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Find articles and blogs from the old Austin Otaku site, including anime reviews, restaurant reviews, articles, and photo blogs.
Arcade UFO: Austin’s Own Japanese Arcade
This past Labor Day weekend, I took an opportunity to drop in to check out Austin's only coin-operated Japanese arcade, Arcade UFO and chat with co-owner, Ryan Harvey. Then quite coincidentally, world-famous otaku Danny Choo posted his article on Japanese Arcades on...
September Otaku Events in Austin
Well, my Events Calendar plugin pooped out, and it couldn't have picked a worse month. September is absolutely loaded with activities in the Austin area. So, in order to avoid anyone being able to say I didn't keep them informed, here's a list of events for this...
Ichigo’s Journey: Anime and the Monomyth – Part 3
Here is part 3 of my discussion on the Hero's Journey in anime, specifically how the anime "Bleach" plugs into the symbolism of Joseph Campbell's monomyth and thereby taps into archetypes and ideas that appeal to our collective unconscious. If you haven't read Part 1...
Upcoming Event: San Jose Taiko
I'm really excited to announce that San Jose Taiko will be performing here in Austin on September 27th at 7pm at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. I first experienced Taiko drummers when I lived in Atlanta and attended the annual Japanfest there. Tickets just...
Taniguchi Japanese Garden Tour
I visited the Taniguchi Japanese Garden at Zilker Botanical Gardens this weekend with my good friend, John Lowe. Despite a very long drought, the garden appears to be in reasonably good shape. The garden was designed and built by Isamu Taniguchi, who worked for 18...
Evangelion at the Alamo (Draft House)
Tonight, the Alamo Draft House at Lake Creek in Austin hosted a showing of Funimation's "Evangelion 1.0: You Are (not) Alone." I had heard that the theater was sold out earlier today, and I got confirmation when I looked around right before the movie began. There...
Ichigo’s Journey: Anime and the Monomyth – Part 2
Here's the second part of my discussion on the symbolism of anime and how it appeals to the subconscious and plugs in well to the monomyth (the Hero's Journey). You can read Part 1 here. Symbols have been a part of humanity since we as a species learned to...
Happy Hour with the Japan-America Society
This week, I attended the happy hour hosted by the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin at the Central Market on North Lamar. Roughly 15 people showed up to connect and get to know each other a little better. I had a chance to chat with several people, including...
Ichigo’s Journey: Anime and the Monomyth – Part 1
I'm 37 years old; much too old, some would say, to be watching anime ("cartoons" as some call them). This is an opinion that I've heard quite often, but I'm as inclined to agree with it as I would be to the idea that someone who reads fiction novels or loves watching...
Discovering New Music: Shugo Tokumaru
Of all things Japanese, I tend to be weakest in my knowledge of Japanese music, which is sad really. I enjoy J-rock and J-pop, often more than I like American music, and I can't even understand what they're saying most of the time. (Give me Gackt or Mucc over...
Shop Often and Be Rewarded at Asahi Imports
I forgot to mention in my post on Asahi Imports that they have a frequent shopper program that pays you back if you spend enough money with them. This is really convenient for people like me, who shop there weekly, but, even if you only shop there once per month, you...
First Impressions of Nagoya Steak & Sushi
Nagoya Steak & Sushi had a soft opening this past Wednesday, August 12th, and since it's just three doors down from where I work, I've had lunch there for the past couple of days. On Thursday, I tried out their Filet Mignon hibachi meal, and today, I had the...
Opening Ceremony at Tokyo Electron’s Art Exhibit
Last night, I attended the opening ceremony for Tokyo Electron's art exhibit "A Close-up View: East Asian Art & Antiquities," located in the lobby of Tokyo Electron America here in Austin. The exhibit showcases the work of photographer Cecilia Ling as well as...
Upcoming Event: Tsugaru Shamisen Concert
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...
The First 3 Months of 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...
Top 10 US States for Anime and Manga Queries*
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...
Daifuku is not a Naughty Word
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...
Getting My Geek On at Wonko’s
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...
Austin Books: Manga Galore and More
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...
Attending My First Tuesday Manga Meetup
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...