Film / Reviews Feb 6, 2020
'Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku': A musical take on an otaku romance
by Mark Schilling
This film adaptation of a web comic by single-named artist Fujita has the central couple dancing and singing their way to love.
National / Science & Health | NATURAL SELECTIONS Jul 26, 2019
The happiness of the otaku: Daydreaming to well-being
by Rowan Hooper
Using the imagination to daydream may be more useful than we thought. But who would have guessed that a key to unlocking its benefits would be pursuing manga, anime and games — otherwise known as "otaku" culture.
National / History | Defining the Heisei Era Nov 24, 2018
Defining the Heisei Era: Examining the rise of otaku culture
by Alex Martin
With the number of children shrinking, popular entertainment naturally began targeting the otaku population that didn't hesitate to open their wallets for material many considered juvenile.
Business / Corporate May 25, 2018
Bitcoin for otaku: Tokyo startup to launch cryptocurrency to serve communities
by Kazuaki Nagata
Cryptocurrencies may be making worldwide headlines as high volatility assets that have seen dazzling stretches of growth and stunning falls, but the CEO of Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc. believes they have a different kind of potential. Naomitsu Kodaka says cryptocurrencies can serve as cross-border digital ...
Culture | CULTURE SMASH Oct 22, 2017
Anime tourism invites overseas fans to join festivities
by Roland Kelts
Yuwaku Onsen is a 1,300-year-old hot-springs resort tucked between mountains along the Asano River south of Kanazawa. Ten mid-size traditional inns line its slim main street, leading to a small hillside shrine and a man-made pond. Earlier this month, I shuffled behind a procession of ...
Style & Design Oct 13, 2017
Dempagumi.inc's Risa Aizawa on the true power of fashion
by Misha Janette
Fashion designers can be stiff creatures, especially when it comes to divulging their history or feelings in an interview. However, Risa Aizawa is not your run-of-the-mill fashion designer. She is a member of the five-person Akihabara-born idol group Dempagumi.inc, known more for it's hard-core ...
How-tos | LIFELINES Feb 8, 2017
'Otaku' gather to celebrate the obsessive at Nerd Nite Tokyo
by Shannon Schubert
At Nerd Nite Tokyo, self-confessed nerds from all walks of life gather once a month to loosen their anoraks, sup a beverage or two and feed on the niche knowledge of three quietly obsessive speakers.
National Jul 25, 2016
Despite challenges, young Cubans being drawn into world of anime, manga
Cuba may be one of the world's least connected countries but that is not stopping the Japanese subculture of animated movies, manga comics and video games from spreading feverishly among its youth. More than 1,000 otaku (geeks), or fans of such fantasy worlds, descended on ...
National Dec 4, 2015
Takamasa Sakurai, a leading evangelist of Japanese anime, fashion and music abroad, was fatally hit by a train early Friday after falling from a platform at Nishi-Nippori Station in Tokyo, police said. Police said the incident occurred on the JR Keihin Tohoku Line at around 12:30 a.m. ...
Books / Reviews Sep 13, 2014
A world of fear for Japan's shut-ins
by Tim Hornyak
Several years ago, a vogue of interest in shut-ins, or hikikomori, saw researchers from France touring Japan and meeting reclusive youths. Such was the prevalence of the disorder, said psychologist Nicolas Tajan, that "if you ask people in Japan about hikikomori, almost everyone will ...
Lifestyle Aug 22, 2014
Comiket grows stronger each year
by Ben Brady
Held twice a year and famous among otaku (fanboys and fangirls) the world over, Comiket, short for Comic Market, held its 86th event Aug. 15-17 at Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba. With more than 550,000 people reportedly attending the event over the three days, ...