Japan's most popular non-human idol is heading Stateside. Hatsune Miku, the virtual idol, will "play" two back-to-back concerts October 17th and 18th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan. She'll also be the subject of an exhibition entitled "Universal Positivity" running from October 9th to 19th …Read more »
It’s hard to describe how grossly hot it is here in Tokyo, but here’re the straight-up numbers: as of this writing, it’s 95 degrees, and feels like 102 with 65% humidity. Yeah. Not fun. Still, those willing to brave the outdoors and make their way …Read more »
Sure, Russia’s not getting along so well with the west in the political arena these days. Thankfully, cosplayers are a peaceful folk who understand the world ain’t about borders and ethnic conflict – it’s about dressing up as your favorite Japanese cartoon characters. So cheers …Read more »
Sunday, July 27th, 2014, Tokyo: I get off the train at Akihabara station, exiting not at Electronic Town, the usual otaku departure point, but Showa Street, a downright normal-looking road lined with offices and convenience stores. I double-check Google maps and head down a nondescript …Read more »
Fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind will remember Nausicaa’s main method of transport was a sleek one-man glider called a Mehve. The Mehve is a work of fiction, but one man, Kazuhiko Hachiya, has been working on a real-life version …Read more »
The Tokyo International Film Festival, one of Asia’s most important film fests, will devote a section to Hideaki Anno, creator and director of Evangelion . Anno, a co-founder of studio Gainax, is one of the most influential and important anime directors of the last twenty …Read more »
It’s been a big week for Godzilla in his hometown of Tokyo. We reported the other day in a giant Godzilla statue that’s been set up in a park in Tokyo, and the new Godzilla film is finally opening in Japan this Friday. Well, thanks …Read more »
Remember a few weeks ago when CNN sent Otaku USA readers into a froth by completely misrepresenting manga and its readership as child pornographers? Well, they’re not done with “weird Japan” stories, apparently. This time they’ve done a profile of one Hideaki Kobayashi, a 51-year …Read more »
We reported recently most of Japan’s local mascots, aimed at promoting prefectures and towns throughout the country, aren’t really worth their cost, causing the Ministry of Finance to make some serious cuts in mascot budgeting. One exception might be Kumamon, the lovable bear created to …Read more »
Photo: Hector Garcia Godzilla hasn't done a whole lot of stomping Tokyo recently. The last time was about ten years ago in 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars , after which Toho sent him into hibernation until the release of this year's Hollywood Godzilla film. Well, to …Read more »
For anime fans, it’s one of Tokyo’s must-sees: the 1:1 scale Gundam statue. Completed in 2009, the real-life RX-78 currently keeps watch over the Gundam Front theme park in Odaiba, Tokyo. It’s an impressive tribute to the continued popularity Gundam has had over the decades, …Read more »
Otaku expert Patrick Galbraith is out with a new book, The Moe Manifesto, which explores the moe phenomenon with interviews from various moe fans, detractors and experts. We continue our interview with Galbraith as he discusses a famous otaku feud and Tokyo's recent prohibition on …Read more »
Machicon are a recent phenomenon in Japan. Typically speed-dating-ish events organized in towns or cities throughout Japan, machicon aim to help singles meet each other and hook up with the ulterior motive of drawing people to the bars and restaurants in depressed shopping districts. Enter …Read more »
Patrick Galbraith, author of several books about anime and the people who love it, including The Otaku Encyclopedia and Otaku Spaces , is out with a new book called The Moe Manifesto , an in-depth look at just what this whole moe thing is all …Read more »
Japan has a mascot problem. Sure, the country’s sported adorable characters for everything from the police to construction sites for, well, centuries, some would argue, but the latest trend is local governments creating mascots to represent their town. Called yuru-kyara, these mascots are supposed to …Read more »
Matt Schley
