for transforming not just his home but his thinking. “I realised I was mentally cluttered because my physical space was chaotic,” he explains. Today, he conducts workshops for urban professionals on mindful digital consumption and minimalism, blending KonMari with Indian philosophies like aparigraha. These are not isolated anecdotes—they reflect a growing curiosity in India for Japanese wisdom as a remedy for modern imbalance. Bento, Brains, and Broth In Japan, eating well is not just a necessity—it’s an art form, a rhythm, and a philosophy As Hiroshi Yatsuya and Shoichiro . Tsugane noted in a 2021 European Journal of Clinical Nutrition editorial, this deep-rooted relationship between food and wellness may be one reason Japan boasts the world’s highest life expectancy—and why its traditional cuisine, Washoku, is recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. Globally, matcha has become the poster child for Japanese wellness. But beneath the frothy green surface lies a richer, deeper food culture that’s being rediscovered by the world. Take ekiben, for instance—a portmanteau of eki (station) and ben (short for bento). Far from mere travel snacks, these boxed feasts are regional culinary postcards, sold at train stations across Japan. “Train travel in Japan isn’t just transit—it’s a gastronomic adventure,” says Brehadeesh Kumar, Japanese cuisine goodwill ambassador for India. Recently, sora-ben—“sky bento”—has taken flight at airports, much like ekiben did on trains. What began in the early 20th century as rice balls passed through train windows has evolved into artful meals served in wooden boxes (magewappa) or even high-tech self-heating containers. It’s a kind of throwback to our very Indian chaiwallah at railways stations selling tea in kulhads. Meanwhile, on the streets and in bustling markets, another culinary trend is rising: Tabearuki, or “food strolling.” It’s a moving feast—sampling skewers, dumplings, pastries one bite at a time. It’s not about excess but exploration, variety over volume. Central to all this is Japan’s belief in me de taberu—“eating with the eyes.” Michiko, a home cook and cultural ambassador, explains: “In Japan, food must be visually harmonious. Turn to page 2 “One of the most powerful lessons for me was: don’t just think about others. First be kind to yourself, face yourself, and then offer your kindness to the world.” Momoyo Nishikami, sociologist “Kawaii isn’t just a look; it’s a way of life in Japan. I couldn’t imagine life without kawaii. It’s deeply woven into Japan’s daily fabric.” Haruka, kawaii enthusiast