American children grow up playing Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. As adults, they line up for the latest anime movies and hang out in karaoke bars. In other words -- Japanese culture is serious business. So serious that Japan's Prime Minister appointed a "Cool Japan" minister to oversee a multi-million-dollar "Cool Japan" campaign. The goal -- to make Japan one of the world's leading cultural forces. But wait...Isn't it already? In this hour, we explore why we crave Japanese pop culture as we delve into Japan's G.N.C. -- Gross National Cool. Japan's G.N.C. -- Gross National Cool; Osamu Tezuka, God of Manga; Sonic Sidebar: Godzilla; Karaoke Fascism; Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter; BookMark: James Wood on "Effi Briest"; On Our Minds: Dean Bakopoulos' New Novel.
