Otaku Tokyo

Wednesday, 28 June 2017

Shosen Bookmart is no more

The Jinbocho district in central Tokyo is a second-hand book and vintage manga paradise and of course it's featured in my Tokyo Geek's Guide (see p. 46-47).
The very first spot in my otaku walk was Shosen Bookmart, one of the best shops in the area for comics and light novels for girls, with lots of shojo and BL manga.
Alas the bookstore has closed even though the giant billboard on the roof is still there.
There is actually another Shosen store in Jinbocho: Shosen Grande 書泉グランデ. It's on the second block from the defunct Bookmart, past Warhammer (also featured in my walk).
Unfortunately the focus of this store are hobby-related publications (that's why I left it out of my book) but if you are into pro wrestling, military, the outdoors and especially trains and railways it's well worth a visit.
Shosen Grande, 1-3-2 Jinbocho
Open 10:00-21:00 (weekdays), 10:00-20:00 (weekends and holidays)

Monday, 26 June 2017

Maidreamin goes vegan

Photo by kaige

Maid cafes are said to go out of their way to satisfy their masters... I mean, their clients. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Maidreamin - one of Tokyo's main maid cafe chains (featured on page 44 and 59 of my guide) - has come up with a couple of new dishes: vegan ramen and vegan sushi. They don't come cheap (1,100 and 1,600 yen respectively) but Tokyo is not exactly a vegan-friendly city and Maidreamin should be commended for offering something different from the usual maid cafe grub.

https://maidreamin.com/

Panzer IV 12

Fans of the ever popular Girls und Panzer saga will be happy to know that the 12th edition of the Panzer IV dojinshi fair will be held at Tokyo Big Sight on September 23 (Sat) 11:00-15:00.
As G und P's fans and military buffs known the Panzer IV was a German medium tank that became the backbone of the German Army during WWII and was the only German tank to stay in production for the entire duration of the conflict. It first appeared in the anime in Episode 1.
http://sdf-event2.sakura.ne.jp/pv/

Friday, 23 June 2017

Tokyo Geek's Guide reviewed (1)

The first reviews of my book are coming in! This is from Japan Visitor.
The guide will be available from July 11th.

Tokyo Geek’s Guide

Manga, Anime, Gaming, Cosplay, Toys, Idols & More- The Ultimate Guide to Japan’s Otaku Culture

By Gianni Simone

ISBN: 9784805313855 ● $16.95 ● Paperback ● July 11, 2017

“In mapping out Tokyo's otaku world to the English-speaking geek, Tokyo Geek's Guide handles this vastness and intricacy adeptly. Encyclopedic as Tokyo Geek's Guide may be in scope, it outdoes even the average manga in its punchy looks and quality feel, with at least one, well-shot, photo on every page - typically four or five - all positively blaring in full, high-quality color, printed on sturdy semi-gloss paper. If you want to see Tokyo through a snazzy set of new glasses, or you're a Japan pop culture geek in Tokyo wondering what you might be missing, this book is a must-have - for your bag, not your shelf.”–David Chigusa, Japan Visitor

See the review here.

*****

This is another review from kickass website Yatta-Tachi:

“Overall, the Tokyo Geek’s Guide is worth the purchase. …this is a solid entry into checking out the geekier aspects of Tokyo, and a strong debut for Simone. As the popularity of Japanese pop culture continues to grow overseas, the Tokyo Geek’s Guide will serve as the ultimate gateway to expand otaku culture into future generations of fans wanting to see the imagination that makes it the force it is today.”–Tony Yao, yatta tachi

See the review here.

*****

I'm also glad that comic artist and Cool Japan Guide's author Abby Denson liked the book. http://cooljapanguide.tumblr.com/post/161948450410/check-out-tokyo-geeks-guide I hope to meet her again the next time she is coming to Japan.

Wednesday, 17 May 2017

Shooting gamers of the world unite!

Shooting games (or STGs, as they are known in Japan), have always taken pride of place in game centers and the hearts of dedicated gamers. Who doesn't remember Space Invaders, the game that in 1978 started it all.

Unfortunately in the last 20 years STGs have become increasingly difficult as developers, in order to please hardcore players, have forsaken the casual players.

Recent STGs can be so complicated that they only attract those dedicated players (someone would call them maniacs) who are ready to invest a lot of time and money to memorize their amazingly intricate patterns (the hardest levels in some games can feature thousands of bullets on the screen at one time).
One such case is the extremely popular Touhou Seirensen ~ Undefined Fantastic Object (see screen shot below).

If you are not familiar with this game, you only need to check out its LUNATIC level on You Tube to see what I'm talking about. I would never even clear the first stage but the overall effect is quite mesmerizing.

These games, of course, have their own loyal dojinshi fans as well. One such event is Hakakura Yahhou! that this year will be held on September 10 (11:30-15:30) at the Ota-ku Industrial Plaza, on the second floor (Small Hall). You can easily reach this place by train (check here)
http://www.pio-ota.jp/english/pio.html

Speaking of the Tokyo Tower...

I've just finished comparing the Tokyo Skytree to the good old Tokyo Tower (see previous post) and here's some news on this ultra-otaku spot (that I covered in my guide, see p. 8 and p. 111).
Last month the Japan Manga Alliance (comprised of Kadokawa, Kodansha, animate, Shueisha and Shogakukan) opened a new shop in the Tokyo Tower Tourist Information Center.
Called animate JMA Tokyo Tower, the 100-sq.-meter shop stocks some 2,000 anime goods featuring some of Japan's best-loved characters (e.g. Pokemon, Doraemon, Ghibli, etc.).
According to the Nikkei Asian Review http://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Japan-Trends/Real-manga-shop-in-Tokyo-targets-tourists each publisher contributed about 100 million yen to the initiative with the purpose of tackling widespread counterfeits overseas.

https://twitter.com/animate_tt

Titans attack the Tokyo Skytree!

Even though I have covered the Tokyo Skytree in my guide (p. 131), I must confess I don't like it very much. For one thing it's too tall. And then, call me a nostalgic but I much prefer the old Tokyo Tower. This said, if you love Attack on Titan you may want to shell big money and pay a visit to the Tokyo Toohpick while it's hosting an Attack on Titan special event until July 14.
http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/event/special/shingeki2017/

Starting from Floor 445's Tembo Galleria, visitors can see a selection of scenes from the the anime's season 1 and 2.

Of course there are plenty of limited-edition goods to buy while the collaboration menu at SKYTREE CAFE on the Tembo Deck Floor 340 features some interesting Titan-themed dishes.