Earlier this year Otaku USA reported on a story of a bullied man finding happiness “marrying” Vocaloid Hatsune Miku. While the wedding might not be official, Akihiko Kondo has said it’s made his life better, and he’s found a supporter in Gene Simmons of KISS. …Read more »
Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli’s co-creator and long-time producer, now has his own traveling exhibit called the Toshio Suzuki and Ghibli Exhibition. In addition to seeing all sorts of Studio Ghibli nods (like a huge Yubaba head), it lets people get to know Suzuki. For starters, …Read more »
A Japanese woman named Runa has taken latte art to a whole new level. She has more than 120,000 followers on Twitter (with the account @RunaPocket) where she shares her latest creations, including many otaku themed ones. For example, take a look at how she …Read more »
The winners of the spring 2022 Medal with Purple Ribbon have been announced! These medals are given out by the Japanese government and are meant for “individuals who have contributed to academic and artistic developments, improvements and accomplishments.” This year both Hideaki Anno and founder …Read more »
The Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind kabuki play is returning! The play was originally performed back in December 2019, and there’s a reasonable chance it hasn’t been back since because of COVID. However, with more people vaccinated and more things returning to normal, …Read more »
Do you need some Pokémon nail polish to go with your Pokémon clothes and Pokémon jewelry? The Japanese company uka has you covered with their limited edition uka Pokémon Study Series consisting of six different nail polishes! Each nail polish is associated with a different …Read more »
A new school year is starting in Japan, and freshmen filing in to Tama Art University got to see something they probably didn’t expect: the Pokémon Arceus! Well, okay, it’s not really Arceus. It’s two people in suits designed to look like Arceus. One of …Read more »
Japan has been having a lot of fun with its 3D digital billboards, showing everything from a menacing Frieza to Final Fantasy VII’s Red XIII escaping from Shinra. The billboard near Shinjuku Station is sharing the latest otaku ad with Sanrio’s Pompompurin, and a lot …Read more »
COVID restrictions and social distancing have hit a lot of theme parks, but Universal Studios Japan is getting back on its feet and offering its newest Cool Japan attractions. There are five new attractions they want to bring attention to, and each attraction gets a …Read more »
People love the 59-foot tall life-size movable RX-78-2 Gundam statue in the Gundam Factory Yokohama facility, so it’s no wonder it’s in the Jury Selections for the Entertainment Division of the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. The Japan Media Arts Festival gave this description …Read more »
Right now, if you go to Tokyo’s National Museum of Nature and Science, you’ll get to see . . . Pokémon fossils? Yep, you read that right. And while the Pokémon fossils might not be real, the museum is using this opportunity to teach real …Read more »
Everything about the Baki the Grappler franchise is massive, from its massive fanbase to its massively muscled men. So why not give it a massive exhibition for the series’ thirtieth anniversary? The exhibit opened this past weekend at the Tokyo Dome City complex. As people …Read more »
Back in December, VTuber extraordinaire Kizuna AI announced that she’d be going on an indefinite hiatus. With the popular virtual star entering “sleep mode” temporarily, we’re all a little sad. But we’re happy to have the assurance that there are plans for her return. In …Read more »
Starting February 21 and going through March 10 Pacific Time, Sony Music Solutions in Japan is offering the VR online event called “`Sword Art Online -EX-CHRONICLE- Online Edition’ Global version.” The event is available for fans in America, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, …Read more »
Much to the delight of otaku (or disappointment if you can’t be there), Japan likes to have some of its planes decorated and themed after pop culture references. So there are, for example, planes themed after Pikachu or Godzilla. A Demon Slayer themed plane first …Read more »
Danica Davidson
Kara Dennison
