> http://tvinjapan.blogspot.com/2006/05/otaku-from-usa.html
>
> [Video above.]
>
> This Japanes TV show focuses on these "otakus" (as
> they're aparently called in Japan) -- nerdy American
> tourists who come to Japan to stock up on Japanese
> anime/manga/etc. kitsch.
"Otaku" is the original Japanese term for diehard comic strip fans and sci-fi geeks. It used to be a borderline epithet, more like "dweeb" than the endearing "Trekkie". Interestingly, nowadays anime, manga and videogames have become Gojira-sized global industries throughout East Asia, and respect for these genres has grown. JETRO has some stats here:
www.jetro.go.jp/en/market/trend/industrial/pdf/jem0506-2e.pdf
-- DRR (counting the milliseconds until the Playstation 3 launch)