Japan and South Korea are natural incubators for ideas that elsewhere might seem like science fiction—or simply bizarre. Declining demographics, labour shortages, fierce educational competition, extreme urbanisation and a strong cultural tolerance for publicly testing prototypes create a unique mix: social and technological experiments with global implications. Below are some of the most notable examples—many born as pilot projects that went on to shape entire industries.
1) “Robot hotels” and retail robotics: when automation becomes a tourist attraction (Japan)
Henn na Hotel, the Japanese chain famous for its dinosaur receptionists and android check-in staff, began in 2015 as a statement of a future without human employees. The reality? After the initial wave of enthusiasm, the chain “fired” more than half of its roughly 243 robots in 2019 because they made too many mistakes and created extra work for people. The current model is a hybrid: people plus robots where they genuinely make sense, including check-in, concierge services and in-room voice assistants. Recent reporting suggests that Henn na has found a more mature balance between spectacle and usefulness in a country with chronic staffing shortages.
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Beyond hotels, convenience stores have become a favourite testing ground for robots: startup Telexistence began installing TX SCARA robotic arms in hundreds of FamilyMart stores to restock refrigerators around the clock. It is a pragmatic example of automation: high volume, an environment that is difficult for people because of the cold, and repetitive tasks. Announcements from 2021–2022 and partnerships with major retailers confirm the shift from a “cool demo” to operational infrastructure.
Why it matters: Japan does not treat robots simply as gadgets, but as “plug-ins” in places where workers are scarce. Henn na Hotel’s lesson—from “all robots” to a “human-plus-robot” mix—is a useful case study for anyone seeking to automate without sacrificing the customer experience.
2) Vending machines… for (almost) anything (Japan)
It is almost a cliché to say that Japan has vending machines for everything, but the list of unusual items remains impressive: from fresh eggs and rice to underwear and paper fortunes (omikuji). Although popular sources sometimes exaggerate, the phenomenon is real and persistent, supported by urban density, street safety and a local habit of accepting frictionless payments.
Why it matters: Vending machines are a social micro-laboratory: they show which products and services can be “dehumanised” without losing value—and may even gain from 24/7 availability.
3) Urban “farms” in offices and basements: Pasona O2 & co. (Japan)
With expensive and scarce land, Japan has experimented with indoor farming for decades. One famous example is Pasona O2, a project that turned a former bank vault in Tokyo’s Otemachi district into an underground micro-farm: hydroponic crops, sensor-controlled environmental conditions, no pesticides, and an aesthetic intended to reduce employee stress—a “healing space”. While it does not supply hypermarkets, the project has become a symbol of urban “plant factories”.
Why it matters: In an era of climate change, such projects are becoming laboratories for short supply chains, resilience and the integration of “green” elements into architecture—not merely PR exercises.
4) “Avatar Robot Café”: working without leaving your bed (Japan)
The DAWN ver. β / Avatar Robot Café project, by Ory Laboratory, has created jobs for people with disabilities who remotely control OriHime robots working as waiters, guides and baristas. The idea began as a temporary experiment and became a permanent space in Tokyo. Recent reports and academic and journalistic materials describe more than 60 operators with conditions such as ALS working from home, connecting socially and professionally through robots. It is a technological experiment with a profoundly human purpose: redefining participation in work.
Why it matters: It is a counterexample to the narrative that “robots take our jobs”: here, robots create jobs for people who might otherwise be excluded from the labour market.
5) “Family for hire”: services that rent out social roles (Japan & South Korea)
Japan popularised “rent-a-family” companies—agencies that provide actors to temporarily play an absent father, a bride at a wedding, friends for an occasion and so on. Reference materials have documented the phenomenon for more than a decade, from agencies such as Family Romance to historical precedents from the 1990s. The practice has also spread to South Korea, particularly as “wedding guests for hire”, and public debate ranges from empathy—addressing loneliness—to ethical criticism over social deception.
Why it matters: These services are a social experiment in identity and relationships: what does “authentic” mean in a society that outsources emotions and roles? The fact that the phenomenon has generated films and literature—including Werner Herzog’s docufiction Family Romance, LLC.—shows that the dilemma touches a genuine cultural nerve.
6) Virtual idols and synthetic influencers: from Hatsune Miku to Rozy (Japan & South Korea)
Hatsune Miku, perhaps the best-known “virtual idol”, is a synthesised voice (Vocaloid, Crypton Future Media) and an anime character who has filled arenas and marked 16 years of existence in 2023. Her “success” is not just a music hit, but a participatory framework in which fans create content, songs and shows—an experiment that dematerialises the boundary between artist and community.
In South Korea, Rozy (Sidus Studio X) became the first virtual influencer with commercial campaigns, a music debut and a coherent brand that remains 22 years old—forever. Official platforms and the Korean press have presented her as a marketing product that “performs” identities and lifestyles without the constraints of the real world: fatigue, scandals or ageing.
Why it matters: Virtual idols test the boundary between media consumption and participatory economies; companies gain perfectly controllable “talent”, while audiences experience a distinct form of attachment. Legally and ethically, they raise questions about transparency, deepfakes and competition with human creators.
7) Mukbang: eating for millions… while the state watches (South Korea)
Mukbang—live broadcasts in which a host eats massive portions while interacting with the chat—moved from AfreecaTV into the mainstream and then around the world. Recent research involving South Korean adolescents has found associations, rather than direct causation, between viewing frequency and less healthy eating behaviours or negative psychological indicators. In public policy, the Ministry of Health announced as early as 2018–2019 its intention to develop guidelines for binge-eating content—a controversial measure that prompted petitions against it, but one that is relevant to how the state views the link between online media and public health.
Why it matters: Mukbang is a socio-media experiment that monetises loneliness, bodily performance and parasocial relationships. When the phenomenon becomes mainstream, a question emerges: when—and how—should entertainment content be regulated to prevent population-level harms without excessive censorship?
8) Dog cloning: frontier science sold at retail (South Korea)
Laboratories in South Korea have industrialised dog cloning through somatic cell nuclear transfer for private clients—sometimes celebrities—or for lines of service dogs, such as working dogs. International media have documented the industry, its high prices—tens of thousands of dollars—and its bioethical controversies: the fate of surrogate mothers, embryo failure rates, and the emotional equivalence between the “original” and the “copy”. Reporting and analysis, from Reuters to Vanity Fair and Korea Herald, portray a landscape in which demand remains strong despite criticism and the controversial past of some researchers.
Why it matters: Here, the “experiment” has crossed into consumer society. The discussion is not merely technical; it concerns the ethical boundaries of biotechnology when it meets grief, attachment and large sums of money.
9) “Smart cities” and facial recognition at urban scale (South Korea)
During the pandemic, South Korean cities piloted contact tracing using facial recognition and AI—projects that sparked fierce debate over surveillance and privacy. In 2024, Seoul announced initiatives using AI to detect and remove child sexual abuse material, a specific application of the same technological infrastructure but with a different moral target. These trials show how thin the line can be between public utility and intrusive overreach in a “smart city” context.
Why it matters: South Korea is becoming a laboratory for urban-scale data governance, with all its tensions: algorithmic error, bias and accountability. What is now a “pilot” can, through accumulation, become standard infrastructure.
10) AI digital textbooks… and the brakes applied (South Korea)
South Korea aggressively promoted AI digital textbooks in schools (AIDT) to personalise learning and reduce teachers’ workloads. However, in 2025, the project underwent political and legislative revisions amid resistance from teachers and parents, who raised concerns about preparedness, content quality and data protection. Education-policy analyses and financial articles tracked the swing between enthusiasm and caution—a relevant “lesson” for every country considering educational AI.
Why it matters: Introducing AI into education is a society-wide experiment on a national scale. South Korea has shown both the speed at which implementation can happen and the brakes that appear when social stakeholders are not ready.
11) Cultivated meat: South Korea pushes towards approvals, Japan inspires menus (South Korea & the region)
Although the best-known commercial approvals came in the United States (2023) and Australia (2025), South Korea has invested in centres and programmes for cultivated meat, while local startups submitted approval applications in 2024–2025. The tone from government and industry suggests that the first local authorisations could emerge in 2025–2026, although the timetable remains subject to change. Importantly: even if some sources are industry-oriented, the investment trend and regulatory effort are real and documented.
Why it matters: South Korea treats cultivated meat as a strategic experiment in food security and the ecological transition—a potential game-changer for North-East Asia.
Common threads connecting these experiments
- Demographics and labour: Japan’s ageing population and low birth rate are pushing companies to test automation in hotels and retail. South Korea, with an even lower birth rate, is aggressively “digitising” its social infrastructure, including schools and cities.
- Loneliness and parasocial relationships: From “rent-a-family” services to virtual idols and mukbang, many experiments monetise attention and affection.
- Applied ethics: Dog cloning and facial recognition raise dilemmas at the intersection of empathy, security and individual rights.
- Pilot to infrastructure: Many ideas begin as pop-up projects, such as the robot café, and become permanent when they meet a real need.
The “unseen side” of these experiments
- Total cost of ownership (TCO): Henn na showed that “all robots” does not mean lower costs when error rates are high. A hybrid can be optimal.
- Algorithmic bias and errors: In “smart” cities, a facial-recognition error can lead to real abuses. Global discussions of accuracy and AI auditing are also relevant to South Korea.
- Psychological externalities: Mukbang is not “just entertainment”; studies correlating it with mental and dietary health call for caution among younger audiences.
- Social acceptance: AI textbooks ran into difficulties not because of the technology itself, but because of trust and institutional readiness.
What comes next: five plausible predictions
- “Steel-nerved” retail: In Japan, restocking robotics will expand beyond refrigerators into other high-volume areas as business models stabilise.
- Regional synthetic “influencers”: After Rozy, more local virtual identities tailored to markets and brands will emerge, with stricter transparency standards.
- EdTech caution 2.0: South Korea will relaunch incremental educational-AI packages, with stronger safeguards for student data and clearer roles for teachers.
- Ethical facial-recognition pilots: Seoul and other South Korean cities will shift the focus from “can we?” to “how and when is it acceptable?”, with testing sandboxes and independent committees.
- “Festival” cultivated meat: The first approvals, if they come, will debut on limited menus—at pop-ups, festivals and tech parks—to test public receptiveness.
A short guide for curious visitors: where tourists can “try” these experiments
- Henn na Hotel, at several locations. The point is not luxury, but interaction with robots at check-in and through concierge services—a controlled show. Check active locations and their human-plus-robot policy.
- Avatar Robot Café (DAWN), Tokyo, to see telework in action and support operators with disabilities. Opening times vary, but the project now has a permanent home.
- A vending-machine safari: central Tokyo neighbourhoods remain the best places to find unconventional machines. Keep expectations realistic: urban legends are not always around the corner.
The “bizarre” as future infrastructure
What seems bizarre in Japan and South Korea often has a very clear socioeconomic logic: a shortage of people, intense urbanisation, pressure for productivity and a culture that accepts piloting in public spaces. Some projects are scaled back, such as AI textbooks; others evolve, such as robot hotels; and others raise difficult dilemmas, such as animal cloning. Together, they function as an open laboratory for the rest of the world: what should we keep, what should we adapt and what should we reject?
