On Friday, March 11, 2011, a magnitude 8.9 earthquake hit northern Japan off the coast of Sendai at 2:46 PM Japan Time, enough to develop a powerful tsunami wiping out port towns around the Miyagi prefecture, the hardest state hit by the disaster, and signaling tsunami warnings in other parts of the world including Hawaii [...]

This is an entry for the Japan Blog Matsuri hosted by Just Another Day in Japan This month’s theme is: Japan Firsts. I’ve been asked before of how I got into Japanese culture. It has always been through being a Pokemon fan in the late 90s heading into the 2000s. But now that I think [...]

A student survey is currently underway for the study of American Otaku by a student of Furman University. The survey investigates Otaku culture in the US and Japan and differences between the culture in both countries, including the controversial use of the word “otaku”. Recommended for Otaku in the States. The survey ends in December. [...]

One unusual thing about Japan I’ve noticed is the lack of hardcore multiplayer gaming. In a place where Otakudom roam, Gaming should be King (second to Anime, of course—and Eroge doesn’t count here). But it’s not like the way it is in South Korea—a place where even competitive Starcraft games are televised on countless TV [...]

Just in time for Gundam’s 30th Anniversary, a 59-foot replica of everyone’s favorite mecha, the RX-78 from the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, was recently completed after half a year’s construction. Otaku blogger Danny Choo recently went to Odaiba to see for himself, along with other Japan/Otaku bloggers Lester Ho, Steven Nagata, and Ken Lee. [...]