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Hey, it's a foreign dude! In Akihabara!! Looking at nerdy Japanese things!!! News site France 24 has an interesting piece up on how otaku culture has become a big Japanese tourist draw. Above, that's 20 year-old Frenchman Charles Mortreuil who's looking at plastic panties. Mortreuil says he grew up with anime and manga, and he traveled all the way to Japan just to see the place with his own eyes. Understandable, and I think most Kotaku readers can definitely relate, myself included. Hoping to reach out to foreigners, Akiba is somewhat geared to tourists. For example, the newly opened Tokyo Anime Centre offers guidance in various languages for international otaku. The Tokyo Anime Centre was designed by Pokémon creator Masakazu Kubo, and recieved 300,000 visitors last year — a mere 4 percent were foreign, though. As locals can tell you, 4 percent foreigners is pretty darn good. Certainly by Japan standards, at least. Brian Ashcraft
Akiba Attracting International Crowd [France 24 via Fucked Gaijin]
[IMG]http://feeds.gawker.com/~a/kotaku/full?i=1TIKSO[/IMG]
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