AKB48 World

Remember when Britney Spears cut off all her hair? That was disconcerting. This week, Minami Minegishi, a member of…

On the eve of an election, a politician stood before a crowd. The speech was fiery. And flags fluttered. If this…

Across Japan, it's harvest time. In September, the rice turns a golden hue. The color—my favorite—is koganeiro…

There's this notion that "kawaii" (可愛い) or "cute" rules Japan. That's not entirely true. Everything isn't simply…

Allow me to start off with a euphemism. I am not exactly the biggest fan of the Japanese pop-idol group AKB48. This…

Suicide is serious. It's horrible. It's touched me personally as well as many people in Japan, which has one of the…

Those Eyes | TOKYO, JAPAN: Idol group AKB48 appeared on a Japanese music program for a holiday special. (Photo: FUJI…

Face-Off | SOMEWHERE: Wonder what they're talking about. (Photo: Reader Moez)

Ita | SHIZUOKA, JAPAN: Cosplayer Nekoko poses in the trunk of a Hatsune Miku Ferrari. (Photo: ごっづ | アサガヲBlog)

It was a big week for two very different video games in Japan. One, Konami's World Soccer Winning Eleven 2012 (a…