IN recent years, interest in Japanese pop culture, particularly anime and manga, has grown all over the world, and Jamaica is no exception.

It is with this in mind that the National Gallery of Jamaica is mounting an exhibition JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters, which showcases popular anime and manga characters. The exihibition is scheduled to be opened to the public on Sunday, May 11. Under the theme “Characters and the Japanese”, the exhibition asks various questions: What exactly are characters? Why do characters appear and become popular? What kind of social reality do they reflect?

Exhibition highlights include life-sized models of some of Japan’s most popular characters and a Hello Kitty room.

The purpose of the exhibition is to introduce the world of characters in a broader sense and examine their impact on Japanese society.

Organised by the Embassy of Japan in conjunction with the National Gallery and the Japan Foundation, the exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of Japan-Jamaica diplomatic relations and is also part of the gallery’s 40th anniversary programme.

The exhibition runs until June 14.