Otaku identity and social stigmas: Why do students study abroad in Japan?
By Suhana Laaj
Feature Story:
Otaku identity and social stigmas: Why do students study abroad in Japan?
By Suhana Laaj
The term ‘otaku’ traditionally refers to a subculture of people who identify as strongly passionate fans of interests that are commonly associated with anime, manga, video games, etc. Arguably, most foreigners travel to Japan to openly embrace this lens of otaku culture and practice fandom in a country that is the primary exporter of such content. Though, it is important to note that most individuals’ perceptions of otakus may be negative, as the strong devotion to such hobbies is regarded as unconventional. Given this idea, I was inspired to interview two anonymous foreign exchange students, given the pseudonyms Snowflake and Katt, who fall under the umbrella term of otaku. I strive to gather experiences and possible answers to what can qualitatively define an otaku, and whether prospective exchange students choose to study in Japan for the sole purpose of engaging in Otaku culture.
Snowflake and Katt are both international exchange students at Meiji Gakuin. While speaking with both individuals, they expressed that the term ‘Otaku’ does not necessarily fit the conventional definition as mentioned in the introduction. For snowflake, the idea of being an Otaku reminds them of Western anime culture in the early 2010s, marked by influential Western anime YouTubers and bloggers such as Akidearest, CDawgVA, TheAnimeMan, etc. This era of content creation can be described as passionately engaging in anime and having strong opinions about such shows; thus, creating a polarizing and decisive environment. In agreement with Katt, they both suggest that otaku culture has created a sphere of communications that made people heavily engage with fandom in the online space, and also inspired people to invest more time in Japanese-influenced exports and culture. Furthermore, Katt suggests that the otaku culture seems to be a subjective identity where people can adhere to the culture if they have a strong sense of belonging to fandoms that are sensationalized in Japan; thus, these interests do not have to be exclusively from Japan. Katt feels that this definition categorizes them effectively as they primarily engage with the culture by buying merchandise and supporting artists from fandoms such as alienstage, anime, J-rock, etc, but Snowflake feels they separate from this identity due to not having such strong opinions on anime and other interests.
In conversation for additional reasons of visiting Japan, Snowflake remarks that Japanese culture is still a major deciding factor for studying in Japan. Snowflake reminisces that since a young age, they romanticized the idea of going to Japan and having the freedom to normalize their interests and hobbies, free from possible scrutiny. But beyond this, Japanese culture and language itself are the primary reasons why Snowflake likes living here and considers working here in the future. Snowflake has studied Japanese for 6 years, and remarks that vtubers who speak both Japanese and English inspired them to pursue the goal of becoming bilingual. In this sense, Snowflake’s interests and hobbies coincide with the desire to learn more deeply about Japanese culture.
As for Katt, they had an interest in anime and Japanese music, which inclined them to choose Japan as a destination; but beyond this, Katt wanted to travel to Japan in order to learn the language and be able to connect with Japanese music more. Embracing their interests is a positive, but it goes beyond simply engaging in otaku culture; rather, Katt reflects that as a child, they were heavily sheltered and discouraged from participating in such activities. Given that they are now an adult and independent from their parents, engaging in fandom and buying merchandise is a way of reliving a special type of joy that they were not brought up with.
By engaging in conversation, I suggest that otaku culture may not be the primary means of traveling to Japan. There are strong positives that indicate so, but ultimately, participating in the culture is not singular to visiting Japan. Rather, the internet and online communities have made otaku culture more accessible and open to a wide variety of people. Thus, students who strive to visit and study in Japan have the desire to engage in culture beyond otaku identity. In this sense, the otaku identity departs from acting as a cultural model, but as a means of connecting to communities and sharing common interests.
Photo Story:
Otaku Culture powered by Mass Consumerism
By Suhana Laaj
As established in my previous article, otaku culture is consumed differently among individuals and cannot be defined within one singular explanation. I suggest that otaku culture has changed drastically over time and has diverged away from fandom engagement. Given findings from interviews and the circulation of communications online, otaku culture seems to be powered by representing your love for your interests in parallel to how much merchandise one invests in.
This is not necessarily a negative aspect, but marks a dramatic change in how individuals engage in otaku culture or fandom activities in general. Beyond the individual interest, corporate business practices have introduced and fed this ongoing addiction. The advent of blind boxes is an example of this phenomenon; corporations choose to randomize the chances of getting a certain product or various choices, incentivizing consumers to continue buying the boxes in order to get their top choice. This business practice is not new, but rather a strategy that complements the already existing fandom practice of investing in collectible items. The appeal of such items is also at a higher demand, given that such merchandise is either sold for a limited time or can be bought in a certain location. This inhibits the demand for such merchandise and prolongs stable sales for corporations in the market.
Engaging in fandom and expressing love for a series is an overall net positive, especially for otakus who strive to find community and shared love. Despite this, I brought up the discussion of mass consumerism to assess possible future contentions that may result as a result of this. Third-party resellers may be on the rise, and corporations may take advantage of the high demand for such merchandise. Given this information, I suggest and hope to see otaku culture shift to become more accessible for people of lower income or who cannot travel, and the community normalizes fans who choose not to overconsume merchandise.
Caption: The photo depicts Shark and panda-themed mofusand keychains from Harajuku. These keychains have been sensationalized and are consistently out of stock for long periods of time. Given that it is a Japan-exclusive item, tourists go to extreme lengths to buy these from resellers or even seek to visit Japan to buy such merchandise.
Caption: This photo was shot in the streets of Shibuya, where the large statue draws the attention of both tourists and locals walking by. The pop-up event being advertised is a POP-MART exclusive event where people can try limited-time menu items and buy POP-MART Christmas exclusive items.
Caption: This photo depicts a fully decorated shelf of an international student at Meiji Gakuin. They enjoy collecting merchandise from the popular South Korean series Alien Stage, but also dedicate the shelf to other interests relating to anime.
Caption: This is a photo inside a store located in the Vivre mall in Yokohama, only a three-minute walk from Yokohama station. The store is dedicated to all types of products that complement people who love collecting cute merchandise. This shelf contains clothes that you can buy to put on your plushies or keychains.