Hello again! Japan’s presence and ever-growing influence on the rest of the world is greater than ever. University of Tokyo lecturer and downright nice guy, Roland Kelts, takes a closer look at what’s going on in his incredible book, Japanamerica. Amidst a whirlwind press tour of the world, Roland (no newspaper-style surname using here!), took the time to chat in-depth with us about his book and the influence of Japan.

Wait right there though! You can win a copy of this very fine book, right here on Plastic Bamboo! Just send an email to stuart [at] plasticbamboo.com telling me what you think the one thing the West should take from Japan is. Roland mentioned some of the things he thought would be beneficial in the interview, so you can’t use those ones! Best/funniest/stupidest/extremely-serious answer will win. I might even get Roland to judge it, providing he’s not in a bad mood with me for taking so long to post this. Good luck!

Bandai and fashion fans, Mastermind, have created two new extremely expensive Gundam t-shirts. Each shirt has Swarovski crystal hand-stitched into the Gundam or Zaku design, and will cost an estimated 200,000 yen (£830/$1,690). Less expensive shirts that use glass beads instead of crystal will be available in the U.S., France, Italy, Singapore, China and Japan for around 38,000 yen (£160/$320).

Source: Nikkei

The Illustrated Braille Club is a group of volunteers who get together in Kitajima, Tokushima Prefecture, to turn picture books and other illustrated stories into Braille. The group takes the books and encodes them into dots, which are then printed by a special printer that punches raised dots into the paper. The finished Braille volumes then make their way to not only Kitajima’s local public library, but also to libraries and schools for the blind.

The club’s representative Kōji Sangawa, 82, said “the visually impaired don’t have many opportunities to experience art, so they enjoy our work. I want to continue working as long as my body allows me, with the encouragement of their words of gratitude.” What a nice man.

Via Anime News Network

Beck, the popular anime about a young rock band on the Japanese music scene, celebrates its DVD release with a specially designed box to house a growing collection. Looking just like a guitar amp, the Beck Starter Set costs £17.99/$36 from Play.

Via Anime UK News

Kanye West shows it’s possible to ruin two pieces of greatness in 4 minutes and 27 seconds. Actually, he pretty much does it in 10 seconds. His new single, Stronger, not only samples Daft Punk, but has a video that’s basically a mini live action version of the anime classic, Akira.

Check out Montoya Hearald’s scene by scene comparison.

Via Anime UK News

Avril Lavigne is to star in a new Manga to be published by Del Rey. The series is to be called “Make 5 Wishes”…

“It shows the story of Hana, an unpopular girl who spends a lot of time on the internet, trying to forget about her troubles and creating “various cool, smart, sexy and popular alter egos”. Hana finds a web site called Make5Wishes.com, and she is grand to make five wishes. After her wishes go bad, Hana meets Lavigne, who helps her conquest her own personal demons.”

The first volume will be released on the 10th of April, while the second one will be out in July. Avril said, “I know that many of my fans read Manga, and I’m really excited to be involved in creating stories that I know they will enjoy.”

Via My Reflection

Attention 30-year-old males! You have been targeted by Bandai and Glico for their new range of Gundam Pocky. There will be 3 varieties in the limited edition run, each with their own 1/144 scale Gundam model. Please note that I’m not stereotyping Gundam fans, Bandai and Gilco are!

Via Anime News Network

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ultraman series, Seiko Japan has launched a limited edition Ultraman alarm clock. Ultraman was created by Eiji Tsuburaya, who was also part of the special effecets team that brought Godzilla to life in 1954. The anniversary clock has a bell or beep alarm tone, and 3000 units are available from the end of this month for 3,675 yen ($31/�16).

Via Far East Gizmos

American RadioWorks are currently hosting a feature on anime and Japanese pop-culture, called Japan’s Pop Power. You can listen by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

Via Anime News Network

Denn? Senshi Porigon, or Computer Soldier Polygon, was an ‘episode’ of Pokemon that caused a total of 685 children in Japan to be taken to hospital by ambulance. The scene in question featured flashing lights that triggered “photosensitive seizures”. Watch at your own risk!

Read more about the incident here.

Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z episodes have started to appear online! The series is the Japanese version of the American Powerpuff Girls series created by Craig McCracken. Despite being commissioned by Cartoon Network, Powerpuff Girls Z is produced in Japan by Toei Animation and Aniplex. Watch the first episode here.

Best friends, Capcom, Wowow and Madhouse, announced at the Tokyo Game show that they will bring popular video game Devil May Cry to the small screen. A 12-episode long TV anime series will air in spring 2007. Visit the official site.

Via Anime News Network

The 2nd annual New York-Tokyo music festival takes place this year on 30th September in Central Park. Performers from Japan include Hifana, Mighty Crown and Samurai Jazz artists PE’Z. “Music - Games - Anime” events are given equal status on the poster, but the site seems light on details. Expect a talk by someone who watched half of Akira at a friend’s house once.

Visit the festival’s official site.

Via Anime News Network

Imagi Animation Studio has revealed details of their plans to release an Astro Boy “CG-animated feature-length motion picture” in 2009. From their press release:

“The new Astro Boy feature will be based on an original story developed by Imagi�s US studio. Physical production will take place at Imagi�s state of the art Hong Kong animation studio. Along with its current CG-animation productions Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Gatchaman, Imagi will continue its technical and creative leadership in bringing comic book heroes to the big screen.”

2009?! Why tell us now? It means we have to wait longer. Oh well, I’ve nothing better to do anyway.

Via Anime News Network

Shojo Manga! Girl Power! is an exhibition taking place in Toronto, Canada featuring 23 female artists and more than 200 pieces of work. Dr. Masami Toku of California State University, curates the exhibition and will present a lecture named �The Power of Shojo Manga: Its Value and Contribution to Visual Culture and Society�. It’s the first exhibition of this kind, and it’s hoped that it will help examine the individual artists of Shojo manga and the impact this has on the manga culture. The exhibition runs from 6th September - 4th October at 131 Bloor Street, and is presented by the Japan Foundation Toronto. Go girls!

Via Anime news network