So what does that mean about the influence of Korean culture, the image of Korea and the popularity of Korean artists worldwide? Are the viral videos of PSY a testament to Korean soft power? Or reflective of the changing landscape of new media in which hundreds of millions of netizens decided to share this humorous music video by a ‘funny Asian guy’ with their friends?

Soft Power is the ability of states to influence others through means of attraction rather than coercion by using their cultural resources, values and institutions. The term was coined by Harvard Professor Joseph Nye and since then has become the preoccupation of many countries such as the United States, Japan, China, Britain, France, Germany, and of course Korea.

Many Korean music groups, TV dramas and celebrities enjoyed massive popularity in the early 2000′s especially across Asia in the phenomenon known as Hallyu, or the Korean Wave. This trend increased interest in learning Korean, visiting Korea and transformed Korea’s image from just a manufacturer of cheaper high-tech products into a cultural powerhouse that challenged the predominance of Japanese pop culture across Asia.

However in contrast to the clean-cut image associated with many K-pop groups and male idols from the Korean Wave PSY emerged as a comic, satirical and less-than handsome figure (who some mistook for a spoof of rotund North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un) who gained a massive fan-following and cult status.

Gangnam Style ridicules the lifestyle and aspirations associated with living in the upper class Gangnam district of Seoul, a reference that most non-Korean viewers did not get.  Instead for the vast majority, the video challenges the stereotype that Koreans (or Asians in general) take themselves too seriously.

Although does PSY’s popularity really result in a better global image and influence of Korea? Has Gangnam style or Gentleman encouraged more people to learn Korean or visit Seoul?

Coverage of the Korean Peninsular in mainstream global media is still dominated by reports on North Korean’s nuclear ambitions and the threat of crisis and less about what’s going on in South Korea.

Many Koreans are proud of PSY, Korean media often report on PSY’s growing popularity and he has even become the the official tourism ambassador for Korea yet is this really the image that Korea wants to promote to the world? Should the Korean government and tourism agencies really be pushing PSY’s videos as a product of Korean culture to boost soft power?

Also how can one man really represent all the desirable aspects of a nation that wants to promote itself internationally? PSY probably represents Korea in the same way that Jackie Chan represents China. Both became famous around the world for culturally neutral, visual humor, the only difference is that Jackie Chan’s Chinese song’s did not become global hits.

I mean if you are American would you really want Zach Galifianakis to be designated an official tourism ambassador, responsible for spreading American soft power?

PSY’s limited impact in Japan reflects the lack of Korean soft power spread through these music videos. For one thing most Japanese regarded the videos as stupid rather than funny and so were less inclined to share it with their friends, the fact that PSY was a relative no-body before the video went viral meant Japanese would not be interested and finally there are enough slap-stick, satirical comedians in Japan everyday on TV for Japanese people to care than much about PSY.

So the fact that PSY was Korean, probably had nothing to do with the limited reception in Japan.

1- Bangkok: Tuk-tuk

Overview: uncomfortable, overpriced and inefficient. You are better off taking a regular taxi. Then again tuk-tuks have become synonymous with transportation in Bangkok and worth taking for a short ride just for the experience.

Price: Should be negotiated with the driver before riding. Be prepared to haggle tough… then again you will still get ripped off whatever price you agree on anyway.

Pimped out disco light tuk-tuk.

Bonuses: Interesting pimped out interiors with various kinds of decoration. A great way to experience the heat, congestion, and intensity of Bangkok, but probably not recommended if you are severely jet-lagged or hungover.

Haggling with a tuk-tuk driver.

Warnings: Often drivers will ask you to visit a shop (or two, or three) so that he can receive gas coupons from the shop owners in exchange for bringing them business, so always refuse this and insist on going to your destination. Avoid picking up tuk-tuks right outside of tourist areas and instead walk a couple of blocks and hail one off the street.  Be prepared for a bumpy ride so don’t indulge in too much Thai food and beer before riding!

2- Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Motorbike taxi 

Overview: In Ho Chi Minh its better to be on a motorbike than off one, as its often much safer to catch a bike ride somewhere than try to walk it. Motorbikes are also more capable of navigating through the chaotic and dense traffic, narrow backstreets and old neighborhoods than the buses or regular taxis.

Price: Its always good to ask a local friend or hotel staff about the average price of getting from A to B by motorbike taxi, obviously expect to pay a bit more than locals and be sure to settle the price before jumping on and strapping your helmet.

Bonuses: relatively cheap, safe, fast and exciting. What better way to experience getting around Vietnam than they way most locals do!

Warnings: The driver may pretend to know your destination and instead take you somewhere else and hope to escape with his fare before you realize so make sure you are at the right place before paying! This happened to me a couple of times. Most importantly- always wear a helmet! Its the law in Vietnam so don’t suffer the penalty fine.

Average price from Ho Chi Minh Airport to downtown: Around 70,000 Dong ($US3-4)

3- Mumbai: Taxi

Overview: widely available, safer, cleaner and more comfortable than auto-rickshaws and for the most part fairly priced. Older taxis such as the black and yellow Padmini, ubiquitous with old ‘Bombay’ are slowly fizzling out of the traffic scene in favor of newer air-conditioned models.

Price: Rs19 ($US0.35) for first 1.5Km, Rs12.35 ($US0.23) per additional Km.

Bonuses: Cheap, metered, and several cab companies including MeruCabs and TabCab offer services allowing you to book pick ups online and through the phone which is often allot more reliable especially if travelling for business or getting to airports on time.

Warnings: If taking a regular taxi rather than a fleet taxi then always make sure that the driver re-sets the meter, especially if he is using a mechanical meter. You can check for the reliability of the rates by carrying a ‘rate-card’ available at the airport since some drivers will carry a fake rate-card with higher prices. Often drivers are reluctant to take you short distances, in this case offer them a flat rate. Most importantly do not get into a taxi if they say the meter is not working!

4- Kathmandu- Taxi

Overview: Kathmandu isn’t exactly a sprawling metropolis but the fact that taxis in and around the city take you across some spectacular Himalayan scenery is worth a mention. Most taxis in Kathmandu are small, cozy Suzuki Marutis which barely fit two passengers let alone their luggage.

Price:most drivers are willing to go by meter for short trips at the rate of Rs 8 ($US0.09) for every 200m although to/from major tourist destinations you have to negotiate the price. Since Nepal is a poor country and prices in general are cheap its not worth arguing to much to save a few cents.

Bonuses: a cheap, convenient way to get to cross the emerging city, access amazing Himalayan views and check out historical towns. From my experience taxi drivers in Kathmandu were super friendly, invited us to lunch, smoke and educated us about Nepali life.

Warnings: By law taxis are required to go by the meter, but in a corrupt state as Nepal officials have turned a blind eye to this. Not going by the meter for longer journeys means you will probably be asked to pay 5-10 times the metered price so negotiation is necessary. But if you are in a hurry just settle the deal quickly otherwise you will find yourself wasting time haggling or arguing about using the meter. If you have a larger budget its worth using transport arranged by your hotel, tour operator or company.

Image via cosplay.exblog 

Business card exchange in Japan (meishi koukan ) is the most important method of professional self-introduction in Japan. Forgetting or running out of cards in more formal settings can lead to embarrassment, as others are unable to judge your status in the group. This is why we always tell clients visiting Japan for business or networking to “bring plenty of cards!”, which in their mind usually translates into 20 when it should be 50+.

Image via uniearth.jp

However, when these cosplayers exchange business cards they are promoting their fantasy persona, a character from an alternative reality who they try to embody through fashion, make up and lifestyle. The cards feature their character name, photo, and contact address rather than company and job title.

Image via A-one

Of course cosplayers wont just have one costume that they don, or character role that they play, which could certainly lead to a lot of printing and perhaps confusion.

Offering to solve this dilemma is a cosplay business card service called Proof, owned by printing company Choei, which allows customers the chance to order multiple sets of business cards for each character at a low cost (100 cards at 2,625 Yen- US$26).

A major feature of these customised cosplay business cards is of course the unique character or costume photo, which when printed resembles the design of a trading card rather than a proper business card.

C-Studio was set up to offer cosplayers a special location in which to take these cosplay glamour shots; featuring several photo studios each with their own themed decor such as Gothic, Luxury Bar, ‘Cute-room’, Sci Fi etc.

Customers can also rent props for free to enhance their fantasy experience and add further mystery to their characters.

As it is often difficult to find the right location to take fantasy themed cosplay photos without attracting attention and being bothered by the public many cosplayers are willing to pay the steep 8,000 yen (US$80) per hour rental fee to use the studio.

The extent to which fans of manga, anime and cosplay indulge in these alternative reality and fantasy lifestyles seems to be continuing to go one step further. With these cosplay business cards, the false persona of these fantasy characters now has a real world presence and allows them to take on bigger personalities and responsibilities.

The LINE Town series has begun broadcasting in Japan on TV Tokyo (Thursdays from 6.30-7pm) and is based on characters from LINE’s stickers which are more sophisticated than emoticons, featuring a larger spectrum of personas, humour and darkness.

It is easy to understand the massive popularity of LINE in Japan, just from observing people using the app on crowded subway trains and especially when most young people will ask for my LINE id instead of Facebook when exchanging contacts. According to ZDNet Asia worldwide LINE users now exceed 150 million.

LINE TOWN, the animated series. Image via Lineblog

LINE’s popularity coupled with Japan’s preference for cute and distinct characters is probably what spurred the creation of the animated series and spin off products which includes the MY TOUCH phone, a LINE sticker printing kit, several customised LINE stamp kits and toy figures (pictured bellow).

Images via watch.impress

LINE Town My Touch is designed so that children who are not ‘lucky’ enough to have smartphones can still enjoy the simulated experience of using them. The most unique aspect of My Touch for children is the application of NFC technology to exchange LINE stickers and messages by ‘touching’ the phones together (as pictured bellow).

To further replicate the experience of using a real smartphone, My Touch is equipped with colour LCD screens and sliding touch functions that children use to navigate through the menu of LINE Town mini-games and activities that allows them to unlock more characters and stickers. My Touch is scheduled for released on August 8, 2012 at 6,825 yen (US$70) which is quite steep considering it is a fake phone for children.

This strategy by LINE and Takara Tomy to entice children into the habit of using smart phones to communicate with friends at an early age could produce more smartphone dependant young people and create a strong affiliation between LINE and mobile communication.

Image via coolsmartphone

On the one hand maybe it is good to have more children confident with using the latest in mobile technology so that they are quicker to adapt to changing communication trends in the future. On the other hand should children really be playing and chatting to each other with fake smartphones? Wouldn’t it be better if they just talked to each other instead? Especially if they are only a few feet away.

As part of the bid to host the building of the International Linear Collider (ILC) in Western Japan Team Lab Tokyo created a humorous and light-hearted interpretation of the collision between electrons and positrons in the form of high school girls in this short film.

Featuring students from Waseda High School in Saga and Shota Morita, the star of the popular iPhone quick draw system video (pictured below) on YouTube as their teacher the film demonstrates the friendship between two high school students, ‘Electron’ and ‘Positron’ cut together in the style of a theatrical trailer. All this to explain the mechanics of what will be a major research institution for particle physics.

Team Lab combined the live action footage with animation and special effects, as well as an original “ILC” song to heighten the sense of speed that builds up to collision of the two ‘particles’.

To increase public participation in the campaign, all of the materials from the video are open to anyone to use and remix as the entire piece has been cut into many 3-second .gif clips that can be remixed. Those can be found on the ILC tumblr which is, to say the least, a massive hub of information overload.

The Planned Project

According to Nature, the ILC is planned to consist of a long track of superconducting cavities stretching across 31 km in which particles can accelerate to energies of up to 500 gigaelectronvolts before colliding. The video bellow provides more details:

However this project is predicted to cost more than $8 billion and therefore has failed to get strong support from governments worldwide and even funding for the initial design and research stages has already been cut back. Japan on the other hand is eager to host a world-class international science project, and this video is part of showing that enthusiasm on the part of local governments (with plenty of Abenomics money to burn it seems).

A large part of this bid is to enhance Japan’s role in the international scientific community and in particular Fukuoka and Saga prefectures in Kyushu (the locations of the proposed site) would like to be the hub of this global project. Either way, we’re at least being entertained in the process of this massive bid.