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I'm heading to Japan for the last week of March to visit some relatives. I'm really looking forward to the trip as I haven't seen this side of the family in over five years.

Before the family gathering I'm going to have a day or two in Osaka which I might be able to spend shopping. While I'll probably have other shopping opportunities in Kyoto when we all meet up, the time in Osaka will be when I can do my geek shopping with out my relatives looking at me funny. Or at least without them looking at my funny for wanting to buy Super Sentai stuff.

So, my question is if anybody knows of any great place to go shopping in Osaka for Super Sentai books, toys, etc and if anybody has any other recommendations for things to do in my limited time there.

Also, I'm on a gluten-free/casein-free food restrictions and any advice on safe Japanese food would be greatly recommended. My relatives tell me that special ordering food is generally not done over there. So items that are safe as normally served is what I'm trying to find.

And suggestions on a really good manga store in Osaka would be cool too.

I've only been to Japan once and that was just a stop over on the way to the US so unfortunately I'm unable to help there but if you can take a 6 hour south flight I could show some stops in Sydney!

Bring us back some sushi!

You might want to check out the Deconstructing Comics Podcast at http://www.globalcomics.net/podcast/

January 14, 2008

Patrik Washburn had a table on Day One of the Comic Market event in Tokyo. Tim, Mulele, and Patrick Gannon checked it out.

You read that right. They're recording their podcast while walking around a comic convention in Tokyo.

If you send them an email, they'll probably be able to answer your questions.

Thanks, Lobo. I just emailed Tim over there.

I'll also check out there podcasts about the Tokyo convention. That sounds like it will be fun to listen to.

Deconstructing Comics posted another episode, this time interviewing someone who had a dealer table at the Comics Market, which is in some ways similar, but in other ways very different from a U.S. comic con.

http://www.globalcomics.net/podcast/

The host also revealed that he works at a military base in Japan, and hasn't been in "the states" in a few years (which I didn't realize). The person he's interviewing states that he used to import comics from Diamond as a retailer of American comics in Japan, and that his last trip to the U.S. was this past October.

They discuss the differences between cons, fans and the industry in the U.S. and Japan, from a Japanese POV, which strikes me as very different from anything I've heard/read previously.

Really interesting stuff.