#6 Fans Scream for An Cafe. Building Bridges at South America’s Biggest Otaku Event, “Anime Friends”

Once my guest spot at South America’s largest otaku event, “Anime Friends,” was confirmed, I posted the announcement that I would be going to Brazil on Twitter and straight away received a lot of replies from my followers in Brazil.

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

2014.08.13

asianbeat in Japan Expo, Paris!!

On 2nd to 6th July, asianbeat participated world-famous event, "Japan Expo"! There were many cosplayers at the venue and very popular yuru-chara mascots Kumamon and Funassyi were spotted at the event!

Culture Watch (Latest News & Info) | Japan｜ Fukuoka｜ Other Areas｜ Cosplay｜ Game & e-Sports｜ Event Reports｜ sightseeing｜

2014.07.31

The Female Titan Appears?! This Romanian Makeup Artist’s Titan Makeup is Amazing!

We bring you an interview article from Tokyo Otaku Mode with Romanian makeup artist Florea Flavia who blew up on Facebook for her Female Titan makeup.

Culture Watch (Latest News & Info) | Other Areas｜ Anime｜ Hobbies｜

2014.06.17

[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

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #93 Maid Café’s Connecting Japan to the World – An Interview with Two of Akiba’s Popular Maids

One aspect of modern Japanese culture that Japan fans get excited about is maid culture.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Trends｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.03.05

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #92 Quiet Rise to Global Fame. Just How Far Across the World has the Obento Spread?

I’ve asked countless people at events held in the US, “What aspects of Japanese culture or lifestyle have you picked up on through watching anime?”

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Trends｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.02.26

@ Princess Tea Party Restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico

Today we are looking at a Lolita Fashion Girls' Tea Party in Tijuana, Mexico.

Lolita Tea Party | Other Areas｜ Fashion｜

2014.02.10

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #86 Sakurai Takamasa & Uesaka Sumire’s New Year’s Discussion – Part Three – Otaku Girls in China and Uesaka Sumire are Very Much Alike

This is the final installment in the three-part series of my talk with Uesaka Sumire as we discuss the paths we look to follow in our line of work in cultural diplomacy.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.01.15

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #85 Sakurai Takamasa and Uesaka Sumire’s New Year’s Discussion – Part Two – Is the Popularity of Japan Overseas Just a Minor Fad? Is it Niche?

This is the second installment in my talk with Uesaka Sumire following our stage appearance at Moscow’s J-FEST, as we discuss the paths we look to follow in our line of work in cultural diplomacy.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.01.08

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #84 Sakurai Takamasa & Uesaka Sumire’s New Year’s Discussion – Part One – “Even in Different Countries, Otaku are Otaku. We’re the Same all Over the World”

It took three years, but voice actress, Uesaka Sumire, has finally fulfilled her dream of performing on stage at Moscow’s “J-FEST.”

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.01.01

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #83 Why Uesaka Sumire and I Both Love “J-FEST”: The Largest Japanese Pop Culture Event in Moscow

I never imagined that after arriving in Moscow, following the completion of the Barcelona and “Salon del Manga” leg of my tour in November 2009, that it would go on to become a place I would come back to each and every year.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2013.12.25

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!]#78 Three Years Since My Last Visit to Barcelona and the “Salón del Manga” Has Now Grown into an Event of 12,000!

At the end of October 2013, I visited Barcelona, Spain, for the first time in three years.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2013.11.20

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!]#73 Toronto, Canada’s FAN EXPO. The Importance of Being Aware that, “People are the Same All Over the World”

My career in cultural diplomacy first started in earnest in 2008, and the 25th country that this line of work has now taken me to, is Canada.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Fashion｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2013.10.16

The Second Annual asianbeat 4Koma Manga Contest

As a follow-up to last 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｜

2013.09.20

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!]#69 “Attack on Titan” Cosplay Frenzy as America’s “Otakon” Turns 20

Otakon, the event that sets the passions of Baltimore (Maryland) on America’s east coast alight, returned again this year and was held over three days from August 9~11, 2013.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Event Reports｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2013.09.18

[Otaku's @ Home] #24 A Dutch Otaku Room Full of Bishojo

Guest #24 on Otaku's @ Home is a Dutch otaku girl with a love for bishojo characters.

"Otakus @ Home" What does the inside of an otaku’s room look like? | Other Areas｜ Anime｜ Hobbies｜

2013.07.30

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!]#46 Training Talented Individuals to Become International Producers – An Important Issue for the Japanese Economy

I often receive a lot of inquiries from business people from various industries regarding the popularity of Japanese culture overseas and international events that showcase Japanese pop culture.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2013.04.10

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!]#44 Idols and Satoyama Life – Interview with Mitsui Aika, Wada Ayaka (S/mileage) and Sayashi Riho (Morning Musume)

“Ookami kodomo no Ame to Yuki” (in English: Wolf Children) was one of the big-hit anime feature films of 2012. The film depicts the story of a human woman who falls in love with a wolf-man, gives birth to two of his children and then raises them alone over a period of 13 years. The story centers on themes of childhood independence and a mother’s love for her children, and heavily features scenes of Japanese “satoyama.”

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Talent/Idol｜ Trends｜ J-POP｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2013.03.27

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!]#43 Team Sakusaku – An Online Community for Japan Fans Around the World

For the past five years working in cultural diplomacy, my schedule has required that I spend a significant number of days in the year overseas. So far I’ve visited a total of 113 cities in 24 countries.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2013.03.20