Japanese - Ask questions thread

Basically if you have a question about the language, ask it and fellow 4channers might see it and answer it for you.

To start it off. When an animate object (iru) dies, is it considered inanimate(aru)?

系(kei) is usually a marker for ethnicity. (日系=japanese, ドイツ系=german)
公(kou) might be a marker for a duke or prince.
I'm not too sure what akiba or ame means over here, care to shed some light on the context?