@homecafe - A match 'maid' in heaven

Today I was lucky enough to make my first trip ever to Akihabara, famous electronics haven, otaku gathering point, and home to a ton of maid cafes. For the uninitiated, maid cafes are simple restaurants where pretty girls in incredibly cute maid outfits serve you food and have cute conversations with you in Japanese. As you can probably tell, cute is a word I will be using heavily throughout this blog entry. This trip, which I made with my friend Hikari, was the first time for either of us to go to a maid cafe.

There is a strict no photo policy! Food photos are fine though

The maid cafe we chose was @homecafe, considered by many to be the original maid cafe. Currently @homecafe is so popular that there are different locations all over Akihabara. We chose the original (本店) location on the fourth floor. In that building alone, 4 of the 7 floors were purely dedicated to @home maid cafes. Hikari and I were both pretty nervous waiting in line, which even during the least busy time was still impressively long.

Yes, that is four floors of @homecafe and a goods shop

After finally making our way into the maid cafe amidst cries of いらっしゃいませ！ (irasshaimase!) we were seated in a packed bench with elbows touching. Surprisingly the guests were roughly fifty percent female and fifty percent male. Even getting in to a maid cafe is about 500 yen, and combined with the dessert set, which includes a dessert, drink, and photo with a maid of my choice, the total came out to about 2100 yen. Not cheap, but its not every day you get to be referred to as お嬢様 (ojou-sama) either.

My 'Tsundere' parfait. Half sour (tsuntsun), half sweet (deredere)

Upon receiving my dessert, complete with the necessary "moe, moe, kyun!" and heart shaped gestures, Hikari and I ate our desserts, until "Sarah Ojou Sama" was asked to come to the front stage. I was pretty nervous, but luckily my Japanese hadn`t failed me yet. After some negotiations on which set of ears to wear, (I chose bunny) and which pose, (I chose heart), I took a picture together with the maid of my choice (つなさん）．Hikari and I had to leave soon after, as due to the popularity, there is a strict one hour time limit. After being presented with bronze membership cards, and called Ojou-sama one last time, we were led from the maid cafe. An expensive outing, but one that can only be found in Japan, and is truely worth experiencing at least once!

Otaku - A Diversity of People

As discussed in the first post, when the word 「おたく」was first put into use by Akio Nakamori, it was used to describe a very negative and very specific stereotype of individuals. Unkempt, foolish, withdrawn, awkward. For many people, this still seems to be the common conception upon hearing the word 「おたく」. 

However, my experience with おたく individuals could not have been more different. I had the opportunity to see and spend time with a variety of individuals who would be identified as おたく. Their situations were diverse, their personalities rich and unique. Today I would like to share just a few of those experiences with you all.

To start, let's look at a broad example and return to the classic おたくgathering point of Akihabara. However, each of these locations hosted a wide array of individuals. Young, old, various professional workers, students, male, female. There was no limit to the variety of people there.

The streets of Akihabara.

INTRO. ***This friend has always identified as an おたくfrom the start of our friendship. She passionately watches アニメ and reads 漫画, plays both Nintendo and Playstation games, and has a love for photographing cosplay. However, she is so far from the stereotype depicted by ****NAME. She is an active participant of her university's photography club, and has just begun the third year of her philosophy degree. And she is very stylish and good-looking!

Here is a nice really blurry photo from behind from which you will never guess her identity. I respect her privacy.

Though she is Japanese and lives in Japan, our friendship was born in the year she was studying abroad at my high school in Calgary! Honestly, she has done some incredible things! And more than that, her personality is delightful. She is easy to talk to, kind, fun, and well mannered. Upon first impression, I think many people would never suspect to hear her refer to herself as an おたく. But she is a prime demonstration of both burning おたくpassion and a rich and developed persona. 

Wait, no, I mean personality. I need to sleep. But please take this picture anyways.

I do not think she is the only individual like this. I have no doubt that there are many more おたく whose enthusiasm for their interests does not stop them from actively participating and enriching the world around them.

My final example, the father of my host family, is undeniably a true おたく, with the shelves of his room filled with manga, watching anime on Sunday mornings. But not only that, the mother of the family laughed with me that even though she wants to travel, the father never wants to go because he cannot read "Jump" magazine outside of the country haha. Furthermore, I experienced his manga knowledge first-hand when he took me to "Book Off" and gave me some recommendations...

しまった…

However, what stood out to me about him was not his passion for manga, but his passion for his family. He worked late throughout the week, but it was evident that on the weekend he let his love for his family overflow. Happily helping his son with homework on Saturday morning, dancing to Micheal Jackson with the mother, solving Professor Layton puzzles with the daughter, and even towards me, the honorary family member, watching anime and watching 嵐's variety shows with me (I love 嵐!) and proudly sharing stories and photos of his family. 

When people think negatively of おたく, I think they often look only at what they appear to be an irregularly strong interest, and forget the rest of the individual. But to me, this father was a powerful example of how おたく are also people, and can be full of such kindness and wonderfulness and goodness.

It seems I'm coming to the end of this blog. I'm not good at conclusions by any means, but I suppose if I could say one thing that I hope everyone could take from this post and this blog is to not look down on others due to their interests, or for any other reason. Each person has a story and it would be a shame to miss out on any of them. This blog is focused on おたく, and I certainly hope that people will apply this to them, but to all people, as well.

That's all I have to say! Thank you all for reading!

And good night......

Nakano Broadway for your Broad Otaku Shopping Desires

Nakano Broadway is a shopping mall located in Nakano, just a short transfer away from Shinjuku on the JR Chuo Line. Inside this mall is one of the most concentrated otaku shopping districts outside of Akihabara. Here you can find many hobby shops featuring items from anime, manga, idols, figurines, cosplay, electronics, clothing, military, and even model trains. There's something for every breed of otaku here! Leading up to the Broadway is a long strip mall filled with various other shops as well. Its a very convenient location for shopping that is not as well known as Akihabara or Shinjuku.

This corridor of shops is like a runway leading to our main destination, quite exiting!

I found out about Nakano Broadway after my roommate's host family took him there. He mentioned that cheap anime goods are sold there and that was all I needed to start organizing a trip there the next day. I'm a huge sucker for discounts and cheap, quality goods; plus I had been having trouble indulging my anime merchandise desires at Akihabara due to the high prices. Therefore, this is the perfect shopping mall for me in that regard, and I had no trouble spending over 4 hours in there. In fact, I ended up leaving only because shops start closing quite early around 7-8pm!

Two small figurines I got for around ￥1400. Normally these are in randomized boxes so it's hard to get the ones you want, but these were second-hand, so I didn't have to worry about that.

It is natural to compare Nakano Broadway to Akihabara because they cater towards similar consumers. However, there are some major distinctions between the two otaku centered locations. Akihabara is very well known, even among western non-otaku. But that makes it a major tourist attraction with some inflated prices and very busy crowds. The variety available here is incomparable though and there are many unique shops here with merchandise you can't get elsewhere.

A unique shop in Akihabara that sells artwork from various online artists, including my favourite artist, Kantoku.

Nakano is a more concentrated and condensed version of Akihabara. While the selection isn't as big, the stores covers the majority type of items that one would be looking to purchase in Akihabara. Stores are tightly packed and usually cater to a specific interest rather than giant multi-floor buildings. Since it is all concentrated in one location, its a lot easier to navigate than the many city blocks of Akihabara's Electric City. It is much easier to check out every store here than in Akihabara! There are also some unique sights here, and I managed to catch an artwork gallery display for one of my favourite series, Little Busters.

Never would I have imagined seeing Little Busters displayed in public in such a formal setting, I love Japan.  Full album.

Nakano Broadway has many stores dedicated to selling second-hand goods. The biggest one is Mandarake, a chain retail store that sells anything Japan and otaku related. The Mandarake here spans multiple floors and has a store dedicated to each otaku subculture. Otakus usually take good care of their collections, and so these second-hand goods are of very good quality. If you don't mind having used goods (that look pristine), I would highly recommend checking out these shops to find a great deal.

One unique type of shop I found is a rental box shop. These shops feature a bunch of locked cubes that individuals can rent to showcase and sell their items. When you want an item, you tell a store attendant to unlock the box, and after inspecting the item for damage, its yours! This is a unique way for sellers to have a small shop without having to physically attend it. It's much different than trying to sell your goods online and having to meet up with the buyer in person, which is a common method for western individual sellers. I found many unbelievably cheap items here, probably from sellers trying to get rid of their goods as soon as possible. Take note that most items do not come with the original packaging anymore, so getting fragile figures home can be quite a tricky ordeal.

These cubes contain many items ranging from literally anything from figures to posters to books.
Prices are listed on each item as well.

I hope this short  introduction to Nakano Broadway has inspired some readers to explore this unique location. It is one of my favourite destinations in Japan now after just visiting it once due to its highly concentrated yet easy to explore stores. The prices are great and I look forward to visiting it again once more before leaving Tokyo to indulge my final shopping desires.

Are otaku and collectors one and the same?

In Canada, I've met quite a few collectors. One of my friends is an avid Evangelion figure collector, who explicitly saves all the money he can for his expansive collection. Another collects old games, specifically targeting second-hand game stores to collect the rarer games at lower prices. As a child myself, I collected Pokémon cards, and ended up with well over 700 (not including energies).

Even looking at more famous examples, Jay Leno comes to mind; he is an American comedian worth gazillions of dollars, and collects cars of all kinds.

Jay Leno stands among just a fragment of his massive car collection. [Source: Corbis Images]

However, when I came to Japan, I expected that collectors would not be easy to find. Because of how harshly Japanese culture looks at otaku, I expected them to be "in the closet". That is to say, they would hide their collection hobby, and keep it to themselves, even if they were participating members of society. As a good example, in a previous blog post, we featured an otaku who had purchased 5,500 copies of a new album (which works out to around 8,250,000円 or $81,100 USD). While not exactly a collector, these are the types of extremes I expected collectors to go to in Japan.

However, I was wrong.

While in Japan, I participated in a home stay wherein I had a chance to spend 48 hours with a Japanese family. One of the members of the family, a 12-year-old boy, was an avid Battle Spirits card game player, and had collected what I estimate to be well over 2,000 cards. He also turned out to be the Kanto Prefecture Battle Spirits champion. But he was far from keeping it to himself; he was very proud of his awesome collection and had a ton of friends to play with! I was even given the chance to meet some of his Battle Spirits buddies, who also seemed to be very outgoing.

Though I didn't take any pictures myself, this is a typical Battle Spirits tournament environment. [Source: Exteen]

I also took a second trip to Akihabara and Nanako Broadway recently, with a smaller group, and spent more time intimately checking out some of the stores. While I was looking for figures of Hunter x Hunter, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Sword Art Online (yeah, I guess I'm a bit of a collector myself), I realized that everyone around me was sort of a collector, too. In each shop, there was someone looking for a neat collectable or rare item, be it from Star Wars or Sailor Moon, or just a replica of a real-life assault weapon.

But again, those who were shopping in these stores (myself included!) were just normal people fulfilling an inner desire, just like a connoisseur would enjoy eating a delicious 5-star meal.

It's interesting at this point to make a curious distinction: The term otaku is an odd one that does not have a consistent meaning. In the West, we are more than happy to call an anime lover an otaku; in Japan, if you say otaku, there is an immediate connotation of being a hikikomori, as we've previously explored.

However, in reality, having spoken to otaku, heard the word used by students and even teachers, and observed the behavior of people in otaku hotspots such as Akihabara and Nakano Broadway, I've come to realize that the term actually lies somewhere in between.

Though not as well-known as Akihabara, Nakano Broadway has a lot of anime and other media for sale and is a very popular destination.

In reality, even in Japan, "otaku" appears to be akin to the English term "geek", which also has no concrete meaning due to its varying use over time. That said, it's usually used to describe a person who has very unusual tastes and often goes to great lengths to enjoy such tastes, such as collecting, attending conventions, or immersing themselves (excessively) in their favorite media.

Just like geeks, not all otaku are hikikomori, and with the exception of a few (such as the aforementioned idol otaku), most just seem to be regular people who go a little further than most with immersing themselves in their favorite media.

So, are otaku and collectors one and the same? Well, no, not really. Not all otaku are collectors, and not all collectors go to the same extent as otaku. But I'd say that it's safe to assume that many otaku also become collectors in order to enjoy their favorite media to the maximum. In the end, this leads to a great overlap between these categories, and blurs even more the line of what an otaku truly is.

Dress for Success, Cosplay - コスプレ

This post is written by Aulora and Peter.

This week, we will write a brief intro to Cosplay!

The practice of cosplay itself is not exclusively Japanese of course--con-goers in any country are surely aware of this fact. Indeed, its origin is not Japanese either. However, the word itself was concieved by Japanese reporter Nov Takahashi to describe what he saw at World Con in 1984. World Con, an annual science fiction convention, was held in Los Angeles that year, and by that time the practice of cosplay was well established among American Science Fiction con-goers. With the first documented instance of a costumed con-goer being Forrest J. Ackerman at Worldcon 1939 in New York, cosplay had already grown to be a flourishing component of Science Fiction conventions in America. As such, Takahashi was merely describing what he observed in a creative manner. The word he created, "cosplay" (コスプレ), is a portmanteau of the English words "costume" and "play." After reporting the American practice back to a Japanese audience, cosplay officially took off in Japan to be the widely popular activity that it is today! In particular, Cosplay is popular among Otaku audiences!

But what distinguishes Japanese cosplay from that in other areas? One prominent factor is that cosplay in many other parts of the world is a practice reserved exclusively for conventions. 

From Design Fest, Tokyo Big Sight

However, in Japan, this is not so!! Not only do congoers dress up, but there are cosplay establishments in which the staff dress up! For example, of course, maid cafes, prevalent in areas such as Akihabara and Shibuya, where the staff dress up!

Normally you aren't allowed to take photos of staff members in costume. But.. she happens to "conveniently" be in my shot!

Furthermore, people can cosplay freely in public!! Oh the expressive power!!!!! In areas such as Harajuku, people dress in elaborate clothes and fun costumes! In fact, at this point, it begins to overlap with fashion, reconciling the rejected with the trending. Personally, I find that quite an interesting concept!

For example, lolita fashion is quite common in Harajuku!

But other genres of cosplay include steampunk,

and of course, characters!!

Akemi Homura from the anime, Madoka Magica

So what if you want to try your own cosplay? Well, there are two main routes you can take.

First are the pre-manufactured costumes that are produced and sold with varying quality. They are mostly available online, although certain specialty shops may carry popular sets. This is an easy way to get a taste of cosplaying one of your favourite characters in a pinch.

A cosplay shop in Akihabara

Most cosplayers choose to create their own costumes though, often starting many months or even years before the intended convention to show it off at. These costumes themselves can be considered a work of art and much effort and money is put towards created magnificent costumes. Skilled cosplayers often require many skills such as sewing, painting, fashion design, textiles, and even work with materials such as wood and fiberglass, to create more difficult and high quality representations.

Be careful of the convention rules however. Some of them do not allow props that resemble real weapons for security reasons. You don't want to get in trouble with the police just because your character looks dangerous!

We hope that you enjoyed this small glimpse into the wonders of cosplay, and perhaps even take part yourself someday!

The rise of the ヲタ / ヲタのようになる

Japan hosts a wide variety of otaku, of which many are infamous. In the West, people commonly think of an otaku as one who enjoys anime and manga. While there are anime and manga otaku in Japan, it's not uncommon to find, for example, train and camera otaku as well, especially in Akihabara. However, in the upper-middle part of the spectrum lie idol otaku, who generally obsess over the latest idol or pop bands and records.

The idol otaku subgroup is a very distinct community, even among other otaku. AKB48, for example, has a cafe which stands out even in Akihabara, a place known for its dozens and dozens of various hobby and esoteric shops.

AKB48, having its own cafe, is one of the most popular idol brands.

The idol otaku subculture has even coined a specific term, ヲタ, which describes an idol otaku. (In the West, this is usually pronounced "WOE-tah", whereas the Japanese pronounce it more correctly as オタ ota.) This term is derived from the first two syllables of the term おたく, then stylized with an identically sounding, but archaic, character. Though it is derived from the term otaku, it is generally used to refer only to idol otaku, not others (anime, manga, train, etc.).

Akihabara and Shibuya specifically feature Tower Records, a very widely known record company. After all, no music means no life!

Idol brands, due to being so influential (both within and outside of the idol otaku community), are often used to sell other merchandise brands. For example, AKB48 (as mentioned above) was featured in a candy commercial several years ago. This popularity often plays on the 推しメン mentality, which has fans buy things because of the attachment to their favorite idol.

Like idols, anime and manga characters are often used to sell products or entire brand lines.

推しメン comes from the term 推し oshi, meaning "a fan of", and メン men, which (in context) is short for メンバー menbaa, from the English word "member". It generally refers to a fan's favorite member of a particular idol group.

While Candies (キャンディーズ) is widely considered to be the first idol group in the 1970's, the current idol formula started in the late 1990s with the success of hello!project and Morning Musume's song "Love Machine" which gained mainstream success and sold almost 1.7 million copies, making it a #1 single in Japan.

At this same time, as the internet otaku community took off online, and obsessive fans began messaging each other to progress their undying love for a particular idol, compare recent idol purchases and the like. The specific evolution of idol otaku and the term ヲタ was centered around online message boards such as 2ch's Morning Coffee, in an attempt to distinguish themselves from anime otaku.

While the following Morning Musume singles also had mainstream success, the general public moved on to other artists and other types of music. Because of this, wota have for a long time been the main target of idol groups, leading to policies such as no dating (with several idols being 'graduated' after a dating scandal, and effectively banned from ever performing again), handshake events, and lottery-style giveaways that rewarded otaku for buying multiple copies of a single.

A specific example is with the release of a recent AKB48 single, "Everyday, Kachuusha". One particular fan bought over 5,500 copies of the single in order to attend such lottery-style events. Generally, the paychecks of idol otaku, who are as dedicated as this one, are put largely toward such purchases.

An unnamed idol otaku has hoarded thousands of copies of a newly released AKB48 single. [Source]

As obsessive fans, wota memorize their chosen idol's birthday, height, blood type and favorite color. At concerts, wota purchase glow sticks in their idol's chosen color, and memorize a set dance for each song. These dances are called ヲタ芸 wotagei, and are a unique form of audience participation present only at idol concerts.

The idol otaku subculture has grown massively in the last several years, especially with the rise of the internet. Such a medium has provided the ability to stream and download music, watch idol-related videos through services such as YouTube, or even connect with other like-minded idol otaku. Because of the improving ease of communication within this group, their unique language and culture has grown immensely, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Moe moe kyun~! / 萌え 萌え きゅん～！

This post is written by Peter and Sarah.

Those who are familiar with otaku culture will already know the term moe (萌え) as a natural concept. Those outside are often confused with the definition and the obsession over this slang term. The term itself is hard to define and there are various definitions of it. There's no denying the huge influence it has had on otaku culture though.

The most common definition for moe refers to a particular feeling one gets towards a fictional or non-fictional character. It may be directed towards a particular character or a characteristic archetype (more on this later). In general, it stands for "cuteness" or "adorableness" rather than sexual attraction, but that can vary depending on the otaku. Other definitions include a "pure protective feeling" akin to a parental relationship towards their children. The definition is intentionally vague, because otaku culture itself varies, and different otaku will consider different things to be moe.

Nomura Research Institute defined the slang word as a pun from the word 萌える (moeru), meaning "to bloom, or budding", as moe characters are usually young and developing characters rather than more mature ones. Another source may have been 燃える (moeru), meaning "to burn", where your heart is "burning for passion". The physical feeling that some claim they get from moe is similar to the feeling of wanting to cuddle an adorable kitten or puppy upon first sight. 

Characters commonly defined as moe today are typically young, cute, and innocent girls. Otakus are usually attracted to a specifc character archetype rather than specific characters, but some otaku claim to fall in love with a character and declare them as their "waifu". This is the 4chan definition of waifu (NSFW Language and content warning). This is a primarily western otaku term, but Japanese have a similar concept with some extreme cases participating in  嫁との晩餐 (yome to no bangohan, lit. dinner with wife), where otaku celebrate holidays with their virtual partner.

An otaku celebrating Christmas with their virtual "waifu".

Here are some other popular archetypes:

• Tsundere (ツンデレ) - A character that is initially hostile and cold (tsun tsun ツンツン, meaning turning away in disgust) , but slowly warms up and shows their warmer side (dere dere デレデレ, meaning lovey-dovey).
• Yandere (ヤンデレ) - A character that appears perfectly innocent and charming at first, but are actually obsessive or controlling towards their love interest, often showing insanity episodes invoked by jealously.
• Meganekko (眼鏡っ娘) - Literally means glasses-wearing girls. While their glasses are the main focus, these characters are usually quiet and sweet, but very smart and pleasant.
• Kemonomimi (獣耳) - Characters with animal features, such as cat ears (nekomimi 猫耳), fang teeth, and tails.
• Imouto (妹) - Characters that fit strongly into the little sister/big brother dynamic, often going into the incestual territory.
• Zettai Ryouiki (絶対領域) - Not a specific character type, but referring to the bare skin between the skirt and knee high socks.
• And much more including maid (メイド), shrine maiden (巫女, miko), loli, energetic girl (元気), clumsy girl, etc.

Rin from Fate/Stay Night is the standard go-to tsundere example.

'Moe points' give otaku the chance to gather and discuss their favorite charm points and characters. As otaku are traditionally solitary creatures, outside of otaku conventions most of this discussion happens on online boards like 2ch, where topics (スレ - threads in 2ch parlance) discussing top ten moe characters, debate over which characters are or aren't moe, or which moe point is best are common. As moe has continued to gain traction in the otaku community, animators and マンガ家 (mangaka - creators of manga) have started to intentionally target this part of otaku culture. Some people even say that moe has taken over the industry, because it is easy to market and can reach wider audiences than the age-old "sex sells" advertising.

Moe sells.

Moe is also gradually beginning to spread throughout Japanese culture. The other day, a Japanese female friend (and definitely not an Otaku) complimented Sarah as "めっちゃ萌える" and described it as meaning "ridiculously cute." Another Japanese woman stated that most young Japanese people knew the word and what it meant in the otaku culture, but would almost certainly never use it because of the negative view of otaku.  Using "moe" in the sense of cute associates someone with otaku culture, so it's likely that the vast majority of people will describe someone as かわいい even if referring to typically 萌え features such as fang-teeth or glasses. However, even if the terms aren't directly used, it is certainly more prevalent in everyday culture as a cute way of attraction attention.

A poster from the Kyoto Municipal Subway's Moe Moe Project.