Did you know that Japan has over 3,000 different mascots representing ... They love to swing their hair around and do the Ren-G dance. Of course, the Olympics had to have their own mascot!

In recent years, Japan's kawaii culture has exploded in popularity. WSJ's Eric Bellman speaks with author Manami Okazaki about how cuteness has gained a global fanbase.

This series showcases what we are calling “kawaii” (cute) items made locally in the iconic Japanese city. You might easily mistake Katayama Bunzaburo Shoten's colorful scarfs, hats and bags ...