Underconsumption Core: Why Buying Less Is the New Flex
TikTok's #underconsumptioncore hits 230M views. The new flex? Buying less—and Japan's been doing it forever.
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Decoding the world from Tokyo, decoding Japan for the world.
Decode the World from Tokyo.
Money, lifestyle, beauty — we read global trends through data and bring you the insights that make everyday life a little smarter.
Tokyo / Research / Translation
We're a bilingual research team based in Tokyo. We track trends from the US, China, Korea, and beyond — then translate them into something useful for millennial audiences in Japan and around the world. Data, sources, and real-world relevance come first.
Latest Posts
Latest Posts
Cash Stuffing: The TikTok Budget Trend That Japan Invented Decades Ago
Cash Stuffing has 500M TikTok views. Japan's been doing the same thing — called fukuro-wake kakeibo — for generations. Here's why it works.
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Quiet Luxury: Why the Most Expensive Aesthetic Has Nothing to Prove
No logos. No bold colors. No brand signaling. TikTok's #quietluxury crossed 200M views — and Muji has been doing it for decades. Japan got here first.
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Editor's Tools
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We're sharing the research and budgeting frameworks we actually use — packaged for anyone to download. Register your email and we'll send you the link.
- Research BriefOrganize global data
- A structured template for making sense of international research
- Digital KakeiboVisualize your money flow
- A Digital Kakeibo for simple, lasting household budgeting
- Trend WorksheetApply trends to everyday life
- A worksheet for translating SNS trends into your own daily habits
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Get in Touch
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