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K-Books
is a chain of used goods stores in Japan. It specializes in otaku- and hobbyist-related items, including anime goods, manga, ''dōjinshi'' (self-published works), and voice actor and idol goods. History K-Books was founded in 1992 originally as , a secondhand manga store located in Sugamo, Toshima, Tokyo. It opened a second location in Sugamo in 1994, and was incorporated and rebranded as K-Books that same year. Locations were opened in the Tokyo neighborhoods of Kichijoji, Ikebukuro, and Akihabara in the mid- to late 1990s. Its first locations outside of Tokyo were opened in Osaka in 2002, and Nagoya in 2017. In February 2019, K-Books ceased consignment sales for ''dōjinshi'' at its ''dōjin'' store in Ikebukuro after 15 years. Products K-Books sells variety of secondhand otaku and Japanese pop culture goods, including ''dōjinshi'' (self-published works), manga, novels, dolls, cosplay items, anime and video game goods, as well as voice actor and idol goods. Several K-Books ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Butler Café
A is a subcategory of cosplay restaurant that originated in Japan. In these cafés, waiters dress as butlers and serve patrons in the manner of domestic servants attending to aristocracy. Butler cafés proliferated in reaction to the popularity of maid cafés and serve as an alternative category of cosplay restaurant intended to appeal to female ''otaku''. History Maid cafés, where waitresses dress as maids to serve a primarily male clientele, achieved widespread popularity in Japan in the early 2000s. Butler cafés were conceived in response to their popularity, after entrepreneurs noted a rise in Internet message board postings from female ''otaku'' – devoted fans, particularly of anime and manga – who had a negative perception of maid cafés, and who sought a "role-reversing alternative" to them. Women expressed their desire for an establishment where they could seek male companionship in an environment that was less costly than a host club, and more romantic and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toshima
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and Nakano, Shinjuku, and Bunkyo in the south. The ward was founded on March 15, 1947, and reached a peak resident population of 370,000 in 1965. The population has continued to decline and as of May 1, 2015, the ward had an estimated population of 298,250, with a population density of 22,920 persons per km2. During the day the population swells with commuters, resulting in a daytime population of around 378,475. The total land area of Toshima is 13.01 km2, sitting on a moderate plateau with a difference of 28 m between the ward's highest and lowest points. Approximately 47% of Toshima's land is residential, and 20% is commercial and public areas. Although Toshima is a ward, it is referred to as a city. The ward offices are located in Ikebukuro, which is als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 million in the 2020 census, it is also the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, which is the second-largest metropolitan area in Japan and the 10th largest urban area in the world with more than 19 million inhabitants. Osaka was traditionally considered Japan's economic hub. By the Kofun period (300–538) it had developed into an important regional port, and in the 7th and 8th centuries, it served briefly as the imperial capital. Osaka continued to flourish during the Edo period (1603–1867) and became known as a center of Japanese culture. Following the Meiji Restoration, Osaka greatly expanded in size and underwent rapid industrialization. In 1889, Osaka was officially established as a municipality. The construc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akihabara Radio Kaikan
The , Akihabara Radio Hall is a commercial building in Tokyo and is one of the most well-known landmarks in the Akihabara district. The recent building was built in 2014 after the old building was demolished in 2011. The building is 46.5 m high, is ten levels from the ground floor and has two basement levels. The current building primarily hosts stores selling otaku goods. The old 8-story building was built in November 1962 becoming the first high rise building in Akihabara. The building became the home of electronics shops selling component and parts. After the otaku culture started to establish itself in Akihabara, shops selling otaku goods moved into Radio Kaikan. Concerns were raised in 2010 regarding the structural integrity of Radio Kaikan due to the building's age. The building was closed for demolition in August 2011 and a new building was built in its place. In popular culture * The building plays a prominent role in the Steins;Gate franchise. See also * TK-80 The TK-80 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Audio Drama
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story: "It is auditory in the physical dimension but equally powerful as a visual force in the psychological dimension." Radio drama includes plays specifically written for radio, docudrama, dramatized works of fiction, as well as plays originally written for the theatre, including musical theatre, and opera. Radio drama achieved widespread popularity within a decade of its initial development in the 1920s. By the 1940s, it was a leading international popular entertainment. With the advent of television in the 1950s radio drama began losing its audience. However, it remains popular in much of the world. Recordings of OTR (old-time radio) survive today in the audio archives of collectors, libraries and museums, as well as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by Motosada Zumoto on 22 March 1897, with the goal of giving Japanese people an opportunity to read and discuss news and current events in English to help Japan to participate in the international community. The newspaper was independent of government control, but from 1931 onward, the paper's editors experienced mounting pressure from the Japanese government to submit to its policies. In 1933, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Hitoshi Ashida, former ministry official, as chief editor. During World War II, the newspaper served as an outlet for Imperial Japanese government communication and editorial opinion. It was successively renamed ''The Japan Times and Mail'' (1918–1940) following its merger with ''The Japan Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Costumed Character
A costumed performer or suit performer wears a costume that usually, (but not always) covers the performer's face, typically to represent a non-human character such as a mascot or cartoon character. These range from theme park "walk-around" or "meetable" characters, the mascots of corporations, schools, or sports teams to novelty act performers. Some costumes cover the performer's face especially those in theme parks. Examples include sports mascots and performances as fantasy characters on children's television and in theme parks. Problems in suit performance include intense physical exertion, claustrophobia and hyperthermia. In theme parks, international fairs, and festivals Costumed performers are a major feature of amusement parks like Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Universal Parks & Resorts, Sesame Place, Legoland, SeaWorld, Hershey Park, Six Flags, and Nickelodeon Universe, as well as many other large or small theme parks and fairs. Costumed performers are intended ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cosplay Restaurant
are theme restaurants and pubs that originated in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, around the late 1990s and early 2000s. They include and , where the service staff dress as elegant maids, or as butlers. The staff treat the customers as '' masters'' and ''mistresses'' in a private home rather than merely as café customers. Such restaurants and cafés have quickly become a staple of Japanese otaku culture. The popularity of cosplay restaurants and maid cafes has spread to other regions in Japan, such as Osaka's Den Den Town as well as to places outside Japan, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Mexico, Canada, and the Philippines. Characteristics Maid café In a standard maid cafe the female employees dress up as French maids (occasionally, the maids may wear rabbit or cat ears for extra cute appeal) and refer to the customers as either or . Upon entering one of such stores, the customer is greeted with the customary , offered a wipe towel and shown a food/drink menu. Popular ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vocaloid
is a singing voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project led by Kenmochi Hideki at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, in 2000 and was not originally intended to be a full commercial project. Backed by the Yamaha Corporation, it developed the software into the commercial product "Vocaloid" that was released in 2004. The software enables users to synthesize "singing" by typing in lyrics and melody and also "speech" by typing in the script of the required words. It uses synthesizing technology with specially recorded vocals of voice actors or singers. To create a song, the user must input the melody and lyrics. A piano roll type interface is used to input the melody and the lyrics can be entered on each note. The software can change the stress of the pronunciations, add effects such as vibrato, or change the dynamics and tone of the voice. Various voice banks have been released for use with the Voc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yaoi
''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the ''wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features Homoeroticism, homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for women and is distinct from Bara (genre), homoerotic media marketed to gay men, but it does also attract a male audience and can be produced by male creators. It spans a wide range of media, including manga, anime, drama CDs, novels, video games, television series, films, and Fan labor, fan works. "Boys' love" and "BL" are the generic terms for this kind of media in Japan and much of Asia; though the terms are used by some fans and commentators in the West, ''yaoi'' remains more generally prevalent in English. The genre originated in the 1970s as a subgenre of Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga, or comics for girls. Several terms were used for the new genre, including , , and . The term ''yaoi'' emerged in the late 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback mostly commonly is shown on a video display device, such as a TV set, monitor, touchscreen, or virtual reality headset. Some computer games do not always depend on a graphics display, for example text adventure games and computer chess can be played through teletype printers. Video games are often augmented with audio feedback delivered through speakers or headphones, and sometimes with other types of feedback, including haptic technology. Video games are defined based on their platform, which include arcade video games, console games, and personal computer (PC) games. More recently, the industry has expanded onto mobile gaming through smartphones and tablet computers, virtual and augmented reality systems, and remote c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cosplay
Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-playing in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Favorite sources include anime, cartoons, comic books, manga, television series, and video games. The term is composed of the two aforementioned counterparts – costume and role play. Cosplay grew out of the practice of fan costuming at science fiction conventions, beginning with Morojo's "futuristicostumes" created for the 1st World Science Fiction Convention held in New York City in 1939. The Japanese term was coined in 1984. A rapid growth in the number of people cosplaying as a hobby since the 1990s has made the phenomenon a significant asp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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