In Real Life

This Formula One Champ Is A Big Japanese Role-Playing Game Geek

A favourite otaku (geek) hobby in Japan is taking photos of toys. The pictures can make oh-so-cute miniature figurines look lifelike. But this trend isn’t only a Japanese thing. It’s also a Formula One racer thing — at least for one man. Via social media, Spanish F1 driver Fernando Alonso provides a look at Formula One that fans expect: fast cars, scenic locals, and killing time between races. He also shows a different side of the motorsport. A nerdier one.


May 24, 2012
Uncategorized

Nine Nerd Belongings That Freak Japanese Ladies Out

If you are a nerd, be proud. But also beware that some people in Japan might not be totally cool with your otaku (geek) lifestyle — even fellow geeks.


May 22, 2012
Uncategorized

Aliens In Japan, Kiss Your Gaijin Card Bye Bye


May 21, 2012
In Real Life

Japan Shows The Beauty (and The Craziness) Of The Solar Eclipse

This morning in Japan, kids and adults alike paused momentarily. They wore funny glasses and turned their eyes to the skies. This Monday morning, just as a new week started, a solar eclipse was visible. And Japanese television chronicled the whole thing the best way it could: sometimes serious and sometimes anything but.


May 17, 2012
In Real Life

Hey You Jerks! Leave This Anime Character Alone.

Detective Conan (aka Case Closed) is one of Japan’s most popular manga and anime. In Tottori Prefecture, the hometown of Detective Conan‘s creator, Gosho Aoyama, is dotted with little bronze Conan statues for the locals to be proud of and for visitors to pose with.


May 14, 2012
In Real Life

Good Foreigners Doing Good And Bad Foreigners Doing EVIL

It was a touching scene. A young American male sat outside of a McDonalds in Nanjing, sharing a meal with a homeless lady. He had purchased two orders of French fries and poured water into her water bottle.


May 10, 2012
In Real Life

China’s Superman Wedding Proposal Required A Crane

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a lovebird hanging nearly 20 storeys above the ground dressed as Superman.


May 1, 2012
In Real Life

Don’t Confuse Japanese Kids In White Face With Wanting To Be White

For years now, teens in Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku have been pushing the envelope with their Gothic Lolita outfits. Many young Japanese are fashion conscious, but cliques in Harajuku excel at wearing truly head-turning dubs.


April 20, 2012
In Real Life

Studio Ghibli Boss Is Glad Japan Lost World War II

Even for people in Japan, it’s easy to forget how awful World War II was. Entire cities were firebombed. Children were killed. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Horrible.


April 19, 2012
In Real Life

Pixar’s WALL-E Is Now Working At A Chinese Restaurant

Nothing quite says a home cooked meal like a droid cooked one. If you ever find yourself in Harbin, China, head over to “Summer Sky Ocean Robot”, a restaurant staffed with robot waiters and robot cooks.