Akihabara: home of otaku from all over the world. But a recent article points to a new candidate for the throne.
Akihabara: home of otaku from all over the world. But a recent article points to a new candidate for the throne.
For over 20 years, Akihabara has called itself “The Home of Otaku”. It’s no surprise that the town is filled with anime, manga, idols, and other subcultures. However, a new article from Nihon Keizai Shinbun (Nikkei) suggests that young otaku should find Ikebukuro as their own. new house.
On November 5, Nikkei published an article about the changing shopping habits of anime and manga fans. The article notes how online shopping and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have affected all of Akihabara. From the closure of many shopping malls and otaku-related stores like Animate and Toranoana, to the ease of finding rare items online, Akihabara is losing its reputation as a place where all people’s needs converge. otaku. However, this is not surprising because over the years Akihabara has changed its priorities to meet current needs.
Originally Tokyo’s electricity district, people would flock to Akihabara to buy cheap or even niche electronic products. During the personalized computer boom of the 1980s and 90s, the town began attracting fans of computer products and parts. While electronics can still be found in Akihabara, since around the 2000s, there has been a shift in catering to anime and manga fans—possibly due to the crossover between computer fans and anime. As Akihabara grows in popularity, so does its cultural archive. And before long, the town found itself promoted in both manga and anime. When that happened, Akihabara began another slow and steady change into a tourist destination.
This is not bad for Akihabara. In fact, it has brought new awareness to the town. However, one of the unintended impacts on the town is that it has lost a lot of what made it unique. Some comments on the Yaraon news aggregator blog! points this out. One commenter said: “No need to go to Akiba now. I can buy electronic components online.” Unfortunately, there are also more nationalistic comments on this page. They often focus on the fact that there are too many foreigners visiting Akihabara and because of this the commenters have no interest in coming to the town.
So where do all the otaku go instead? Nikkei’s article suggests Ikebukuro as a new destination. More specifically, the article clearly states, roughly translated as “If Akihabara is for male otaku, then Ikebukuro is for female otaku”. And for good reason. Otome Street, a street just south of Sunshine City, has many anime and manga-related stores that cater to women’s interests: male voice actors, boy love (BL) works, to all kinds of shops Coffee related to anime and manga. Furthermore, Animate’s main store, currently under renovation, is located in Ikebukuro. Additionally, there are more and more anime-related events being held in Ikebukuro, such as Halloween Cosplay Fes or regular cosplay events at Sunshine City. This causes Ikebukuro to gradually attract the attention of Gen-Z and below, as well as female otaku.
It’s interesting to see young Japanese anime and manga fans as well as otaku in general flocking to Ikebukuro instead of Akihabara. Even more so when you consider a place like Nakano, more specifically Nakano Broadway, has a classic otaku feel. However, that is completely reasonable because Ikebukuro is one of the attractive destinations for young people. Add to that the gradual acceptance of the otaku subculture in Japan by the masses, and it’s no surprise that Ikebukuro is becoming a hotbed for otaku culture. That being said, Akihabara will still hold a certain otaku following, even if some Japanese people believe they no longer need to go there.
Source: Nikkei via Yaraon!