Japan turns to 'Wanknomics'

[Taro Toporific]

Mo' betta than Abenomics... 'Wanknomics'!

Japan turns to 'animenomics'
Nikkei.com | March 21, 2014
TOKYO -- Japanese businesses and municipalities are turning to anime to create buzz...
...The Japanese animation market was estimated at 1.3393 trillion yen in 2011, according to industry data. The figure includes sales of anime-related goods. Given this scale of the market, a number of municipalities are using anime to try and revitalize their economies...
... Nihonbashi is also banking on this animation festival to bring it good fortune. The commercial district is considered the birthplace of Japanese popular culture. In the mid-1800s, famous ukiyo-e woodblock printing artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi was born in Nihonbashi. He later produced a number of caricature paintings of personified cats, foxes and other animals. Back then, Nihonbashi was home to major ukiyo-e publishers, and a publishing center.
"Nihonbashi was once the place where popular culture flourished, so it is quite significant to hold this animation film festival here," said an Association of Japanese Animations official...
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