181: A problematic otaku dictionary and the Japanese approach to sitting

An “Otaku Dictionary” has Japan’s subcultures upset at an attempt to define them. Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue join us to explain the linguistic scandal before discussing whether or not Japan has mastered “sitting.”

On this episode:

Shaun McKenna: Articles | X

Thu-Huong Ha: Articles | X

Yukana Inoue: Articles

Read more:

• How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku • (Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times)

• Test your otaku vocabulary, from 'oshi' to bacon lettuce’ • (Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times)

• Let the gaming begin: A guide to Tokyo’s video game landmarks • (W. Tanner Kirk, The Japan Times)

• Has Japan mastered sitting? • (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times)

• Bedbugs are spreading in South Korea and China. Is Japan next? • (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times)

• Japan to start trial of over-the-counter sales of morning after pill • (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times)

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Photo: Pages from a new Otaku Dictionary catalog the lexicons of Japan’s various subcultures. | TAIDGH BARRON