Ever since Kamen Rider first fired up his motorcycle over forty years ago and kicked evil Shocker ass, one thing has…
Japan is expensive. Tokyo and Osaka consistently rank among the most expensive cities in the world. With the strong…
Maid cafes are a dime a dozen in Tokyo geek mecca Akihabara. They're totally normal. Cafe t.t.t. might be in…
Its beginnings were humble. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Japanese fans went to manga and anime conventions…
Names are important. You have them from the moment you are born until the day you die. That is, unless you change…
Lots of countries make statues and figurines. Lots of countries make excellent ones, too. Yet, there is something…
It was horrifying. A young man with chemically curled hair and hipster glasses dumped the mummified body on the…
Late this spring in Kyoto, an 8-year-old kid left his gaming pouch in the restroom at his local supermarket. The…
Not everything in Japan is kawaii, or "cute". Some things are downright ugly, such as the crimes people read about…
The press room on the last day of the Tokyo Game Show was dead. I spent the afternoon in there, finishing up some…
Saturday was hell. The Tokyo Game Show convention halls overflowed with 86,000 people. Not everyone was there to…
Famous since the age of twelve, sugary sweet idol Ai Kago grew up in the limelight. By the time she turned 18, that…
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Being a child of the 1980s, action figures were a part of growing up. Posing them was intuitive and second nature.…
Kogoro Kurata is an artist. But he's not your typical artist. He's an ironsmith, and he doesn't build bed frames or…
When Japanese people travel, they often take tours. Travel agents offer an array of packages from simple…
In the past decade, retro game bars have popped up across Japan. Part of the appeal is that these water holes have…
In May 2008, Hideo Kojima held a press conference for Metal Gear Solid 4 that was noteworthy for three things: The…
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If you've played a Japanese video game, watched an anime, or read a manga, you've seen them: schoolgirls. Idols, in…
Nico Nico Douga is one of Japan's most popular video sites. Users broadcast livefeeds of everything from gaming…
Japan loves trains. It also loves anime. What happens when you combine the two? Long lines and panties.