Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

What’s Your Favorite Kind of Otaku in Japan?

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
6 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

Social Media and otaku in Japan

How Many Kinds of Otaku in Japan Do You Know?

One thing I’ve always been impressed with is the capacity of the Japanese to become obsessive about things, which likely is due to the country’s enviable peace and stability. There are enthusiasts and aficionados (or “otaku” if you prefer that term) for just about everything you can think of, from anime and manga and cosplay to R/C cars and airplanes to females who obsess about Japanese history (called rekijo). Do you like unique traffic signals? There’s an established fandom for that. How about kofun, the ancient burial mounds that dot Japan’s countryside? Yep, there are kofun otaku as well. Yes, there are many kinds of otaku in Japan.

One of the biggest categories of otaku in Japan are “train otaku” (though tetsudou mania is a more polite term), fans who really obsess about trains, and I see them quite often, setting up expensive cameras or sound recording equipment at train crossings to catch some rare train or another. All Wikipedia entries related to trains or train stations are ridiculously long and detailed, as they’re edited by fans with an extremely high amount of passion for the subject. There are many specific types of train otaku, including nori-tetsu (people who like riding exotic trains), ori-tetsu (those who like getting off at different stops and exploring), mokei-tetsu (fans of model trains), and my own favorite, ekiben-tetsu, connoisseurs of train station bento. Next month will be a big one for railfans in our prefecture as the famous 107系 train series is being phased out after 29 years of service.

(If you want to get a sense of train anime and fanservice at the same time, I recommend Rail Wars!)

It’s interesting to observe the way technology affects human interactions. My wife is and extremely “analog” person, refusing to embrace most aspects of our modern technological world in favor of older, simpler gadgets. Instead of a smartphone she carries around an old-style flip phone from 2009, and says things like, “I’m glad we had our children 20 years ago. If we had small children today, I’d have to learn how to use [popular mobile chat platform] Line because all the other mothers would be using it. If I didn’t keep up with the other mothers on Line, it would be bad for our kids.” Netsuzou Trap is an anime about some of the pressures young people feel in school (and yuri), and in the latest episode there’s a scene where some girls are sharing Line IDs, with one saying “shall we make a Line group, so we can all chat together?” This scene made me react sadly, because I could imagine how some students would feel left out if classmates around them formed a Line group but they weren’t invited. I love the way the Internet allows people to form friendships with like-minded people all over the world, an extremely positive thing. If there aren’t any Touhou fans in your high school? Well find some on Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram, or Discord, problem solved. Can’t find IRL friends who share the same esoteric tastes? Find some cool kids to hang with at an anime convention. Anime is such a great place!

New touhou and kancolle musuc

In addition to the dozens of new doujinshi comics we’ve been adding to the site during our 5x Points promotion through the end of the month, we’ve also been stocking great doujin music CDs by the top groups making officially approved Touhou, KanColle and other music.

Tags: ComiketcosplayJ-List

More Posts Like This

J List Now Does Special Orders And Price Matching
Your Friend in Japan

J-List Announces Special Orders, Price Matching!

by Peter Payne
2 months ago

For more than 25 years, J-List has been your Friend in Japan®, bringing crazy and fun products from Japan to...

Thumb 1920 445809
Your Friend in Japan

25 Years of Anime Blogging…and American Godzilla?

by Peter Payne
3 months ago

I happened to notice that today marks the 25th anniversary of the Japanese release of the 1998 American Godzilla film....

Jlist Square New Shipping Rates V3

Enjoy Lower Shipping on the New J-List Site!

5 months ago
Jlist Status Report

New J-List Site Status Update!

6 months ago
Shimoneta Weird Anime

16 Ways Being an Anime Otaku Makes You Happier!

1 year ago
San Diego Comic Con Harry Potter Image

San Diego Comic-Con is Back! Four Things We Love About the Show

1 year ago
Next Post
Overview Of the Gamers Anime

Would You Play Video Games with a Cute Girl?

Trending Today

Why Is Umi Yatsugake So Popular
Your Friend in Japan

Why is Umi Yatsugake The Most Popular JAV Actress?

3 days ago
Roxy Migurdia Blog Post
Figures

This is the Roxy Migurdia Figure We All Needed!

5 days ago
Why Are There So Many Characters Named Sakura
Your Friend in Japan

Why Are So Many Anime Characters Named Sakura?

5 days ago
Tan Fighters List1 6
Featured

Lovely Tanned Fighters Who Need No Protection

1 week ago
Neko Pako Fuck Paradise
Adult Toy Reviews [NSFW]

J-List’s Top 11 Hentai Cosplay JAV Works

3 years ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
What Autumn 2023 Anime Will J List Watch
Your Friend in Japan

The J-List Autumn 2023 Anime Guide! Which Anime Should You Watch?

by Peter Payne
September 28, 2023

TenPuru, Episode 12 [END]: Where Are You Looking?

Rurouni Kenshin, Episode 13: Sword vs. Gun

Comic Con Africa Is a Slice of Global Otaku Culture

The J-List Autumn 2023 Anime Guide! Which Anime Should You Watch?

Bibury Animation 100 Girlfriends Who Really Love You

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.