Last year we reported on MariCar, a Go-kart tour service in Japan which rents Mario Kart-themed cosplay to customers as they are lead on a driving tour around Tokyo. In characteristic fashion, Nintendo felt the need to protect their IP from damage and began a …Read more »
This past weekend, an anime tourism event was held in otaku mecca Akihabara, and some special guests were on hand to join in the fun. One of those guests was Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, who is a self-professed fan of anime and cosplay. She was …Read more »
March Comes in like a Lion , the anime adaptation of the manga by Honey and Clover ’s Chica Umino, started airing this week, and a pop-up cafe has, uh, popped up near Tokyo Station to promote the series. The cafe, which is open from …Read more »
Chichibu, the city used in anohana , is a popular pilgrimage spot. When fans travel to a city or specific location used in their favorite anime series or film, it’s known as an anime pilgrimage. These pilgrimages have brought in a ton of cash to …Read more »
Chichibu, Saitama, has seen otaku flow in since being used in anohana . If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we’re kind of obsessed with the idea of the otaku pilgrimage, where anime fans go to the real-life settings of their favorite …Read more »
Everyone’s getting hype for the new Star Wars film, and that includes rice planters in Aomori Prefecture, who’ve planted this summer’s rice crop to create a giant Star Wars illustration. Villagers from Inakadate planted 11 different kinds of rice to achieve the different colors in …Read more »
Nagasaki, the city in southern Japan famous for its steep residential streets, has adopted a new tactic to encourage tourism: moe. In the style of KanColle , in which navy ships are represented by cute anthropomorphized girls, Nagasaki community development group Modal has given each …Read more »
Kabukicho, a seedy-yet-charming entertainment district in Tokyo, has a new mascot care of Toho, the movie studio that just opened up a new movie theater in the area. As of this month, a 12-meter high Godzilla head stands perched on the top of the nine-story …Read more »
We’ve already covered Tokyo’s well-known otaku hotspots like Akihabara and Nakano ad nauseum here at Otaku USA, but it’s always worth pointing out that there are plenty of other areas Japan’s capital city that ooze otaku cred. Ikebukuro, home of the third-busiest station in Tokyo, …Read more »
Julian Gnam
Matt Schley
Sean O'Mara