A Herero man holds the head of a freshly butchered cow, killed to supply meat for a funeral, 2012. (Photo by Jim Naughten, courtesy of Klompching Gallery, New York)

The eighth annual Nipponbashi Street Festa stamped Osaka March 20, 2012 (Nipponbashi is Osaka’s geek district – much like Akihabara is for Tokyo). Cosplayers turned up in colourful outfits, dressing as characters from their favourite manga, anime, and video games. The street was closed to cars, and otaku flooded the streets, snapping pics, cosplaying, and hanging out.

A Canadian actress, pop singer and song writer Jessica Lowndes (she is best known for her role as Adrianna Tate-Duncan on TV series 90210) Jessica Lowndes attends a party at the Sugar Hut at Sugar Hut on May 4, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Danny Martindale)

A tourist watches as the moon passing in front of the sun as it approaches a full solar eclipse in the northern Australian city of Cairns November 14, 2012. (Photo by Tim Wimborne/Reuters)

A visitor poses with a 3D art work during a Japanese Trick Art exhibition at a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, December 4, 2012. (Photo by Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)

Australian TV personality and singer, Dannii Minogue at the reveal of her wax figure to feature at Madam Tussauds Sydney on February 9, 2012 at the Sofitel, Melbourne, Australia. Madam Tussauds will officially open in Darling Harbour Sydney in May 2012. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

A simulated casualty is evacuated during an emergency services exercise at the disused Aldwych underground station on February 22, 2012 in London, England. Operation Forward Defensive aims to test the response to a terrorist incident on the London Underground network during the 2012 Olympic Games. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Sister Milly Wu (16) and Chloe Wu (18), both students from Manchester pose for photographs at the Hyper Japan 2012 Event at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre on February 24, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images)