Events

  The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insiders Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan Since the 1980s "Otaku" (オタク) has referred to people who are really into Japanese pop-culture, such as anime, manga, and videogames. Here  Patrick Galbraith (yes, he has Bellingham family), delves into the obsessive and eccentric world of Japan’s chicest nerds.  Galbraith – an American Otaku who guides tours of the Akihabara, the epicenter of Otaku culture, every weekend – has compiled over 600 entries in the book, including common expressions, people, places, and moments in Otaku history.  “During my research I found the perception of otaku was infinitely complex,” says Galbraith.  “I wanted to illustrate how the otaku culture evolved from something geek to something chic.”  Interviews with key figures in the otaku world provide an intimate glimpse inside this quirky phenomenon.  Packed with dozens of color manga illustrations, film stills and photos of various Akihabara faces and places, The Otaku Encyclopedia is the essential reference for anyone interested in Japanese pop-culture.  Born in Alaska and raised in Montana, Patrick W. Galbraith is an ethnographer and journalist based in Tokyo. He is a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies at the University of Tokyo, and writes a regular column for Metropolis magazine.