19.09.2010 · Features
Tezuka Osamu goes moe
Akihabara pays tribute to the 'God of Manga'. Read on...
09.09.2010 · Features
Otaku2 Interview: Edmund W. Hoff
The cosplay researcher takes us to school. Read on...
28.07.2010 · Reviews
'Arrietty' is classic Ghibli
Strong showing by director Yonebayashi Hiromasa. Read on...
24.07.2010 · Features
Storywriter Sato Dai is frustrated with Japanese anime
Rips on the industry at academic conference. Read on...
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14.10. - Kaiyodo Figure Museum
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23.09. - Tezuka Osamu Memorial Museum
11.09. - Mizuki Shigeru Memorial Museum
30.08. - Super Cosplay Fest at Bellbara...
20.01.2011 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Akihabara gearing up for new Pedestrian Paradise
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Been over two years coming, but Akihabara's Pedestrian Paradise is back this Sunday. It will be held every Sunday from 13:00 to 17:00 until the end of March, and then from 13:00 to 18:00 until the end of June. It is on a trial basis, so expect lots of anxious police and surveillance. Rules explicitly stipulate 1) no selling stuff on the street, 2) no performances, 3) no bicycles and 4) no passing out tissues or fliers. Rule number two might be a little discouraging for some visitors, as it means no cosplay, no idols, no jugglers, etc. Street performances are officially regulated in Chiyoda Ward, where the Electric Town is located, so it can't be helped. And there is the history of performances getting out of hand three years ago...The new rules are all in the name of keeping things "safe." Local businesses and politicians know that Akihabara stands to benefit as a destination (and have said so at events intended to invigorate the area), but tensions are running high. Signs announcing the reopening of the Pedestrian Paradise are posted on every pillar out the Electric Town Exit of JR Akihabara Station, along with pamphlets explaining the new rules.
Not everyone is happy about them, as the defacing of some posters demonstrates. In this example, the "prohibited" (kinshi) before the actions has been crossed out and replaced with "bring it on" (joutou).
Outside the station towards the UDX Building, the familiar sign stating rules such as no street performances (on which the police mascot has been defaced) has been joined by a sign on every lamp post stating new rules and codes of conduct, imploring everyone to cooperate for the good of the area.
Over by the Akihabara Town Management offices, the English slogan "Akiba Smile! Akiba is Beautiful, Peaceful and Happy" is posted above the vending machines, with accompanying Japanese, "Connecting with a smile, city planning."
I have to attend a conference in Oita Prefecture, and so unfortunately won't be able to make it to the reopening. Though I have a conditioned aversion to systems of control and surveillance, I still hope everything turns out all right... Aside from just wanting an area I love to prosper, Akihabara is playing an increasingly major role in the global imagination of Japanese popular culture (not to mention otaku). This point was driven home for me when at the airport in Tokyo the other day I saw a bustling shop selling Japanese toys. The word "Akihabara" was prominently displayed over the checkout counter, a beacon drawing in curious passers-by who parted with their money under the neon glow (in the shadow of the iconic RX-78-2 from "Mobile Suit Gundam"). That pretty much says it all! Click on the first image in the article to see details.
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10.01.2011 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Buddhist monk on figures
A friend took me to Vow's Bar in Nakano, which advertises itself as a "Buddhist bar." The master, Shaku Genko, was indeed a priest of the Pure Land sect, but after a few drinks (including one called the Erotic Monk) he was more interested in talking about jazz and idols than enlightenment. I happened to look over at the small alter in the bar, and noticed that beside the statue of Buddha was a figure of Nurse Witch , one of my favorite characters. Indeed, I have the same figure in my room. I asked the master about it: Is it OK to have a figure like that next to Buddha? His answer: The figures of today are the statues of Buddha of yesterday. Wow! Admittedly, I'd had a few drinks (thus the atrocious quality of the picture here, sorry!), but I took his statement very seriously. Is it possible that figures can orient us towards some sort of transcendent truth? That they can help us overcome our attachments to this reality? Salvation in the midst of consumer capitalism! I guess that would explain why all these temples and shrines in Japan are using images of cute anime characters to gather and hold attention. I wonder if many fans seeking to be closer to Komugi-chan are also seeking spiritual guidance... Be that as it may, I certainly will be visiting Vow's again soon!
05.01.2011 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Random associations of a frazzled mind
Whether the influence of a lack of sleep or an excess of alcohol, I am seeing more and more random signs that remind me of anime. Maybe I just really do have a one-track mind. Anyone else excited by this sign, which is on a train platform west of Tokyo? Not know the reference? Hint: the slogan (in Roman letters in the picture) is what set me off. Click here for more details.
02.01.2011 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Moe for something with value...
I had to snap a picture of this advertisement for a girls' school in Suginami, an area known for its high concentration of anime production houses. The sign reads: "Get fired up! For something with value." I assume they mean schooling, but, based on the location, I couldn't help but read the "moe" in "fired up" as a pun on "moe" in the otaku sense. That is, a response to a fictional character or representations of fictional characters. With that in mind, I read the "with value" as something other than what otaku are fired up about, i.e., stop getting fired up about fictional characters (which is a waste of time) and start focusing on schooling (which has a value). Am I reading too much into this? I admit, I was cranky - on a crowded train in the middle of the night - when I saw this...
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28.12.2010 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
New Year's bishojo
Encouraging tourism (not to mention rampant consumption) with images of cute anime girls is certainly nothing new, but here's a double whammy: Shinto shrines in rural Ibaraki Prefecture. The advertisement is for hatsumode, the customary first shrine visit of the new year. Why not add a little moe and start 2011 with warmth in your heart?
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25.12.2010 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Kaikai Kiki in Nakano Broadway
Kaikai Kiki, the artist collective and company of Murakami Takashi, has opened an art gallery on the second floor of Nakano Broadway. I was just going to pick up some idol goods from the store next door when I saw this. Not really sure what to make of this. Murakami's fascination with otaku culture is well known, but I wonder who comes to this gallery? I mean, Broadway is full of shoppers of all kinds - old, young, Japanese and non-Japanese, otaku and non-otaku - but perhaps least of all those in the market for contemporary (high) art. Most of the shoppers seem more interested in manga, anime etc than paintings by Murakami et al. I wanted to check it out, but it's only open by appointment...
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