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Japanese Language

The First 3 Months of Austin Otaku

Austin Otaku

by Austin Otaku on August 12, 2009

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 just pick up and move.

I could’ve either complained about it and spent my time moping about being in such a hot, backwards part of the country or made the best of it. I chose the latter. I firmly believe what John Milton said:

“The mind is its own place, and in it self
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
–John Milton, Paradise Lost

And once I made that decision and started AustinOtaku.com, embarking on a mission to discover all of the ways a self-admitted Japanophile and otaku could plug in, I found there was a lot more to Austin than I thought. Here are some of the highlights of the first 3 months of AustinOtaku.com. Enjoy!

AustinOtaku.com – The First 3 Months from Austin Otaku on Vimeo.

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My First JASGA Member Mixer

Austin Otaku

by Austin Otaku on August 1, 2009

I attended my first mixer and lecture with the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin tonight as a member. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the Japanese and Japanese-Americans living in Austin as well as several other Japan enthusiasts. The meeting was held at Casa de Luz Center for Integral Studies, which offers macrobiotic dining, massage, tai chi, and yoga in addition to its meeting spaces.

Casa de Luz Entrance

This evening’s lecture was on Japan-America relations and was presented by Dr. Takeshi Udagawa, Professor of Physics at the University of Texas and senior adviser for JASGA. He used the Japanese Monument at the Alamo to illustrate the evolution of U.S.-Japan relations from 1914, when it was given to the Alamo by Dr. Shigetaka Shiga, through World War II, when it was nearly removed due to its Japanese origins, to the present day, when our countries’ relations are at their best.

JASGA Member Lecture and MixerDr. Takeshi Udagawa Lecture
Japanese Monument at the AlamoJASGA Post-Lecture Mixer

This lecture was particularly poignant coming from Dr. Udagawa, who was in Tokyo as a teenager during World War II, when the U.S. bombed that city to the ground.

For more information on joining the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin, go to their website at http://www.jasga.org/.

P.S. If you’re interested in learning traditional Japanese dance (nihon buyo), JASGA will be presenting a workshop this coming Monday (August 3rd) at Casa de Luz.

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Dinner and Drinks with the Japanese Meetup

Austin Otaku

by Austin Otaku on July 25, 2009

If I set my mind on something, I generally stick to it until I accomplish my goal. So, with my desire to learn the Japanese language, I did three things this week to overcome my own lack of initiative in my spare time to learn the language:

  1. I joined the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin.
  2. I submitted my application and transcripts to Austin Community College so I can sign up for Japanese classes this Fall
  3. I went to Happy Hour with the Austin Japanese Culture and Language Meetup Group.

Here are some pictures from the July 24th Happy Hour at Dave & Buster’s with the Austin Japanese Culture and Language Meetup Group.

Japanese Culture and Language Meetup Happy Hour at Dave & Buster'sAJCLMG Happy Hour and Birthday Party
Fun Times with the Austin Japanese Culture and Language MeetupTrading Pics at the Happy Hour at Dave & Buster's
Eri Teaching at the Japanese Culture and Language MeetupMeeting Interesting People at Happy Hour
The Japanese Culture and Language Meetup is a Family EventPracticing Japanese at the Meetup Happy Hour

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CDJapan


Nihongo wa Wakarimasen

July 15, 2009
Austin Otaku

The third trait of a “wapanese” person (“the term used to describe a person of non-japanese descent … who is incredibly obsessed with Japanese things”), according to the Urban Dictionary, is that they “Halfheartedly [study the] Japanese language and/or is a part-time practitioner of martial arts.”
I’m always the first (and probably a little too [...]

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Another n00b moment: the Austin Japanese Meetup Group

June 14, 2009
Austin Otaku

The more I dig into the otaku and Japanophile culture here in Austin, the more I feel like a novice. Despite a couple of decades of reading Japanese literature and watching Japanese cinema, I find so many more people who know so much more than I do. Such was the case again this weekend as [...]

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