So You want a (accurate) taste of Japan? Head to Sunrise Mart!

Okay, so if your otakuism has hit ‘sage mode’ you’ve probably felt it. That Meron Pan Shana’s always snacking on, That Ramen Naruto wont shut up about, you want a taste of the real thing. So today, We’re gonna show you where you can find some good Japanese cuisine that wont drain your wallet.

Sunrise Mart is wonderful little marvel. It’s part bakery, part supermarket, part restaurant. It’s got all the staples from your favorite Anime and Manga: Okonomiyaki (Ranma anyone?), Yakisoba Bread, Meron Pan, and The infamous An Pan. And then its got genuinely good food, Like Katsu Don (My favorite!)

Ah, Hurray for Katsu Don. Pork cutlet, onions, ginger pickles, egg, and rice. A good deal for only seven n’ change! Another great thing about Sunrise Mart is the customization- You can have brown or white rice…Add some shrimp, take out the ginger pickles…etc.
And when I saw ‘Shrimp’ I mean these. For like, a buck fifty each.
Not only is food good, the store itself is pretty nice.

Here is the upstairs seating area. It’s a nice size, and built for comfort. I mean the bathroom is up there, and lo and behold, you don’t have to go downstairs to ask for a key. I hate places like that.
(I’M LOOKING AT YOU, CHINATOWN.)
In addition, if you’ve been flappin’ your gams with your friends and your food gets cold, there’s a microwave. It’s awesome.

 

And if you’re of drinking age, they have Sapporo Beer in the ‘mart’ portion of the store. Drink Responsibly (or I’ll find you).

This Sunrise Mart is at 12 E 41st St.

But if that sounds unfamiliar…..

 It’s on Library Way.

And if that DOES sound familiar…

It’s where the store Book Off used to be. I wont talk about Book Off here though ( Its mine! All mine!)

Sunrise Mart has three locations:

4 Stuyvesant St( This one is more ‘Mart’ than ‘Sunrise’ )

  12 E 41st St. (The one featured in this post)

494 Broome St( Made me feel a little claustrophobic)

So you wanna meet other Ner-Er, Otaku.

I was sitting in class the other day when a debate broke out over who would win in a fight: Superman or Goku. Now, arguments like this are common among fanboys and girls, and can be alot of fun…When you’re not doing them by yourself. We know that a side effect of Otakuism is the Hikikomori lifestyle. Staying indoors, watching several hours of shonen anime, and playing Marvel VS Capcom. But let me stop you there. It’s way more fun to share your Anime experiences than sit in your room. But, I admit that that’s easier said than done. So today, we’re talking about meeting your fellow Otaku.
(I vote for Goku btw)

The first way: School.
Check if your school has an Anime club. You’d be surprised, most schools from Junior high to College have one. But if you happen to go to some weird place that doesn’t, start one up. Talk to an advisor, find a Teacher to monitor it, a empty classroom (hopefully with a smart board, or ask to borrow a tv) and you’re in business. I was in Anime Club..heck I was President for awhile. In a club its easy to make friends ’cause you already have a common interest. From there you can go to event, which leads us to our next topic.

The second way: NYC Anime.
As amazing as it sounds, our city has its own Anime Club. You can look them up here at
http://nyc-anime.com/ They have events and meet ups to attend, and the whole thing can be a lot of fun. Since they do Anime screenings, you can wait till they pick one of your favs to drop by. Members also attend Conventions, which leads us to topic 3

The third way: ANIME CONVENTIONS!
Oh yes. You’ll meet a lot of fun people at Anime conventions. It’s also an excuse to cosplay in public and take pictures. Conventions have panel where you can meet your favorite voice actress (Like Junko Takeuchi, who plays Naruto. She was at NYAF this year!) or play the Anime dating game, or attend a Masquerade Ball. It’s good fun. Conventions can sometimes cost a bit of money,. but others are free, so there’s no excuse not to try one out.

I’m not going to go on and on, but the list is almost endless. They have anime screenings at the Mid-Manhattan library,or you could go to Kinokuniya bookstore (They always have something going on there)….

Speaking of Events..
On the tenth of november, there’s going to be a screening of a Vocaloid concert! It’ll be at At the AMC Empire 25 with IMAX, 234 W 42nd St btw 7th & 8th Ave
and the Regal Union Square Stadium 14, 850 Broadway at E 13th St
Tickets are 20 bucks. It’s FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY. So either go see it, or don’t.
That same day, there’s a meet up at the Skyline DINER. See the NYC-Anime website for more details.

Why Tokyopop going down the toilet isn’t a bad thing

If you’ve been hanging at your local Barnes and Noble’s you may already know, bu there’s something for those who aren’t in the loop:
Tokyopop books are in the clearance section at Barnes and Noble’s across the city.
Of course, they’ve been there for a while, but if they go unsold, they may wind up in secondhand bookstores for a higher price. So go get them. NOW.
I found a bunch of Chibi Vampire (Also known as “Karin”) novels in the Barnes and Noble’s on Court street, in downtown Brooklyn. But I wouldn’t go there, (Their discounted manga has dwindled down to a few books at the front door) I’d try some of the other bigger ones.