Not a whole lot of pictures besides peaceful but chaotic crowds, but I guess this time enjoy some Kyuushu Jangara Ramen. It’s totally worth the wait and I so had that the day before but am squeezing these food pictures from Akiba over the next few blog posts. (Just for the curious ramen eater, yes, I still think NYC’s Ippudo tastes better, but obviously it’s not the same value proposition…). I guess that’s for today’s “otaku eats.”

So yes, there was a Nana Mizuki concert. Live Diamond 2009. Her largest venue and show ever, to date. But the first thing I have to do is give massive props to danie for being the awsm Nana fan and all-around very cool girl and hooking me up with the tickets. That’s just the start. She’s also the contact point for me to meet up with the “other” gaijin group from Singapore and Malaysia (and elsewhere). Yes English prz. There’s the informational, merch-buying scoop she dug out in person (which somehow made me make jokes on her behalf, probably a rude thing of me, oops).

Oh, hai Issa-sa.

And those 5 superultra orange glowsticks I picked up from the merry gaijin troupe are actually super useful. And it’s a good glimpse down the cliff of spending $$$ on wotagei gear. A depth that I don’t think I will traverse outside of what I’ve already spend…

CHU-LU CHU-LU CHU-LU PA-YA-PA

I do have to say though, that watching a show like this live for the first time, I realized how big of a gap it was between watching the video and seeing it in person. This may very well be the same gap that makes me, on my walk home from the concert, feeling rather satisfied yet also a bit yearning, wanting for more. If you ask me “how was the concert” I’d say it’s great, as it really was. However the feeling is nagging that somehow there’s more to it than this, that if enjoyment was akin to a bloody liquid, I should and could have squeezed this Live Diamond harder, to get to the very last drop.

Yea, I had a great time, spent way too much money, but also felt like there’s more I can do to make it even more fun.

Lastly, just for Moyism’s information: bring lots of $$$ to Otakon!

Meanwhile it’s time to save money because I kind of have to buy this when it comes out on Blu-Ray (as announced at the concert).

It’s a little odd, but I think of going to Japan for the sake of some live performances, shopping and hanging out with friends just like what I do at an anime convention. I might or might not bring my camera; I might or might not go to a maid cafe; I might or might not see cosplayers; I might or might not care about any of that.

However, I will definitely try to eat my way around. I guess that part is something unique to international traveling. Food culture is something integral to the human life experience. It’s diverse, nourishing, and a great way to appreciate culture using most of the sensory perception methods you have. It’s one place where America is on equal grounds with Japan, that both incorporates foreign culinary concepts and spin them into strange, delicious but nonetheless interesting eats. While I can’t really say who does it better, but this is one free market exercise that make us all winners.

Putting 2 and 2 together we get…Japanese food con in America? Seems like a good idea to me! Someone’s done this already, right?

Breaking bread among friends is one of the larger guilty pleasure I share, even if they’re just random guys from the internets! Over Anime Expo this weekend I hope those who are going will take that opportunity as well. People looking to replicate the same thing at Otakon? Looks like the Anime Diet guys are trying to do something. At least one of them anyways.

If there’s a point to this post, it is that if for some reason you read an Evangelion 2.0 review on this blog, you’d know it was because I was somewhere out of town catching a film of said thing. Same with going to a certain concert. Or maybe even this other one… And (more likely?) if you don’t see anything, you know what’s going on.