From the monthly archives:

August 2009

Upcoming Event: Tsugaru Shamisen Concert

August 12, 2009

Next month, the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin will host a concert by Tsugaru shamisen player Toshie Suzuki at Casa de Luz. This looks like it’ll be a great performance by a truly talented musician. About Toshie Suzuki She was born in Nagoya, Japan and began practicing shamisen at age 10. She later moved to [...]

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The First 3 Months of Austin Otaku

August 12, 2009
Austin Otaku

I started AustinOtaku.com as a way to allay my own restlessness, living in the heart of Texas, far away from Tokyo or any of the three Japantowns (nihonmachi) in the U.S.. It’s one of the annoyances of adulthood that you have to settle into a job and worry about finances rather than being able to [...]

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Top 10 US States for Anime and Manga Queries*

August 10, 2009
Austin Otaku

I’ll admit it. I’m a geek on many fronts, including my full-time job. While anime, manga and all things Japanese consume my spare time, my full-time job is a search engine optimization manager. I look at thousands of online stats, user behavior, and trends, and I do keyword research, write up online copy, and do [...]

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Daifuku is not a Naughty Word

August 10, 2009
Austin Otaku Sweating

Yesterday the Austin Japanese Culture and Language Meetup Group held a potluck lunch and Japanese dessert-making workshop. It was a hot Texas afternoon (101°F), made hotter by the fact that the air-conditioning was broken at the club house we were in. But if you’re going to be sweaty and miserable, it’s better to be around [...]

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Interview: Austin Bento Blogger, Ironjack, Part 2

August 8, 2009
Austin Otaku

Here is Part 2 of my interview with @Ironjack about his site, EatinginaBox.com, and his techniques for planning and and preparing his bento creations. (See Part 1 here.) In this part of the interview, Ironjack reveals some of his tips and tricks for keeping portions and costs under control. If you like what you see [...]

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Getting My Geek On at Wonko’s

August 7, 2009
Austin Otaku Cheering

What is it that makes grown men and women indulge in buying toys, such as action figures? It’s really easy to say that there is some unfulfilled desire from childhood that toys resolve for us or that, to put it more bluntly, we’re just being childish. I’ve been called a “man-child” for my own collection [...]

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Austin Books: Manga Galore and More

August 6, 2009
Austin Otaku Reading

If you think about it, otaku in Austin are quite lucky by comparison. We could be living in a city where the only places to purchase manga are the big, national chain bookstores. Or worse, we could be in a small town without even a Borders or Barnes & Noble bookseller. … Well, at least [...]

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Attending My First Tuesday Manga Meetup

August 4, 2009
Austin Otaku Nervous

I played the role of the n00b again tonight as I attended my first Manga Meetup, which is put on by the Austin Anime Meetup Group. Fortunately, I had my friend @pickledkitten with me, so I didn’t go in completely alone. … Actually, it was a very welcoming group, and the conversation was enjoyable and [...]

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Learning Traditional Japanese Dance in Austin

August 4, 2009
Hmm

Of all the places on Earth to learn nihon buyo (traditional Japanese dance), you’d hardly expect Austin, deep in the heart of Texas, to be one of them. And yet, the city serves as home to the Hanayagi Dance Academy, which is directed by Chizuko Matsumoto (also known by her buyo name, Master “Rokumizu” Hanayagi). [...]

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