The market for anime, comics and games has slowly been growing in China, as young people nationwide start to enjoy new forms of escapism. Now, animated filmYour Namehas topped the box office and become the most successful Japanese film of all time in the country.

With Haruki Murakami at its centre, Japanese fiction is booming overseas. The literary journalMonkey Business: New Writing from Japanis proof that the acclaimed writer is part of a lush literary landscape. Could the nation’s novels be an overlooked piece of the ‘Cool Japan’ puzzle?

The Hollywood remake of anime classicGhost in the Shellreceived a lot of flak in the West for casting Scarlett Johansson in the leading role, rather than a Japanese actress. But in Japan, the film’s spiritual homeland, audiences are loving the live action version of the cult film.

Japan is experiencing a tourism boom. But its struggling countryside is absent from most itineraries, with limited access for foreign visitors and areas marred by runaway development. Could spreading the word about Japan’s rural charm bring tourists and locals back to its dying towns?