Tokyo Geek's Guide

Gianni Simone
Tokyo is ground zero for Japan's famous "geek" or otaku culture--a phenomenon that has now swept across the globe. This is the most comprehensive Japan travel guide ever produced which features Tokyo's geeky underworld. It provides a comprehensive run-down of each major Tokyo district where geeks congregate, shop, play and hang out--from hi-tech Akihabara and trendy Harajuku to newer and lesser-known haunts like chic Shimo-Kita and working-class Ikebukuro. Dozens of iconic shops, restaurants, cafes and clubs in each area are described in loving detail with precise directions to get to each location. Maps, URLs, opening hours and over 400 fascinating color photographs bring you around Tokyo on an unforgettable trip to the centers of Japanese manga, anime and geek culture. Interviews with local otaku experts and people on the street let you see the world from their perspective and provide insights into Tokyo and Japanese culture, which will only continue to spread around the globe. Japanese pop culture, in its myriad forms, is more widespread today than ever before--with J-Pop artists playing through speakers everywhere, Japanese manga filling every bookstore; anime cartoons on TV; and toys and video games, like Pokemon Go, played by tens of millions of people. Swarms of visitors come to Tokyo each year on a personal quest to soak in all the otaku-related sights and enjoy Japanese manga, anime, gaming and idol culture at its very source. This is the go-to resource for those planning a trip, or simply dreaming of visiting one day!

Otaku Japan

Gianni Simone
Transport yourself to the global capital of cool with this ultimate guide to Japanese pop culture! Are you crazy about Japanese manga, anime, video games, cosplay, toys and idols? If so, this book is for you! Whether you're planning a trip to Japan, have a severe case of wanderlust, or are just fascinated by its culture, let Otaku Japan transport you to the capital of cool. In this practical travel guide, over 450 iconic shops, restaurants, cafes, clubs and events are presented in loving detail with precise directions on how to find them. More than 20 maps, websites and over 400 color photos take you the length and breadth of Japan to all the centers of Otaku culture—from snowy Hokkaido to sunny Kyushu. Highlights include: Interviews with Game Developers Cosplay and Halloween Events in Japan Dojinshi: Self-published Comics A Visit to the Ghibli Museum Interview with famous Japanese idols Anime-themed Trains A Glossary of Otaku Terms And much, much more! The book covers all major regions in Japan—Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nagoya, Sapporo and Fukuoka—as well as lesser-known areas like Tohoku, Chugoku and Shikoku.

Otaku Japan Travel Guide

Gianni Simone
Whether you're planning a trip to Japan, or are just interested in manga, anime and Japanese pop culture, let Otaku Japan Travel Guide transport you to the global capital of cool If you're crazy about manga, anime, gaming, cosplay, toys and idols, this book is for you. In this practical travel guide, hundreds of iconic shops, restaurants, cafes and clubs across Japan are described in loving detail with precise directions on how to get to each location. Maps, URLs, opening hours and color photographs will transport you the length and breadth of Japan, from snowy Hokkaido to sunny Kyushu, on an unforgettable trip to the centers of otaku culture. The book is also packed with fascinating feature articles where you'll meet idols and game developers, giant robots and anime trains--and even take a tour around Godzilla's Tokyo Highlights include: Exploring Akihabara Universal Studios Japan Kyoto's International Manga Museum Nagoya's Ninja Museum Licca-chan Castle The World Cosplay Summit ...and much, much more The book is divided into 3 main chapters. Chapter 1 gives comprehensive coverage of attractions in the Tokyo area; Chapter 2 covers the Kansai area (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and other major cities in the west of Japan); Chapter 3 covers otaku attractions that can be found in the rest of the country from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south. Illustrated with more than 300 color photographs and 21 maps, this is an indispensable guide for anyone with an interest in Japan's otaku landscape.

A Geek in Japan

Hector Garcia
Created specifically for fans of Japanese "cool culture," A Geek in Japan is one of the most iconic, hip, and concise cultural guides available. Reinvented for the internet age, it is packed with personal essays and hundreds of photographs and presents all the touchstones of traditional and contemporary culture in an entirely new way. A Geek in Japan decodes the mysteries of the Japanese language, Japanese social values and daily habits, business and technology, the arts, and symbols and practices that are peculiarly Japanese. This revised and expanded edition contains many new pages of materials on all sorts of topics including Kyoto, Japanese architecture, and Japanese video games. It also features a guide to author Hector Garcia's favorite Tokyo hangouts and tips on visiting many "secret" places around Japan. Highlighting the originality and creativity of the Japanese, debunking myths, and answering nagging questions such as why the Japanese are so fond of wearing face masks, Garcia has written an irreverent, insightful, and highly informative guide for the growing ranks of Japanophiles around the world.

Tokyo for Geeks

K. E. I. D. NALTO
Tokyo is the center of the global otaku culture. This undeniable status is the result of constant creativity in the fields of manga, anime and video games. Each year in Tokyo, these three entertainment industries strive to keep the dream alive by organizing several promotional events, gathering millions of fans from all around the world.The otaku culture is omnipresent in Tokyo and the multitude of stores specializing in that area can often be confusing -- so much so that finding a manga, anime or video game title in a store in Akihabara could quickly become an experience akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.This book aims not only to shine your path along the vast "otaku labyrinth", but also guide you towards a better understanding of all the intriguing aspects of the entire Japanese pop culture.

Tokyo for Geeks

Kei D Nalto
Tokyo is the center of the global otaku culture. This undeniable status is the result of constant creativity in the fields of manga, anime and video games. Each year in Tokyo, these three entertainment industries strive to maintain their leadership by organizing several promotional events, gathering millions of fans from all around the world. The otaku culture is omnipresent in Tokyo and the multitude of stores specializing in that area can often be confusing - so much so that finding a manga, anime or video game title in a store in Akihabara could quickly become an experience akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. This book aims not only to shine your path along the vast "otaku labyrinth", but also guide you towards a better understanding of all the intriguing aspects of the entire Japanese pop culture.

A Short History of Tokyo

Jonathan Clements
Tokyo, which in Japanese means the “Eastern Capital,” has only enjoyed that name and status for 150 years. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the city that is now Tokyo was a sprawling fishing town by the bay named Edo. Earlier still, in the Middle Ages, it was Edojuku, an outpost overlooking farmlands. And thousands of years ago, its mudflats and marshes were home to elephants, deer, and marine life. In this compact history, Jonathan Clements traces Tokyo’s fascinating story from the first forest clearances and the samurai wars to the hedonistic “floating world” of the last years of the Shogunate. He illuminates the Tokyo of the twentieth century with its destruction and redevelopment, boom and bust without forgoing the thousand years of history that have led to the Eastern Capital as we know it. Tokyo is so entwined with the history of Japan that it can be hard to separate them, and A Short History of Tokyo tells both the story of the city itself and offers insight into Tokyo’s position at the nexus of power and people that has made the city crucial to the events of the whole country.

An Armchair Traveller's History of Tokyo

Jonathan Clements
With almost 13 million residents, Tokyo is now as much an icon of modernity as it is a city, with its neon-lit billboards, futuristic technology, and avant-garde fashion scene. But the long and fascinating history of Japan’s modern capital encompasses much, much more, and in An Armchair Traveller’s History of Tokyo, Jonathan Clements sketches the city’s amazing trajectory from its humble beginnings as a group of clearings in a forest on the Kanto plain all the way to its upcoming role as host of the 2020 Olympic Games. Tokyo, meaning “Eastern Capital,” has only enjoyed that name and status for 150 years. Before that, it was a medieval outpost designed to keep watch over rich farmlands. But this seemingly unassuming geographical location ultimately led to its status as a supercity. Though the imperial court ruled Japan from the sleepy city of Kyoto, the landowners of the Kanto plain where Tokyo lies held the true wealth and power in Japan, which they eventually asserted in a series of bloody civil wars. The Tokyo region became the administrative center of Japan’s Shogun overlords and the site of a vibrant urban culture home to theaters, taverns, and brothels. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, it became Japan’s true capital, home to the emperors, the seat of government, and a site of rapid urban growth. Anyone who’s ever longed to look upon Mount Fuji, embody the bravery of the Samurai, or savor the world’s finest sushi will find themselves transported from the comfort of their armchair while reading Clements’s account of Tokyo.

The Geek's Guide to SF Cinema

Ryan Lambie
'Awesome. Everything you've ever wanted to know about big-screen sci-fi' - James King, film critic 'Don't leave Planet Earth without it' - Dan Jolin, film critic 'A wonderfully accessible, fascinating, flat-out treasure chest of science fiction cinema, from an author whose love of the subject leaps off the page' - Simon Brew, Editor, Den of Geek Why do SF movies matter? What do they tell us about the interests of storytellers and the changing tastes of cinema-goers? How have SF movies evolved with filmmaking technology over the past 110 years? The Geek's Guide To SF Cinema provides an entertaining and in-depth history of the science fiction genre's pivotal and most influential movies. From the pioneering films of Georges Méliès to such blockbusters as Avatar and Inception in the 21st century, the book will explore how these key movies were made, how they reflected the mood of the time in which they were released and how they have influenced other filmmakers in the years since. Historians and experts contribute to answer questions such as: 'How important was Fritz Lang's contribution to cinema?' and 'What did Alien say about the cynical climate of the 1970s?'. Providing nostalgia for long-time SF addicts and context for those whose knowledge and love of the genre is still growing, this is a pop-culture book with depth.

Tokyo on Foot

Florent Chavouet
This prize-winning book is both an illustrated tour of a Tokyo rarely seen in Japan travel guides and an artist's warm, funny, visually rich, and always entertaining graphic memoir. Florent Chavouet, a young graphic artist, spent six months exploring Tokyo while his girlfriend interned at a company there. Each day he would set forth with a pouch full of color pencils and a sketchpad, and visit different neighborhoods. This stunning book records the city that he got to know during his adventures. It isn't the Tokyo of packaged tours and glossy guidebooks, but a grittier, vibrant place, full of ordinary people going about their daily lives and the scenes and activities that unfold on the streets of a bustling metropolis. Here you find businessmen and women, hipsters, students, grandmothers, shopkeepers, policemen, and other urban types and tribes in all manner of dress and hairstyles. A temple nestles among skyscrapers; the corner grocery anchors a diverse assortment of dwellings, cafes, and shops--often tangled in electric lines. The artist mixes styles and tags his pictures with wry comments and observations. Realistically rendered advertisements or posters of pop stars contrast with cartoon sketches of iconic objects or droll vignettes, like a housewife walking her pet pig, a Godzilla statue in a local park, and an urban fishing pond that charges 400 yen per half hour. This very personal guide to Tokyo is organized by neighborhood with hand-drawn maps that provide an overview of each neighborhood, but what really defines them is what caught the artist's eye and attracted his formidable drawing talent. Florent Chavouet begins his introduction by observing that, "Tokyo is said to be the most beautiful of ugly cities." With wit, a playful sense of humor, and the multicolor pencils of his kit, he sets aside the question of urban ugliness or beauty and captures the Japanese essence of a great city in this truly vital portrait.