Kōbai No. 9 · Kawaii and japanese pop culture

Kōbai is an open-access journal published by the Japan Center and the Arts and Humanities Faculty at Los Andes University, Colombia. Its purpose is to promote learning and reflection about Japan from the heterogeneity of diverse fields of knowledge, thereby strengthening ties between Japan and Colombia.

Cover: Valentina Guzmán Porras and KoKo & Frends!, Animalitos colombianos, [digital illustration], 2025.

The cover of this issue of Kōbai celebrates kawaii aesthetics through a yuru-kyara-style interpretation of six endangered animals in Colombia: the Andean condor, the golden poison frog, the cotton-top tamarin, the hawksbill sea turtle, the jaguar, and the Andean bear. This reinterpretation seeks to create an emotional connection with these symbols of Colombian biodiversity, turning them into “Frends” that foster tenderness, a sense of belonging, and awareness about their conservation—just as yuru-kyara do with the communities and/or ideals they represent in Japan.

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