japanamerica

I've been honored to serve as a judge alongside Miyavi Lee Ishihara (MIYAVI), Geoffrey Wexler from Studio Ponoc, actress Kat Graham and others for the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency's "Youth with Refugees Art Contest." Winning illustrations were just announced and have been turned into charming anime by Japanese studio SPEED INC. The drawings were submitted by youth from around the world. This is a wonderful project on an urgent matter at a critical time. Open your hearts. Faida, 20, Rwanda Noémie, 16, France 

Back when you still could, I gave a talk for TEDxTokyo in a hangar at Haneda Airport. The topic was "Cool Japan." But this time I didn't talk about anime, manga, video games or fashion. Instead I focused on core cultural values expressed in Japanese words such as jishuku (restraint, discipline), gaman (endurance and perseverance amid adversity), ganbaru (to fight on, keep at it, stand firm) and wa (seeking and maintaining communal harmony). I didn't know then that such values would serve Japan well during a global pandemic. It was a remarkable event. At the reception there were canapes and wine and we watched a guitarist bring the sun down near the nose of a plane. Now it all seems surreal and, sadly, would be impossible. (Video of my presentation has been posted here .)

New book goes inside Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki Steve Alpert worked there for 15 years and knew major players Nikkei Asian Review TOKYO — Steve Alpert's book comes advertised as a business memoir, though you may find yourself grinning more often than annotating. For 15 years, starting in 1996, the American headed the international division at Studio Ghibli, Japan's most commercially and artistically successful anime company. As their first non-Japanese hire, he negotiated with clients from Asia, Europe and the U.S., supervised the English-language translations of "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away," voice-acted a character in Japanese for 2013's "The Wind Rises," and accepted awards on his employer's behalf at prestigious global film festivals. He also clinched the indie studio's nascent distribution deal with Disney, a coup to bring the films of Hayao Miyazaki into living rooms worldwide on VHS and DVD — and an Os...

Talking about Japan's WWII war loot, hidden in the Philippines, recovered by the Americans in project Golden Lily, and transformed into the M-Fund, the Black Eagle Trust and others. (click to play) Wrote about it here . And here . Also here .

Japan's anime studios fall victim to coronavirus disruptions 'Pokemon' and 'Sazae-san' are delayed as animators and voice artists work from home Nikkei Asian Review TOKYO -- Japan's anime industry has been plagued for years by adverse conditions: long hours in cramped studios, razor-thin profit margins, domestic labor shortages and a reliance on public fan gatherings and box office sales. But since the government declared a national state of emergency for Tokyo and other cities on April 16 in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, urging citizens to work from home, those adversities have anime producers scrambling for new business models. Dozens of productions have been suspended indefinitely, including hit series like "Pokemon" and "One Piece"; theatrical releases in the popular "Doraemon" and "Detective Conan" franchises; and even "Sazae-san," the domestic drama that holds the Guinness Wor...

Anime cons ‘will never be the same’ after the coronavirus The Japan Times [*Since the publication of this story, San Diego Comic-Con, Anime Expo, Otakon, and other major pop culture conventions have been canceled. Some have moved online to host virtual events. Project Anime provides a list .] The anime convention season, usually in full swing from March through the end of summer, has been decimated by the spread of the novel coronavirus. Hundreds of events held annually across the globe, from Paris and Seattle to Toronto and Tokyo, most of which attract thousands of guests, are now canceled or postponed. Some of them won’t come back. The cascade of announcements started in Tokyo at the end of February. AnimeJapan, usually held in March and the industry’s only major yearly trade fair, was abruptly called off on Feb. 27, one day after the government’s request to avoid large-scale gatherings. At the time, the decision felt rushed and a bit rash. A list of performers...

GeeXPlus brings anime YouTubers to Japan The Japan Times Social-media influencers who review products on platforms like YouTube, Twitter and Instagram are now pillars of marketing agencies worldwide, especially when their consumer base skews young. Whether the product is hand soap or ham sandwiches, in a world where “expert” has become a dirty word, getting a push from a social-media star with over a million followers can make or break a sales campaign. One major Japanese publisher and producer is seeking to capitalize on the phenomenon in pop culture with a concrete if highly unusual approach. Last July, Kadokawa Corp. soft-launched a subsidiary of its Book Walker Co. Ltd. digital e-book division called GeeXPlus (“Geeks plus”) Inc., whose main goal is “connecting Japanese brands to global influencers” by providing “promotion planning, production and distribution” for English-speaking YouTubers. In October of last year, GeeXPlus invited three anime YouTubers to live and cr...