Been some time since the last idol post and I've been getting some requests, so here's the idol, Kuroki Nanami. As of this post there's actullay no Wikipedia info on her ^^;; So I'm not too sure about who she is but rumor has it she's one of those idols who is married and is basically at the end of her photo shoots, but that's rumors don't take that to heart.

I made sure to add her images to the idol gallery and again, I don't put up any really riske photos as I'm basically just showing you who she is and to show the beauty in the modeling. (I'm technically a model myself...well only one photo shoot...more on that maybe down the road... and I repect other models ..also, Danielle if you are reading this, don't be mad about another idol post ^^;;)

Been some time since the last idol post and I've been getting some requests, so here's the idol, Kuroki Nanami. As of this post there's actullay no Wikipedia info on her ^^;; So I'm not too sure about who she is but rumor has it she's one of those idols who is married and is basically at the end of her photo shoots, but that's rumors don't take that to heart.

I made sure to add her images to the idol gallery and again, I don't put up any really riske photos as I'm basically just showing you who she is and to show the beauty in the modeling. (I'm technically a model myself...well only one photo shoot...more on that maybe down the road... and I repect other models ..also, Danielle if you are reading this, don't be mad about another idol post ^^;;)

Looks like some Japanese engineers, make that over 100 of them are taking something many of us probably thought of in middle school and planning on making it a reality. What is it might you ask? Why, its an elevator that takes you straight from the ground here on earth to a space station up above. This is something I know I've seen on an anime or two, the titles just can't come to mind but it appears that this is something that will be started in 2030 for real. The full story can be found here on CNN.

Looks like some Japanese engineers, make that over 100 of them are taking something many of us probably thought of in middle school and planning on making it a reality. What is it might you ask? Why, its an elevator that takes you straight from the ground here on earth to a space station up above. This is something I know I've seen on an anime or two, the titles just can't come to mind but it appears that this is something that will be started in 2030 for real. The full story can be found here on CNN.

Anime News Network, of which I've been much of my news lately ^^; recently did a report on the current state of downloads in Japan. Some of you might be aware that many people are being arrested in Japan for shared anime via Torrents and other data streams. Thankfully for those who believe in the freedom of the internet (like yours truly) Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said that they will set up what they call "special cyber zones" (or cyber tokku) in 2009 that will allow some use of copyrighted material for a select bunch of people. To be quite honest, this is the issue with the anime industry in Japan and the music industry here. As an anime store owner with my own works as well on my to-do list, its understandable where the copyright owners come from, but I believe some execs in both fields need to get their heads out of the 1980's and get into today. The internet is and will continue to be the number one medium for all our information and goods. The power of viral marketing is something the marketing departments of these companies I sure hope don't ignore for their sakes. Keeping the internet a mainly free zone of distribution can only help a company move their product better. I feel as long as the material is both credited to the copyright holders and is all done in good taste to promote the anime, artist, music, etc, it should be fine to download such material and to refer it (distributed in non-commercial means of course.)
I know for a fact there are a plethera of artists, animators, figure companies and music labels that would have never gotten a foothold nor a red cent if they didn't have some of their material floating on the net. Viral marketing creates hype that creates sales on my end which has me turn my $ into yen as I buy the merchandise from these companies for my store and other stores do the same as well. Its the modern marketing arena and if you jail people for being a free advertisor for you than may the gods of shame and lost sales hit your department hard.
Hats up to the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for at least making one step forward in the right direction. It's limited but that's to be in the interest of the copyright holders. Any company that jumps on this will get their payout in the end I feel.

Tell me what you feel about anime downloads on the internet by discussing in the comments below.

Anime News Network, of which I've been much of my news lately ^^; recently did a report on the current state of downloads in Japan. Some of you might be aware that many people are being arrested in Japan for shared anime via Torrents and other data streams. Thankfully for those who believe in the freedom of the internet (like yours truly) Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said that they will set up what they call "special cyber zones" (or cyber tokku) in 2009 that will allow some use of copyrighted material for a select bunch of people. To be quite honest, this is the issue with the anime industry in Japan and the music industry here. As an anime store owner with my own works as well on my to-do list, its understandable where the copyright owners come from, but I believe some execs in both fields need to get their heads out of the 1980's and get into today. The internet is and will continue to be the number one medium for all our information and goods. The power of viral marketing is something the marketing departments of these companies I sure hope don't ignore for their sakes. Keeping the internet a mainly free zone of distribution can only help a company move their product better. I feel as long as the material is both credited to the copyright holders and is all done in good taste to promote the anime, artist, music, etc, it should be fine to download such material and to refer it (distributed in non-commercial means of course.)
I know for a fact there are a plethera of artists, animators, figure companies and music labels that would have never gotten a foothold nor a red cent if they didn't have some of their material floating on the net. Viral marketing creates hype that creates sales on my end which has me turn my $ into yen as I buy the merchandise from these companies for my store and other stores do the same as well. Its the modern marketing arena and if you jail people for being a free advertisor for you than may the gods of shame and lost sales hit your department hard.
Hats up to the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for at least making one step forward in the right direction. It's limited but that's to be in the interest of the copyright holders. Any company that jumps on this will get their payout in the end I feel.

Tell me what you feel about anime downloads on the internet by discussing in the comments below.

Saw this wonderful article on Wired. It shows a list of the Japan's top female bloggers. I guess when I go to Japan I should tell people I'm a blogger, supposedly its celebrity status. Just look at male Japanese blogger Danny Choo. He's been featured on G4's attack of the show twice, on CNN and big on YouTube.

Who's your favorite Japanese Blogger?

Saw this wonderful article on Wired. It shows a list of the Japan's top female bloggers. I guess when I go to Japan I should tell people I'm a blogger, supposedly its celebrity status. Just look at male Japanese blogger Danny Choo. He's been featured on G4's attack of the show twice, on CNN and big on YouTube.

Who's your favorite Japanese Blogger?

Many have heard of the Maid Cafes in the otaku shopping district of Akihabara but none like this. Popopure Cafe has food served to hungry otaku by cute little maids but while you chow down on some yummy food, you might notice their big 50" TV with non-stop anime and the assorted anime framed pictures. Definitely artwork you'd rather view compared to the weird European "what-the-hell-am-I-looking-at" so-called artwork littered in the diners and restaurants here.
These items are normal in all Maid Cafes except here you can dub your own scenes in an anime.! The name of the anime is "Popo no Bōken" (The Adventures of Popo). Yes, funny name but an awesome idea. It's for only a few minutes and the anime has three character roles to fill in. If there are not enough people with you to play the parts, the maids will take the roles. After you finish dubbing, they give you a complementary DVD with all your performances.
Yet again, more otaku news that makes me wish I was not living in New York.

Via Anime News Network.

Many have heard of the Maid Cafes in the otaku shopping district of Akihabara but none like this. Popopure Cafe has food served to hungry otaku by cute little maids but while you chow down on some yummy food, you might notice their big 50" TV with non-stop anime and the assorted anime framed pictures. Definitely artwork you'd rather view compared to the weird European "what-the-hell-am-I-looking-at" so-called artwork littered in the diners and restaurants here.
These items are normal in all Maid Cafes except here you can dub your own scenes in an anime.! The name of the anime is "Popo no Bōken" (The Adventures of Popo). Yes, funny name but an awesome idea. It's for only a few minutes and the anime has three character roles to fill in. If there are not enough people with you to play the parts, the maids will take the roles. After you finish dubbing, they give you a complementary DVD with all your performances.
Yet again, more otaku news that makes me wish I was not living in New York.

Via Anime News Network.

As per breitbart.com, for the 27th year in a row, Japan's population younger than 14 years old is very very low. The site mentions a total of young kids is only about 15 million throughout the entire country. This is mainly due to people just being too darn busy with their lives for relationships and child bearing. We see it here in America too. The baby boomers are far more in size than generation X's which are more than people like me in generation Y and so on to the Milleniols (kids born 2000 and later). Cost of living has gone up and unfortunately school teachers and colleges only teach people to end up in so called "good jobs" which sad to say is a failing system since there are only 24 hours in a day to make money. I'm not saying don't go to college but don't stop at getting a job. Getting a good job is only the first of four steps. School barely mentions step 2 which is to run your own company. Step 3 and 4 (having your company work for you, then having your money work for you whether you are there or not) are not even hinted at in even the highest business colleges while the wealthiest people in the world who actually do those steps never finished or stepped foot in college! People need to own their life back or continue to work so hard they can't have a family or life anymore. I'd rather sit an watch anime with my future kids than worrying if my boss will fire me today. The low child population in the US will destroy Medicare and Social Security and I don't even want to know what will happen to Japan if this continues.
Don't mean to be so negative in this post but I feel I got to say something because my companies are bringing back my family time and money while phasing out my job. Being an A student all my life, I feel I was scammed into an out of date and failed system that sadly is still seen as the status-quo.

As per breitbart.com, for the 27th year in a row, Japan's population younger than 14 years old is very very low. The site mentions a total of young kids is only about 15 million throughout the entire country. This is mainly due to people just being too darn busy with their lives for relationships and child bearing. We see it here in America too. The baby boomers are far more in size than generation X's which are more than people like me in generation Y and so on to the Milleniols (kids born 2000 and later). Cost of living has gone up and unfortunately school teachers and colleges only teach people to end up in so called "good jobs" which sad to say is a failing system since there are only 24 hours in a day to make money. I'm not saying don't go to college but don't stop at getting a job. Getting a good job is only the first of four steps. School barely mentions step 2 which is to run your own company. Step 3 and 4 (having your company work for you, then having your money work for you whether you are there or not) are not even hinted at in even the highest business colleges while the wealthiest people in the world who actually do those steps never finished or stepped foot in college! People need to own their life back or continue to work so hard they can't have a family or life anymore. I'd rather sit an watch anime with my future kids than worrying if my boss will fire me today. The low child population in the US will destroy Medicare and Social Security and I don't even want to know what will happen to Japan if this continues.
Don't mean to be so negative in this post but I feel I got to say something because my companies are bringing back my family time and money while phasing out my job. Being an A student all my life, I feel I was scammed into an out of date and failed system that sadly is still seen as the status-quo.

Earlier in the day there was a 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake that rattled parts of Tokyo. Luckily the quake was centered 100 miles off the coast but it a few people got hurt from falling furniture. A 5.3 magnitude aftershock also occurred not too long after. Check out the full story via CNN. Hope my fiancee's aunt, uncle and cousins are ok. Any accounts or other info you can comment below.

Earlier in the day there was a 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake that rattled parts of Tokyo. Luckily the quake was centered 100 miles off the coast but it a few people got hurt from falling furniture. A 5.3 magnitude aftershock also occurred not too long after. Check out the full story via CNN. Hope my fiancee's aunt, uncle and cousins are ok. Any accounts or other info you can comment below.