J-Culture Strikes!

Anime, manga, J-pop, J-horror movies, cosplay, karaoke … nontraditional Japanese culture is making inroads in the U.S. Actually, Japanese subculture –– what we call "J-culture" –– is one of Japan's biggest exports today. It might look eccentric to some people, but there are many cool elements. Here, we share where to find J-culture in Japan as well as the latest developments.

Akihabara + Nakano Broadway

Akihabara: From Junk-Shop Town to Electronic City to the Center of J-Culture

key words

otaku: people who are maniacally devoted to one or two interests, usually anime and manga
akiba-kei: a slang word referring to "Akihabara style"; it is mainly used to refer to otaku who are devoted to the items and culture Akihabara provides, but it also refers to people who look like otaku going to Akihabara
maid café: a café where female servers wear maid costumes; customers are welcomed by the phrase, "Okaerinasaimase go-shujin-sama" ("Welcome home, master")

Just a few minutes after leaving Tokyo Station, the empire of J-culture comes into view. Already a popular tourist destination today, Akihabara is a reservoir of J-culture. Alongside its main street, Chuo Avenue, there are major electronic stores where you can find new and used electronic, computer, anime, and game products. If you go into crammed backstreets and passageways, you'll find more used items and otaku goods (products for "otaku," obsessed fans). Akihabara is not just a shopping place but more of an entertainment center, offering an arcade game center, unique establishments such as "maid cafés," "cosplay cafés," and "butler cafés," as well as a café where you can play with cats.

Akihabara started attracting shoppers during World War II, when it was a black market. After the war, a bunch of junk shops emerged, and before long, electronic parts began being sold there, leading the place to become a world-famous electronics town. It was in the late 80s that Akihabara began attracting game, anime, and computer enthusiasts and becoming "otaku paradise." The place appeals to otaku because it provides not only hardware and software but also offers derivative products and services to create a fantasy world. Akihabara continues to spawn new service ideas and cultures.

You can take two or three days to enjoy Akihabara's charm, but if you have only few hours, you'll want to visit electronic stores like Sofmap, Ishimaru Denki, Laox, and Sato Musen, which have a variety of items and can give you a glimpse of Akihabara. But if you have more time, explore the smaller back streets to find something new. If you have absolutely no time, just pass by on the train at night, and you can witness a futuristic and apocalyptic town straight out of Blade Runner.

Nakano Broadway: Subculture Nest

If Akihabara is leisure land for subculture followers, Nakano Broadway can be said to be a miniature version of Akihabara. It is a commercial and residential complex located at the end of Nakano Sun Mall, a 240-meter-long arcade beginning at the Nakano Station of Japan Railroad's Chuo Line. It has nearly 300 stores and offices that, especially from the second to fourth floors, electrify subculture fans: manga and anime shops that sell both new and used items; toy stores; and picture and card stores specializing in merchandise related to idols and rare collectibles such as original animation cells, antique toys, miniature cars, special-interest magazines, CDs and out-of-print books. For this reason, Nakano Broadway has been called the "Otaku Building" and the "Den of Enchantment." Unlike Akihabara, which embraces digital culture and a virtual reality, Nakano Broadway deals with more tangible objects. If you like looking for o-takara (treasure), this is the place to go. You also can sell your o-takara there. (See Nakano Broadway highlights on page 9.)