Just one week after our episode where we interviewed the fine folks at Pop Japan Travel (last year), in which I predicted that they would make their triumphant return soon… and they up and did exactly that!

So I say again: are we prophetic or what?!

(Rare is the opportunity when we are actually ahead of the curve; so you’ll have to excuse us a bit of boasting here…)

Anyhoo, yes indeedy, Pop Japan Travel is BACK! And they’ve pulled out all the stops. For their grand return, they will be offering the mother of all tours, the Amazing All-Japan Alpha+Omega Adventure Tour!.

Now, after listening to last week’s episode, you’re probably both really excited and really indecisive at the same time. After all, PJT’s offerings are many and varied. Which one to choose? Well, if you fall into this category, then the Alpha+Omega tour might be just the ticket (heh, pun) — because in this one tour, PJT has combined bits and pieces of all of their offerings! Spanning many facets of otaku culture, including anime and manga, Japanese fashion, theatre, food and traditional culture, the Alpha+Omega tour includes visits to anime and manga studios (where you can meet and interact with real manga and anime artists); a visit to the COMITIA independent manga exhibition (where you can even sell your own works at the Pop Japan Travel booth!); visits to top J-fashion hot spots including Shibuya 109 and La Foret (as well as an opportunity to work with professional photographers and produce your own J-fashion magazine); a tour of Akihabara, famed electronics mecca and now hotbed of otaku culture; an opportunity to see the famed Takarazuka Revue all-female theater troupe; a tour of Kyoto, center of Japanese traditional culture; dining experiences of all shapes and sizes, from the traditional and to the exotic; and oh so much more!

This tour is slated to run between August 29 – September 7. Unfortunately pricing details have not yet been announced. For more information, or to get on the “I’m interested” list, contact PJT today!

No related posts.

Newsflash: Pop Japan Travel (whom we interviewed in this episode) are back and have announced their latest tour!

Sponsor: GoToMeeting with HD Faces makes it easy to collaborate online anytime. Try it Free! Use the promo code “PODCAST”

Today’s Theme: “***Passionate” (***パショナート ***Pashonāto?) by Iori Nomizu; OP to the second season of Is this a Zombie? (aka Kore wa zombie desu ka?). Watch Season 1 on FUNimation’s website (season 2 will start streaming later this spring).

Links:

FanimeCon, May 25-28, San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA
AM2, June 15-17, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA
Anime Five Cities (website, Twitter), date and location TBA
Anime Expo, June 29-July 2, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
Otakon, July 27-29, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
AnimeNEXT, June 8-10, Garden State Exhibit Center, Somerset NJ
Anime North, May 25-27, Toronto Congress Center, Toronto ON CA
Anime Central, April 27-29, Hyatt Regency O’Hare/Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL
San Diego Comic-Con International, July 12-15, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA
List of more upcoming anime cons
Pop Japan Travel

Our Picks:

Urusei Yatsura (sadly AnimEigo lost the license and it is now out of print)
Planetes
One Piece

Planetes $34.35

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

No related posts.

Fortunately there are now apps for both iOS and Android devices that make it easy to subscribe to and listen to podcasts without the need to sync with your computer. These apps work really well, and are very inexpensive (some are even free).

I’ve put together a short video on how to subscribe to Otaku no Podcast using four of the most popular of these type of apps on the iOS platform (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad). If you’re an Android user, I’m sure there are equivalent programs available for Android; search the marketplace for “podcatcher” or “podcast client” and you’re bound to find a few of them.

Watch the video on YouTube or in the embedded player below the cut.

Update: I’ve created a supplemental video, showing the same four programs I demonstrated, only this time on the iPhone/iPod touch. Watch it on YouTube or in the embedded player below the cut.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Related posts:

1. Otaku no Podcast App v2.0 is out; Android app coming soon
2. Otaku no Podcast app updated to version 2.1
3. Otaku no Podcast now supports HTML5

Mark your calendars folks – Pray for Japan: The Film will be premiering on March 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM at the following theaters:

You can check showtimes and/or order tickets online. Be sure and get your tickets early before they sell out! All proceeds will go towards the JEN NPO, a relief organization that has been on the ground in the Tohoku area since day 1 providing aid and relief, and in fact are still there to this day.

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Related posts:

1. “We Heart Performing for Japan” Charity Event to benefit Japanese disaster relief set for October 1
2. Episode #0027 – Otakuthon 2011 – Stu Levy talks about “Pray for Japan”
3. Advance Screening of Miyazaki’s “Ponyo” at New York International Children’s Film Festival this Sunday

In this, our first excerpt from the Otakuthon, we sit down with Stu Levy to talk about his latest project, the documentary film Pray for Japan.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting more excerpts from the Otakuthon.

Today’s Theme: “Asunaro,” by Ken’ichi Suzumura. ED to the Summer 2011 anime Heaven’s Memo Pad (Kamisama no Memocho). Watch it on The Anime Network.

Links:
New Audio-only and Video-only Podcast Feeds are now available
Video #0012 – A First Look at ComiPo! (Updated)
New York Anime Festival, October 13-16, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001
Anime Vegas, November 11-13, at the Alexis Park Hotel, 375 E. Harmon Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169
Pacific Media Expo, November 11-13, at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport, 5711 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Pray for Japan on Facebook
Pray for Japan on Twitter
Pray for Japan on Kickstarter
Pray for Japan official trailer

No related posts.

We Heart Japan made news earlier this year when, less than 1 week after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, they organized an event that, in spite of its hastily put together nature, managed to raise a very impressive $13,000. (OK, fine, I’ll say it…)

Well, they’re back for another go. We Heart Performing for Japan is coming to the Theatre of Arts Arena Stage, 1625 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, CA 90028, for one night only, Saturday, October 1, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Headliners include Mari Iijima, known as both the acting and singing voice of Lynn Minmay from the classic Super Dimension Fortress Macross (and its American adaptation Robotech); also, the English cast of an “unannounced classic anime series” will be reuniting to perform a live reading of an episode (a little birdie landed on my shoulder and whispered in my ear that it might be Cowboy Bebop). Other guests include Beau Billingslea (BLEACH, FRANKLIN & BASH, NARUTO); Steve Blum (COWBOY BEBOP, FINAL FANTASY VII, GURREN LAGANN); Melissa Fahn (DIGIMON, FLCL, BLUE DRAGON); and Wendee Lee (BLEACH, THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA, MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH). Prizes will be raffled off throughout the evening as well.

Tickets are $40 for general admission and $60 for premium/reserved seating (which includes an exclusive gift bag) and must be purchased online. All proceeds will go towards the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund, a joint venture between the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) and JCIE/Japan dedicated to supporting relief efforts in Japan.

Come out and show your support!

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Related posts:

1. “We Heart Japan” event TOMORROW to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami
2. ChibiCast #0018 – We Heart Japan event TONIGHT to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami
3. How to donate to the Japan disaster relief effort — and make it count

Watch this video on YouTube (in case the embedded player below doesn’t work for you)

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Related posts:

1. Video #0009 – Japanese Classic Cuisine: Shabu-Shabu
2. Video #0007 – Japanese Classic Cuisine: Yakitori
3. Air Video adds AirPlay support: now you can watch your anime on your Apple TV on the big screen!

Better hurry though, errors like these tend to be caught and fixed rather quickly…

No related posts.

• First and foremost, be very wary of any e-mails that you receive soliciting donations. Unfortunately, trying times such as these tend to bring out the best in us — but also the worst in us. The Internet is rife with con artists and tricksters trying to make a quick buck off your charity. “Phishing” emails attempting to solicit funds are quite common. They are carefully crafted to look exactly like an e-mail that, say, the Red Cross or some other legitimate organization would send you. Be VERY wary of any e-mails you may receive soliciting a donation. In particular, do NOT click on any links contained in these e-mails; instead, go to your web browser and manually type in the business’s URL (e.g. www.redcross.org) into the address bar.
• It may seem obvious, but donations made to the Japanese Red Cross go directly to Japan. (Yeah, I know, big duh.) Conversely, donating to your local country’s Red Cross organization may not be the quickest or most efficient way of getting your money to where it’s needed the most. In fact, many Red Cross organizations worldwide are being criticized for delays in sending disaster relief funds. The “send a text message to donate” services that all cell phone providers have set up are convenient, but unfortunately the carriers are also being criticized for delaying donation payouts. Also many Red Cross chapters take a rather hefty cut of donations for “administrative fees.” Fortunately, Google has set up a webpage that will let you donate directly to the Japanese Red Cross. They also have donations links for other worthy organizations, as well as other useful information on the disaster.
• This tragedy has really shown us that, contrary to popular stereotypes, the anime community is full of really decent, caring folks. There has been a tremendous groundswell of support coming from the anime community, both from fans as well as staff, voice actors/actresses, merchandisers, etc. If you’re heading to an anime convention, odds are that there will be somebody, either in the dealer’s room, or at registration, etc., taking donations. Or that they will have some other sort of fundraising event. (For example, Anime Expo recently announced that all proceeds from its yearly charity auction will go directly to the Japanese Red Cross.) Grassroots and/or local events such as the recently-held We Heart Japan are popping up left and right. Definitely keep an eye on anime news sites such as ANN and Anime-Cons as well as any other place where anime fans tend to congregate online (forums, comic/game shops, anime clubs, etc.) for announcements of these. Twitter is also a great place to look. (We will retweet any legitimate donation links, charity event announcements, etc. that we come across, so be sure and check the Otaku no Podcast twitter feed.) As with other donation methods, however, you should check to ensure that the funds will reach Japan in the most efficient manner possible (e.g. make sure that any event that you attend/donate to/etc. are sending their funds directly to the Japanese Red Cross, etc.).
• Companies such as J-List (and its work-safe sibling J-Box) are donating part of their proceeds to relief organizations. (So you can get the warm fuzzies of helping out with the relief effort while still getting the latest cool anime goods. Epic win!)
• If you’re a fan of (Western) pop music and have an iTunes account, “Songs for Japan” is a collaborative effort between many top pop artists, with all proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross. This mega-collection features some of the hottest songs from today’s top artists, including Katy Perry, Madonna, Lady Gaga, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Eminen, and more. With 38 songs in all, and costing only $9.99, this is one epic collection.
• The disaster has had a tremendous effect on the Japanese tourism industry. Traditional tourist destinations such as Asakusa are experiencing a drastic slump in tourism. Now might be a good time to take that Japan trip you’ve always dreamed of. (And before you ask, there is absolutely no danger whatsoever of radiation.) Not only would they appreciate the income from your visit, but I’m sure they would love to see a friendly face as well. It’s not as hard or as expensive as you may think. There are many tour companies out there that have pretty decent tour packages.

Graphic courtesy of J-List, used with permission. Arigatou gozaimasu!

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Related posts:

1. “We Heart Performing for Japan” Charity Event to benefit Japanese disaster relief set for October 1
2. Episode #0019 – Japan Disaster News Recap
3. “We Heart Japan” event TOMORROW to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami

Show notes coming soon; please check the Otaku no Podcast website in a day or 2.

Today’s Theme Song: “M/elody” by Shion Tsuji, ending theme of the anime Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Help with the recovery effort by donating

Errata: I had incorrectly stated that the “We Heart Japan” event raised $75,000 for the relief effort. They actually raised $7,500. I was off by a magnitude of 10. Still, for such a hastily-organized event (3 days!), this is quite an achievement. They have other events planned as well, so keep an eye on the “We Heart Japan” website (as well as Otaku no Podcast) for details as they come out.

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Related posts:

1. “We Heart Performing for Japan” Charity Event to benefit Japanese disaster relief set for October 1
2. How to donate to the Japan disaster relief effort — and make it count
3. ChibiCast #0018 – We Heart Japan event TONIGHT to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami

Related posts:

1. “We Heart Japan” event TOMORROW to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami
2. “We Heart Performing for Japan” Charity Event to benefit Japanese disaster relief set for October 1
3. ChibiCast #0017 – 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Related posts:

1. 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan
2. ChibiCast #0018 – We Heart Japan event TONIGHT to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami
3. “We Heart Japan” event TOMORROW to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami

Twitter is once again proving to be a great source of coverage, and once again shows the power of social networking during times of crisis. Some online streaming coverage (in English) is coming courtesy of Anime Expo Live and Yokoso News. Additional sources of coverage include the English Al Jazeera (note this is NOT the same as the Muslim Al Jazeera propaganda machine), and these two Ustream streams.

I’ll update this post with more information when I can. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Japan and elsewhere that are affected by this terrible disaster.

Related posts:

1. ChibiCast #0017 – 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan
2. “We Heart Japan” event TOMORROW to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami
3. ChibiCast #0018 – We Heart Japan event TONIGHT to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami

Ingredients:

• 1 package chicken thighs (about 6 pieces)
• 1 small bundle green onions (negi)
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 6 tbsp. sake (Japanese rice wine)
• 2 tbsp. mirin (Japanese sweet cooking sake)

Directions:

1. Soak skewers in water, at least 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Combine soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar; cook until boiling.  Boil about 1 minute then set aside.
3. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (about 1 inch or so), removing bones if necessary. Peel off the skin, and trim any excess fat and skin with the knife.
4. Thread chicken and negi onto skewers, alternating between chicken and negi.
5. Cook over charcoal or bake in an oven (I usually set it to 350 degrees).
6. Cook until meat is firm but not tough, and/or an instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Notes:

• Those of you wishing to avoid alcohol can leave it out of the sauce. The taste won’t be quite the same, but should still be good. Also, mirin is available in a version without alcohol as well (basically has the flavor of mirin without the alcohol).
• If desired, lightly sprinkle salt and pepper (to taste) on the skewers before coating with sauce.
• If you’ve got the time, marinate your chicken and negi in the sauce. Let it soak at least 1 hour, preferably all day (prepare it in the morning, eat it for dinner).
• For improved texture and to caramelize the sauce, finish your yakitori under the broiler for an additional 5 minutes or so at the end.
• Boneless skinless thighs can sometimes be found in your market’s frozen foods section.
• Some people like to shake some toasted sesame seeds on them right before serving.
• It goes well with edamame (soybeans in the shell).  And, of course, beer.
• Traditionally, yakitori is made with just about every part of the bird, including the innards (gizzards, etc.).  I’m not really a big fan of chicken innards (as I suspect is true of much of the American viewing audience), so I leave them out.

Related posts:

1. Video #0009 – Japanese Classic Cuisine: Shabu-Shabu
2. Video #0013 – Japanese Classic Cuisine: Curry with Rice
3. Video #0011 – Asian Classic Cuisine: Mapo Tofu

Click for J-List

Do you look at all those cool anime figurines, artbooks, toys, posters, and related goods that all the J-bloggers are gushing over, only to have your heart filled with sadness because you live in an area absolutely bereft of any sort of Japanese import store?  Do you drool and salivate when certain podcasters talk about the Japanese snacks and drinks that they love, only to get mad because the nearest Japanese market is over 9000 miles away from you?  Well cheer up, because little did you know, you have a friend in Japan, who would be more than happy to purchase said items for you and ship them to you.  And that friend’s name is J-List.  J-List has been putting a smile on otakus’ faces since 1996, and they stock a truly mind-boggling selection of goods straight from the land of the rising sun: artbooks, figurines, magazines, photobooks, DVDs, dating-sim games, toys, calendars, t-shirts, cosplay costumes and accessories, dating-sim games (many of which are direct-to-download titles, no need to wait for a physical CD!), all manner of Japanese snack food and drinks, traditional Japanese items such as bento, charms, chopsticks, etc. — and yes, “those” kinds of products as well.  Their selection really is unbelievable, their prices are reasonable enough (considering that these are imports we’re talking about here, people), they offer many different shipping options depending on how impatient you are , and their customer service is top notch, always friendly, knowledgable, and quick to respond.

Do give them a look, why don’tcha?  If you’re of age and interested in all items that they stock — including adult items — check out JList; otherwise, JBox is your friend.

We are pleased to announce that we are now part of the JList affiliate program — we are a Friend of JList.  If you order through any of the search boxes or ad banners sprinkled throughout the site (such as the ones below) we will get a small percentage (this doesn’t cost you anything extra), which we will gratefully use to help keep this ship afloat.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Related posts:

1. Otaku no Podcast is now affiliated with The Right Stuf; get your anime and manga fix here!
2. The Reverse Thieves announce the 2011 Anime Secret Santa project!
3. Another way to help Otaku no Podcast – Buy Me Stuff!

Us gaijin anime/manga/Japanese culture fans are presented with a problem, in that these works are typically written with the Japanese in mind.  In other words, they are written in the Japanese language.  And, I don’t know about you, but as far as languages are concerned, I probably know more Klingon than I do Japanese.  (Qapla’!)

Now, this usually isn’t a problem where anime and manga are concerned, because (with any luck) your work of choice has already been (or soon will be) licensed and translated into your language of choice.  But what about Japanese websites?  How are you supposed to read about the latest and greatest anime, or what your favorite mangaka is up to these days?  Or read the latest scintillating tales of Japanese life or insights into Japanese culture provided by your favorite random Japanese blogger?  Or even navigate the wild and wonderful world of popular otaku hangouts like Nico Nico Douga or 2ch?

Sure, there are computer-based tools such as Google Translate, and they do the job… sort of… often producing something barely recognizable as some wacked-out form of English that a febrile 5-year-old would write.  (But they’re usually pretty funny.  Try it sometime.)  Maybe barely good enough to get the gist of what the website was trying to say, if that.  Also, some of these tools make a real mess of a website’s HTML code, turning a normally pretty and functional website into a jumble of nasty.  And on particularly complex websites, they may not even work at all.

So what is a poor linguistically-challenged otaku foreigner to do?

Enter Rikai Browser, a free (yes, you read correctly, FREE!) browser for the iPad.  Based on the same WebKit engine that powers the iPad’s native Safari browser, Rikai adds a special twist: when browsing a Japanese website, simply long-press on a word or kanji character, tap the “Rikai” button (“Rikai” is Japanese for “understand” – aha!), and the program will instantly display its English translation.  It also remembers your search history and what pages you saw them on, making study and review a snap.  (Yet another example of why you, the otaku, should get excited about devices such as the iPad.)

If you own an iPhone or iPod touch, and are trying to learn Japanese, you might also want to check out their Japanese Flash app.  (It’ll work on the iPad as well.)  This “flash card” style app makes it easy and fun to learn your Japanese words and phrases.  Unfortunately this one is not free, but at $6.99 isn’t horribly expensive, and might be worth it to you if you’re struggling with your Japanese studies.

Not yet part of the iCollective?  (Resistance is futile…)  No problem, as long as you use the Firefox web browser, thanks to the almost as cool (and equally as free) Rikaichan Firefox plugin. Install this bad boy and soon you too will be translating Japanese characters like nobody’s business, by just hovering your cursor over the word/characters you would like to have translated.  This tool, as well as the Firefox browser it runs on, is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

And before you Google Chrome users pull out your pitchforks and boiling oil, calm down, we’ve got something for you too – Rikaikun is essentially a port of the aforementioned Rikaichain to the Google Chrome plugin architecture, and works on any OS that Chrome runs on (namely Windows, Mac and Linux).  Like Rikaichain, simply hover over the word/characters in question and up will pop a translation.

These tools are by no means perfect, but still, until someone invents the Universal Translator (or we discover that Babel Fish do in fact exist), these are certainly helpful tools that any otaku worth his or her salt should have in their linguistic toolbox.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Related posts:

1. Cool Find: Good Smile Nendoroid, K-ON! and Hatsune Miku Themes for Google Chrome
2. Cool Find: Cooking with Dog
3. Cool Find: How to register at Nico Nico Douga

While the website is in Japanese, it isn’t really that difficult to find and view videos.  (“see shiny looking video thumbnail?  click on it.”) Registering for the site is another matter entirely, and unless you have a fairly good grasp of the Japanese writing system, you’re out of luck.  Until now, that is.  This excellent video from the folks over at Ichiro-Style (a site that I honestly hadn’t heard of until today) shows you the step-by-step procedure for registering, including translations of all the prompts.  Wonderful!

So why not head over to Nico Nico Douga today and try it out for yourself?  Registration is free (there are paid Premium accounts that give you certain unknown added benefits, but registering for one of those requires a Japanese credit card).  All you need is a working e-mail address where you can receive the validation e-mail.  Of course, if you’re afraid of spam or whatnot, you don’t have to use your regular e-mail address; you can always set up a free Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, or heck, even a Hotmail account.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Related posts:

1. Cool Find: Rikai Browser, Rikaichan, and Rikaikun
2. Cool Find: Chad Vader
3. Cool Find: Western Digital WD TV Live

This is the final video in the Sushi series. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed it. I’ll be returning to audio podcasting after this. But stay tuned until the end of the video, because I’ll be talking about the future of Otaku no Podcast and these video podcasts.

Links to some of the products mentioned in this video:

A good seller of frozen sushi/sashimi-grade seafood Reasonably priced carbon steel yanagi (sushi knives) on eBay – if this one is sold out, use the “see other items” link to find more) The more high-end sushi knife I own – again use the “see other items” link to find more, if you’re interested A source of good Japanese water stones A really lengthy article about proper knife care, sharpening, etc. Another article on the proper care of carbon steel knives How to make proper Nigiri Sushi (this is pretty intense) Another method of making Nigiri Sushi (somewhat less intense than the previous one, but not by much!)

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Related posts:

1. Video #0003 – The Sushi Experiment 2.0: Rolled Sushi
2. Video #0002 – The Sushi Experiment 1.0: Inari Sushi
3. Video #0007 – Japanese Classic Cuisine: Yakitori

Project 760 Productions, the group behind many otaku-centric events in the San Francisco Bay area including JTAF, is teaming up with Pop Japan Travel to offer you a chance to travel to Japan to attend the 2010 Tokyo International Anime Fair, one of the largest anime trade fairs in the world! You’ll get to take a sneak peek at the latest anime projects and series scheduled for the Spring and Summer TV seasons in Japan.

In addition, the tour will include visits to famous otaku landmarks, including Akihabara, the so-called “Electric Town,” a major shopping area for electronics and consumer goods, and now a hotbed of otaku activity, with many anime and manga shops, maid and cosplay cafés, and the like; Nakano Broadway, a ginormous building chock full of otaku-worthy shops — arcades, manga, anime, idol, music, toy, etc.; the Ghibli Museum, shrine of all things Studio Ghibli; a dinner at a cosplay café, a picnic by the sakura (cherry blossoms), a visit to an animation studio, and more!

This 9 day tour will take place between March 24 – April 1, and will run you $1,985, which includes all costs including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, transportation, interpreters/tour guides, entrance fees, etc. You’ll also get a customized guidebook created exclusively for the tour. If you like, you can arrange your own travel plans to Japan, which drops the price to $1,360.

If there’s enough interest, they will also make several tour extensions available, including a tour of the port city of Yokohama and the history-filled city of Kamakura; and a tour of Studio Pierrot. (Tour extension is contingent on whether or not there is enough interest in it, and will incur an extra charge.)

Also, to commemorate the Studio Pierrot Tour, Pop Japan Travel is hosting a special contest through their YouTube channel. The fan that submits the best video with a question for Studio Pierrot will receive their choice of three books courtesy of Digital Manga, Inc. and will get to visit Studio Pierrot free if they take the tour. Winners will receive a PJT credit towards a future tour if they cannot attend the TAF tour. The contest concludes on February 14, 2010.

For more information, visit the Pop Japan Travel website or email popj...@gmail.com for more information. Mention Project 760 and get a $50 discount.

Better hurry – all applications are due by February 23, 2010

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Related posts:

1. Pop Japan Travel makes its grand return with the Amazing All-Japan Alpha+Omega Adventure Tour!
2. Episode #0033 – The Japan Travel Extravaganza, Part 1
3. Episode #0034 – The Japan Travel Extravaganza, Part 2

Speaking of the next show, I’m actually working on it.  We’re still in Vegas for another few days, and unfortunately the Internet access is pretty lousy, so I doubt I’ll be able to post the show before I return this weekend.  But you should definitely have a new show by next week.

In the meantime, I’ve got something to tide you over. Your friends and mine, DJ City and DJ Gladiator of TJX – The Japan Xperience – have released a new episode in which they talk about one of my favorite subjects in the world – FOOD!  More specifically, they take a gastronomical tour through Japan, and focus in on the most well-known/famous foods for various regions/cities of Japan.  Give it a listen, you’ll like it.  But beware – better have some snacks handy, as listening to these guys talk is gonna make you hungry!

Related posts:

1. The TJX crew talk about Onsen Etiquette (among other things)
2. The TJX Crew Invade J-Town
3. DJ City and DJ Gladiator talk travel in and around Nara Prefecture

But even that pales in comparison with the news I received today that, according to early estimates, Japan’s Comic Market (“Comiket”) welcomed a record 560,000 attendees at its Summer Comiket event this past weekend (August 14-16, 2009).  Comiket’s organizing body reports that the high attendance figures also indicate a spike in new attendees, which should come as good news to the manga industry.

Think about that, people.  FIVE HUNDRED SIXTY THOUSAND.  Holy crap, that’s a lot of people!  Sure makes our grousing and complaining sound petty and immature, doesn’t it? 

Comiket, as it’s called by the cool kids, isn’t the same as your typical western Anime convention.  For one thing, it’s frakkin’ HUGE.  It dominates the entire Tokyo Big Sight, a massively huge (one might even say “Xbox huge”) convention center with a total floor space of 230,873 m².  It’s almost exclusively devoted to manga, specifically doujinshi, essentially self-published manga.  Most doujinshi “circles” (the groups who sell their doujinshi at Comiket) are unknown fans, though many well-known manga artists choose to publish doujinshi in order to publish outside of their usual publisher relationships.  And they sell a TON of this stuff at Comiket – perhaps as many 20 acres (81,000 m² according to one source).  It’s also known for its epic and legendary cosplay.  There is plenty of photographic evidence to back this claim.  Search for yourself.  (I would post links, but there are really too many to post here, and I don’t want to make this article over 9,000 pages long!)

On our last episode I expressed my doubts as to whether my stamina would hold me through a Comic-Con.  Well, after reading this, I don’t think I’ll be attempting Comiket anytime soon… perhaps ever.  sweatdrop

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Related posts:

1. San Diego Comic-Con is Here!
2. Episode #0002 – Convention-al Wisdom
3. Photos from Comic-Con

One of the ways I console my aching soul (well, besides watching anime that is) is to listen to podcasts about travel in Japan. And just the other day, the fine folks at TJX: The Japan Xperience put up a new episode once again detailing one of their adventures traveling through Japan. In this episode, your fearless leaders DJ City and DJ Gladiator talk about their travels in and around Nara prefecture (which we never got to in our tour). Among the subjects they talk about include the rather friendly deer in Nara Park that come right up to you (but sometimes bite you, so be careful!), the Daibutsu (or Great Buddha of Nara), arguably the world’s largest buddha, and… well… lots of other cool stuff.

Listen to it here. Or – better yet – subscribe to their podcast – they’re cool guys and their talk of Japan travel and music (plus plenty of friendly jabs at each other) is always entertaining and interesting.

Now please excuse me while I go sigh dramatically and pine away… (and hand me that cheese over there, it’ll go great with my whine…)

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

No related posts.

In this episode, I discuss my review and impressions of the JTAF 5 (formerly JapanTown Anime Faire) anime convention, held November 10-11, 2007 at the Fort Mason center in San Francisco, CA. On the whole it was an enjoyable convention, but had some notable problems in terms of location and crowd control. Sadly, JTAF is going on hiatus, and have put all plans for next year’s JTAF on hold until further notice. I certainly hope this does not spell the end of what I consider a very friendly and fun convention.

Pictures from the event can be found on my Flickr page, and a highlights video will be posted here soon.

We also discuss some of the latest news in the anime and manga community, including the following stories:

• Yahoo! Japan, eBay to link their USA and Japanese online auction sites
• The Anime Network, Sci Fi Channel add new anime programming
• Anime once again shut out of Annie award nominations
• Media Blasters Confirms USA Release of 2nd Season of Genshiken
• Code Geass to air on American Adult Swim in Spring 2008
• Japanese Anime Studios Confirmed for Batman Animated Video
• Bookstore moves manga section after parent’s complaint
• USA, Japan propose limits on explicit online material
• New Manga series adopts classic American movies
• Japanese spa Yunessun introduces a new twist to the traditional Japanese hot spring (onsen)

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Related posts:

1. Episode #0002 – Convention-al Wisdom
2. Episode #0007 – FanimeCon 2009 Review
3. Episode #0003 – Geneon and Anime Cons

Our Panelists:

Donald Burr

Michelle Klein-Hass

Danny Barer

Chad Page

Upcoming Anime Conventions

(check AnimeCons.com for a list of even more conventions)

Another Anime Convention

Courtyard Marriott Nashua Hotel, Nashua, NH

October 12-14

Zenkaikon

Valley Forge Scanticon Hotel and Conference Center, King of Prussia, PA

October 13

Chibi-Pa

Crown Plaza West Palm Beach Hotel, West Palm Beach, FL

October 19-21

JapanTown Anime Faire (JTAF)

Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA

November 10-11

Anime Los Angeles

Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Burbank, CA

January 4-6, 2008

Our Anime Recommendations:

Donald: Ergo Proxy, Martian Successor Nadesico, Kanon.

Michelle – Tekkon Kinkreet, Popeye, All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (OAV) (TV series)

Chad – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Danny – Cat’s Eye, Orguss, Super Dimension Centure, Hellsing Ultimate.

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Related posts:

1. Episode #0002 – Convention-al Wisdom
2. Episode #0027 – Otakuthon 2011 – Stu Levy talks about “Pray for Japan”
3. Episode #0005 – Anime Los Angeles 4