The Third Annual asianbeat 4Koma Manga Contest

This year, asianbeat would like to continue the tradition in fostering shared values and mutual understanding amongst teenagers and young adults all over the world through the phenomenon that has overtaken the globe: manga.

Award | Japan｜ China｜ Fukuoka｜ Other Areas｜ Manga｜ Event Reports｜

2014.10.01

AZA MIYUKO comes to Fukuoka!!

On September 15th, (Monday) the popular cosplayer AZA MIYUKO, known throughout the world came to Fukuoka! At asianbeat we'll soon be posting a fun little anecdote about AZA MIYUKO's experience of Fukuoka, so please stay tuned for this exclusive!

Culture Watch (Latest News & Info) | Korea｜ Fukuoka｜ Fashion｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Game & e-Sports｜ Event Reports｜ sightseeing｜ Hot Spot｜

2014.09.17

[Report from Lee in Busan]　Busan's Otaku Spot, "Book Culture / Comic World"

This week's report is introducing a famous Otaku spot, "Book Culture", located in the Seomyeon shopping district of Busan, Korea. What kind of shop is it? Let's dive in and find out!

Report from Lee in Busan | Korea｜ Busan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Hot Spot｜ Hobbies｜

2014.09.17

#8 Otaku Girls Turn Out in Force for Comic World Taiwan!

In August 2014, I visited Taiwan to take part in their largest female-oriented dōjinshi market event, “Comic World Taiwan” (CWT). My travels have taken me to otaku events all over the world, but the sheer excitement and enthusiasm from the otaku that gathered at CWT was really something else.

Pop Culture Chronicles ～ On the Trail of Japanese Icons Around the World ～ | Japan｜ Taiwan｜ Taipei｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Game & e-Sports｜ Event Reports｜ Pop Culture Observations｜

2014.09.10

#4 Morning Musume。'14 Teen Member Haruna Iikubo Shares her Love of Showa Period Manga with the World

There are now two to three generations of people in Japan and around the world who have grown up reading and watching Japanese manga and anime. You see a lot of parents with children in tow at anime events overseas and it’s not that uncommon to see parent/child cosplayers, even.

Pop Culture Chronicles ～ On the Trail of Japanese Icons Around the World ～ | Japan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜ Pop Culture Observations｜

2014.07.16

[Cosplayers Laboratory] #010 - Taiwan - Cha-guang, Lie-shen

Cosplayer #010: The Taiwanese cosplay duo that made an appearance at the Cosplay World Summit 2013 are undoubtedly a crowd favorite - meet Cha-guang and Lie-shen.

[Cosplayers Laboratory] - Taiwan - | Taiwan｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Media (TV / Magazines)｜

2014.07.09

Hakata Gion Yamakasa 2014 Photo Report

July is one of the famous Fukuoka's traditional festivals, Yamakasa season! Hakata Gion Yamakasa's Kazari-yama(decorative floats) are placed on display in 14 locations around Tenjin and Hakata from July 1st to midnight on July 14th (0:00am, July 15th).

EVENT SNAPS | Manga｜ Anime｜ Event Reports｜ sightseeing｜ Trends｜

2014.07.08

asianbeat will be participating "Japan Expo" in France!

Japan Expo will be held in Paris, France this coming July. This year, asianbeat will be participating along with "Fukuoka Kanbe-Kun" and Japan Lolita Association to promote Fukuoka!

information | Japan｜ France｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Game & e-Sports｜ Event Reports｜

2014.06.25

An anime-centric radio program by the name "Ani-tune ❤Fukuoka" is starting broadcasted by CROSS FM.

Have you heard? An anime-centric radio program by the name "Ani-tune ❤Fukuoka" is starting broadcasted by CROSS FM.

Culture Watch (Latest News & Info) | Fukuoka｜ Music｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Game & e-Sports｜ Event Reports｜ Media (TV / Magazines)｜

2014.05.23

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #102 Are all European Girls who Love Japanese Idols this Shy?

Continuing on from my article last week, in April 2014, I attended Italy’s largest Japanese pop culture event, ROMICS, for the first time since fall, 2011.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Event Reports｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.05.07

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #101 Rome’s ROMICS. “Hetalia,” “Attack on Titan,” “Gintama”: The Cross-Border Topics for Discussion are Endless.

Italy is a place that holds a lot of memories for me and my work in cultural diplomacy. In December 2007, I was asked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to perform a series of talks, in Prague, Czech Republic, and in Rome, Bologna and Milan, in Italy, and one of the main reasons that I started to become passionate about cultural diplomacy was because of this tour.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Event Reports｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.04.30

Licca-chan × Cardcaptor Sakura Collaboration: Two New Dolls On Sale

Licca-chan and Cardcaptor Sakura are collaborating to produce a pair of dolls.

Culture Watch (Latest News & Info) | Japan｜ Manga｜ Anime｜

2014.04.26

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #100 Local Idol Concert, Local Landmarks and Local Food – A New Way to Sightsee in Japan

“asianbeat,” the website that publishes these articles, is operated by Fukuoka prefecture. Fukuoka plays a major role as a gateway to all the countries throughout Asia and the world, and I think it’s rather significant that Fukuoka prefecture is the one representing Japan, transmitting Japanese pop culture to the world.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Fukuoka｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Gourmet｜ Event Reports｜ Talent/Idol｜ sightseeing｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.04.23

Fukuoka Otaku Map #05 MINT Fukuoka

The 5th stop on our “Otaku Map” is a shop which operates on a “beginner friendly” concept and is a pioneer of its industry, “Trading Cards and Card Game Shop, MINT.”

Fukuoka Otaku Map | Japan｜ Fukuoka｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Hobbies｜

2014.04.10

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #97 Idols Want to do More Sightseeing, Too! Guiding a Group of Popular Idols Around Taiwan

Being an idol is no walk in the park. At home in Japan they’re constantly busy, but when they also take part in activities overseas and they’re given such tight schedules over such a short period of time, they’re even busier still.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Taiwan｜ Taipei｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Event Reports｜ Talent/Idol｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.04.02

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #96 Japanese Writers and Artists Flock to Taiwan’s Biggest Dōjin Event, “Fancy Frontier”!

On February 15-16, 2014, I took part in “Fancy Frontier,” the biggest dōjin event in Taipei.
Fancy Frontier is often written up in magazines and across online media here in Japan, and it certainly lived up to the hype.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Taiwan｜ Taipei｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Event Reports｜ Trends｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.03.26

[Photo Report]Garage Kit Festival Ends in Success Despite Record Snow

Winter Wonder Festival 2014 was held on Feb. 9! The venue was colored with tons of beautiful figures!

EVENT SNAPS | Japan｜ Tokyo｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Game & e-Sports｜ Event Reports｜ Hobbies｜

2014.03.19

"Murasakibara" and "Akashi" New Additions to the "Kuroko no Basuke" Perfume Range

"Perfume of THE BASKETBALL WHICH KUROKO PLAYS" is a perfume range based on characters of "Kuroko no Basuke (Kuroko's Basketball)"

Culture Watch (Latest News & Info) | Japan｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Trends｜

2014.03.18

[Featured] The theater release of ”The Idolmaster Movie: Kagayaki no Mukogawa e!”

The popular game, "The Idolmaster" has now also been adapted into anime. There are things about the story-line and the girls that have only been revealed at the theater release, of which we'd like to give you a brief summary along with an introduction to social games here!

anime | Japan｜ Music｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Game & e-Sports｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜ Movies｜

2014.03.04

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #91 Japan’s Otaku Girls Paving the Way for a Better World with Anime Cultural Diplomacy!

It was the lectures I gave on a tour of Italy and the Czech Republic in December 2007 that set the stage for my career in cultural diplomacy. Now, in January 2014, I’ve headed various projects in 25 countries and 125 cities all over the world.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Fukuoka｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.02.19