It’s becoming increasingly common for people to express themselves through visual media and illustrations, and some are even embracing visual media as a teaching tool. Digital natives are throwing out the traditional educational textbooks and going for something more visual.

The Japanese publishing industry has experienced a slump in retail sales, but one genre is picking up – manga history books. Bestselling book Biri Gyaru featured the 'Shonen Shojo Nihon no Rekishi' series as a way for kids to learn about history, sparking interest from both children and adults.

Mascots have long been used to front brands in Japan, but Gudetama – a lazy anthropomorphic egg – is a far cry from the cutesy characters typically seen. It now appears on around 1,700 items, boasting its own Twitter feed and pop-up cafés, but how has it won the hearts of people nationwide?

In Japan, high school can be one of the most stressful points in a young person’s life with 59% claiming the pressure is “too much”. In response to a small but growing sect of students failing to make it to class due to sickness, bullying or social anxiety, Meisei Cyber is a virtual high school teens attend with an avatar.