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Western Washington University students Galadriel Brown, right, and Sami Butler participate in the "Otaku" exhibit on Tuesday, May 4, in Fine Arts Gallery Room 118 on the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø campus.

Western Washington University’s Art Department is putting on a series of events under the title "Tokyo Tour, from Otaku and Urban Zen, to Robophilia and Fashion" in honor of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø's Japan Week on May 4 and 6 on the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø campus. The events are free and open to the public.

• "Otaku" – 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Tuesday, May 4 in ²ÝÁñÉçÇø’s Fine Arts Gallery room 118. Visitors will experience Japanese pop culture up close, with manga, anime, and video games in a simulated space that will duplicate the experience of being devoted to these activities.
• "Urban Zen" – 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Tuesday, May 4 in front of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø’s Fine Arts Gallery. This installation questions the role of Zen Buddhist philosophy in an urban environment and how Zen Buddhism agrees and conflicts with current go-green advertising.
• "Robophilia" – 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Tuesday, May 4 in front of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø’s Red Square Fountain or in front of Bond Hall if it is raining. This interactive sculpture posits a possible future for the Japanese robotics and air purifying industries – collaborating to create air-purifying robots.
• "Fashion" – 7-9 p.m., Thursday, May 6 in ²ÝÁñÉçÇø’s Viking Union Multipurpose Room. This interactive performance will give visitors an opportunity to sample different contemporary fashions and identities from a well-stocked Japanese clothing rack. The event is being held in conjunction with Japan Night, which is sponsored by ²ÝÁñÉçÇø’s Asia University America Program.

For more information, contact Julia Sapin, associate professor of Art History at (360) 650-3670 or julia.sapin@wwu.edu.