Kaomoji
As my quest for more sozai and kaomoji (facemarks) continues (*￣∇￣)ノAHAHA, I came across some very useful websites to share:
button01 Hiroette.com: Just an introduction to kaomoji.
button02 Facemark.jp: A whole lot more kaomoji variations!
button03 Jayhan: Found an excellent tutorial on how to turn hiragana into kaomoji with MS Japanese IME Keyboard!
button04 International Herald Tribune: Another excellent article from iht on kaomoji – “In Japan, (*^o^*) Means Happiness”
The uniquely Japanese face icons, called kaomoji, may not convert Western cell-phone message-senders as they start using their mobile-phone screens for data services over the next year or two. But they raise a puzzling question: The Internet was supposed to bring down cultural barriers and help forge a sense of community that is common around the world, right?