(the) Road to the Deep East

To reduce the consumption of plastic bags and excessive packages, the campaign called 'My Made Bag Project'started in Akihabara today on May 4th, .and Ex-director of the Environmental Agency and the Defense Agency, Koike Yuriko attened to this campaign.

This campaign was planned by NPO in Tokyo. During this term (from May 4th to 11th), customers who refuse the plastic shopping bags at shops in Akihabara can get a receipt with a stamp, and when they go to maid cafes with this stamped receipt , they can get some special services from cosplay maids. Mai meido.. my maid, my made... hence, My 'Made' Bag Project.

As a starter, this ex-director of the Environmental Agency bought a figure of anime character from Rosen Maiden series at Yodobashi Camera, and she visited maid cafe. Then she showed the stamped receipt, and got a coaster and mouse pad with a autograph from cosplay maids. When she saw the autograph 'To Yuri Ojosama(young lady)', this 56 years-old lady embarrassed and said, 'it is after 30 years that I'm called young lady.'

She appealed the importance of ecology with cosplay maids and said, ' Information sent from Akihabara is becoming a strong power (in the world.). It may be otaku that save our world.

(article and picture from Mainichi)
http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/news/20080504mog00m200017000c.html


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Is it true that Otaku may save the world? Well, certainly, Akihabara is becoming a symbol and center of Japanese subculture, so it is good that they had a campaign in this city. And Otaku may help them to let the world know the importance of ecology. And recently, some of otakus can be satisfied just with seeing anime or mangas on the Web, without buying CDs or DVDsactually. In addition, they are also contributing to reduce the number of harmful creature calle human beings by doing just onanies, never having sex. So they may help to reduce CO2 or consumption of fossil fuels in a long run.

...But calm down and think twice. Even if refuse plastic bags and some packages influenced by this campaign, tons of unrecyclable gadgets are created and consumed in this city. The anime doll she bought must be one of them. In addition, she mistakenly gave herself away when she bought it. 'I prefer Barbie Doll.' - so, how will she use this anime doll from the work she doesn't know??



It is rumored that she will run for the Prime Minister after Fukuda in the future, so, this campaign and flatter to otakus: 'Otaku can save the world!' must be the appeal for the election in the future, rather than to be an ecological campaign. Her future rival, Asshole... no, Aso is famous for his interest on comics and very popular among subculture lovers in Japan . So she might think she should also appeal to otakus to compete him.

But it seems she failed. This apparent contrived appeal was not welcomed by genuine Rosen Maiden fans.

Akihabara is the city everybody can expose the genuine themselves. Hentai game lovers buy hentai games, idol otakus go to AKB48 theater, anime otakus purchase dojinsi, game otakus dances with Dance Dance Revolution in front of the arcade, and 30 year-old idol wannabe shows her panties off... and so on.

So, she didn't have to pretend to be an anime otaku and behave like them. I don't mean she should expose her lingerie, but she just should have done what she really wants to do in this city of desire. If she just bought what she really needs, – for example, vibrators. for this campaign and demonstrated her otakuness, even if it isn't anime related one, she could have got new supporters in Akihabara.