For newcomers, our name Kotaku is taken from the Japanese words "ko" (small) and "otaku" (fanatic). It isn't a real word per se, but something somebody whipped up just for us.

Though, keeping true to our moniker, we are otaku, but in the smallest sense. We like our figurines and nerdy goodies, but only to a point. At the other end of the spectrum are the otaku, AKA the diehard dorks.

Take Tsutomu Nakamura. He's not a game otaku, but rather follows gravia idols. Closely. He's not your typical otaku. He's forty years-old and has been coming to Akihabara for the past three years. He's had his pic taken with over a thousand idols. He's apparently spent over 20,000,000 yen (US $170,000) on idoru-related goods.

Something happened to Nakamura-san three and a half years ago, and I don't think it was he won the lottery. Or maybe it was. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Japan Probe]