On this episode of Japan Station, we’re joined by Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith to talk about the current status of Akihabara and the rise of Ikebukuro as Japan’s newest capital of all things anime, manga and otaku culture.
👉Topics Discussed
- Whether Akihabara is dying
- The history of Akihabara
- How Akihabara has evolved in recent years
- What locals think of Akihabara today
- How Mercari has impacted Akihabara
- The price of anime figures/merch in Akihabara
- The decline of AKB48
- Why Akihabara has changed in recent years
- The rise of Ikebukuro as Japan’s new otaku capital
- How the Toshima ward government is focusing on developing Ikebukuro as Japan’s new anime/otaku capital
- Neagtive attitudes towards otaku culture in Akihabara
- How Akihabara paved the way for Ikebukuro’s rise as an otaku center of Japan
- The future of Akihabara
- And much more!
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👉Links, Videos, Etc.
Check out Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith’s books about Akihabara and otaku culture.
- The Ethics of Affect: Lines and Life in a Tokyo Neighborhood: https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/50996/1/9789176351567.pdf
- Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan: https://www.amazon.com/Otaku-Struggle-Imagination-Patrick-Galbraith/dp/1478006293
Check out Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith’s other appearances on Japan Station.
- Japan Station 30: Understanding “Otaku” and Akihabara w. Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith: https://japankyo.com/2020/01/japan-station-podcast-about-akihabara-history-otaku/
- AKB48 (Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith) | Japan Station 38: https://japankyo.com/2020/05/japan-station-podcast-history-japanese-aidoru-akb48/
- Obscenity, Censorship & Erotic Comics in Japan (Patrick W. Galbraith) | Japan Station 59: https://japankyo.com/2021/02/eromanga-erotic-comics-japan/
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