Yet the presence of costumed adults lining up for London’s own Comic-Con, a Swarovski-encrusted Hello Kittyworth thousands of pounds, and the profiling of Lolita fashion in magazine articles and V&A exhibits, show that cute culture is not just spreading beyond Asia, but it’s here to stay. And it means business. So, what is kawaii and why here and why now? 

Elbegdorj came to celebrate a new Mongolian-U.S. cultural partnership, announced in March, that will bring the Philadelphia Orchestra to Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar. During his daytrip to Philadelphia, the president attended the orchestra’s matinee concert, where he was warmly welcomed by orchestra officials, musicians and audience members.

If the box office is anything to go by, Godzilla – the most famous Japanese monster of old (kaiju) – is enjoying a rebirth. Just yesterday, Guillermo del Toro’s kaiju-inspired Pacific Rim invaded Chinese cinemas and raked in record opening ticket sales of $9 million. Meanwhile, news of Godzilla redux, set for release next May, is sparking heated chatter online, following an appearance of the film’s director Gareth Edwards at Comic-Con in San Diego last month.