Japanese harvest and fertility festivals look very odd to our Western eyes. Grounded in Shinto and stretching as far back as 1,500 years ago, these festivals help ensure a good harvest and promote human fertility. What makes the festival odd for us Westerners are the centerpieces: giant wooden penises and vulvas. So I guess you…
Author: Chris Kincaid
Neon Alley: Interview with Brian Ige
JapanPowered was recently given the opportunity to interview Brian Ige, the Vice President of Viz Media about their newest project: Neon Alley. Neon Alley is a 24/7 channel that features Japanese television shows and anime including Inuyasha: the Final Act, Blue Exorcist, and Tiger & Bunny. Zach Weaver led the questions. Viz Media has created…
Gyaru
Gyaru is a combination of the English word “gal” and the Japanese word for girl. What started as a jeans brand slogan morphed into yet another Japanese subculture. Gyaru is a street fashion that we basically would call “glam” here in the States. They wear man made wigs, fake eyelashes, fake nails, and often dye…
Nekomimi
Lately there are a lot of teen and 20-something girls sprouting cat tails and ears around here. Nekomimi must be in the water. Nekomimi ( literally cat ears) is a style of cosplay or anime/manga character that is human in all ways except having cat ears, a tail, and cat like behavior. They are often…
Nokabe – Brain Wall
Nokabe, ( also called Brain Wall, Hole in the Wall, and Human Tetris ) is a game show where players have to twist themselves through cutouts in a Styrofoam wall hurtling toward them. The premise of the game is simple, make it through the cutout to score points or get shoved into a pool of…
Midoricon 2012
This guest post was wrote by Zach Weaver, an avid manga and anime fan. Not to mention he is becoming a regular guest writer here at JP. Being the workaholic I am, I was unable to get the day off to cover the con. So here is Zach’s take. My group headed over to Salt…