On December 9th, Rune Boutique made its opening night debut at Royal-T Café in Culver City, California. My friends at Bubble Punch asked me to work the event as a roaming photographer. It was hard work trying to get all the photos that they needed but I had a lot of fun. The Rune Boutique… Read more »
It might officially be autumn but that won’t stop me from talking about one of my all-time favorite summer anime blockbusters: Summer Wars. It is a 2009 Japanese animated film directed by Mamoru Hosoda who is more well known for The Girl who Leapt Through Time in the anime community. It is animated by the… Read more »
Here’s a Halloween idea as comfy as it is silly! Kigurumi! photo by Carol Sakuma Kigurumi (着ぐるみ) comes from a combination of two Japanese words: kiru (“to wear”) and nuigurumi (“stuffed toy”) which is very appropriate since you’re literally dressing yourself as a stuffed animal or cartoon mascot. The equivalent of kigurumi in English is “splash mascot”. You see them pretty… Read more »
The worst disasters can also bring out the best in people. In the days and weeks following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, all walks of life converged into one. All identity labels disappeared save for one: Japanese. Unrest was unheard of as the strong nation started to gather up the pieces and to rebuild… Read more »
On St. Patrick’s Day, Meltdown Comics hosted a charity art event called We Heart Japan. Since I would be missing the rest of the charity art shows that weekend, I wanted to attend at least one event– and it has been awhile since I’ve made a stop at Meltdown Comics! My friend and co-worker, Liz… Read more »
All of you are aware by now that Japan has been hit by earthquakes and tsunami at a devastating level. In 2006, I lived in Japan for half a year during a study abroad program near Tokyo. I lived with a host family and made many friends while I was there (they are all safe,… Read more »
