Cosplay Culture Shock

Posted on 11/11/2022 Last updated on 11/11/2022

Top Photo: suiraさん on PhotoAC

Cosplay was a whole new world when I first came to Japan compared to the U.S. If you’re unaware, cosplay is a niche, somewhat underground anime/manga culture worldwide where people will dress up as their favorite fictional characters, take pictures with their friends, or have full blown professional level photoshoots. I’ve been cosplaying in the United States for about 5 years before coming to Japan so I’ve had plenty of experience but when I came to Japan, the culture shock of differences I experienced were real as the vibe and atmosphere were opposite…

Cosplay Back Home

For those looking to start cosplaying, attend future events, or learn more about the subculture of Japan that you might occasionally see in Ikebukuro, Akihabara, Nagano, the three main anime spots in Tokyo, this is where to start. Before we dive right into my experiences however, first is some background on the American cosplay scene. In America, there are many anime conventions where anime/game fans congregate and socialize, party, meet people in the industry or fan run panels.

Regardless of the quality of the cosplay, people will ask cosplayers for a picture with their cell phones, compliment their cosplay quickly, then leave. There might be planned group photoshoots where people can come and take pictures as they please and leave circling the cosplayer. This chaos of people coming and going is normal and there is a lack of direction or organization to the process. Not only that, while times have gotten better, there is a lack of respect and consent for cosplayers getting their pictures taken and even getting harassed or assaulted physically.

Convention events are usually volunteer or guest run events where chaos is the norm and line organization is practically non-existent. As these events are held at hotels, they usually have lobby, room, or rave dance parties where people are cosplaying all day and have a very big party culture in their presence, even during the corona pandemic. Masks were unfortunately disregarded very quickly in the United States and was not part of the safety culture in normal life as well as the cosplay scene.

Cosplay in Japan

In Japan, the cosplay vibe is completely different. The amount of respect, safety, and organization that I’ve seen is night and day compared to what I’m used to in the United States and is a welcome change. While cosplay is a lot more niche in Japan, it’s also a lot more personal yet formal, polite, organized, and safe and comfortable. I have never felt so safe and fulfilled on an artistic level when it comes to going to cosplay events in Japan.

While there is a lack of a social aspect, it is definitely more of a hobby here in Japan where no money is exchanged between cosplayer and photographer. Lately in America, it has earned a reputation of clout chasing and trying to get monetization through social media and other subscription platforms.

To walk through an average day, first you need to buy a ticket online on the website (which is usually) lottery or presale as they will NOT be selling tickets on site. You need to do a little bit of work to find these events and if you google in English “cosplay Tokyo events,” it’s not gonna cut it.

A Beginner’s Guide to Cosplay in Japan!

The main event for beginners I recommend is Acosta. This organization has many events in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and occasionally other parts throughout Japan. As I live in the Kanto region, once a month in Ikebukuro Sunshine City Mall on the rooftop is the main photography area. To participate, a ticket costs 2000 yen for a changing room. It’s a faux pas, but you technically can just arrive already in cosplay and not need a changing room. However, riding public transportation is generally frowned upon by the Japanese cosplay community as they don’t want to disturb the public.

When you enter the changing room, the amount of female attendees greatly outnumber the males by about 80-20%. In a big gymnasium style room with a square taped area on the bare concrete floor, you’re expected to sit down, do your makeup, wig, and put on your costume usually within an hour. These events are usually 10:00 am-16:30 pm so there is no after party (publicly) and you must change and be in regular attire when you leave.

When you leave the changing room, the way to get your picture taken is finding a background, stand in front of it, and wait. That’s it. There’s no chaos of you walking around in America and people chasing after you to take your picture. Japanese photographers are very respectful and will wait till you are ready to take your picture.

Not only that, but they will form into a singular line, one behind another, in front of you, each photographer patiently waiting his turn to get his best angles of you. At the front of the line, they will come up to you and ask in English or Japanese “May I take your picture?” “撮影は大丈ですか？（satsue (photoshoot) wa daijoubu desuka?).” After 4-5 poses, they will ask you for your social (99% Twitter, I literally just made a Twitter for this), then in a day or two later will thank you again on Twitter and send you the RAWs to download on Gigafile, a digital sharing platform.

Eventually you will make friends and contacts with photographers and they will invite you to go to a cosplay photography studio with premade rooms just for aesthetic background pictures. As a beginner, I recommended making friends with other cosplayers to do a group photoshoot if you don’t feel comfortable going 1-on-1 with a photographer or if you’re not comfortable with Japanese yet.

These photoshoots will also be about 2 hours at one location but I know cosplayers who will even travel to ryokans and other scenic locations for more “authentic” looking pictures as if they’ve just stepped out of the anime. Also, it is also customary for you and the photographer to go out for drinks or a meal
afterwards (just like a nomikai) as thanks for the long studio photoshoot.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a party, Japan is not the cosplay scene you will want to attend. If you want free artistic and high quality aesthetic pictures in a safe, polite, professional environment, then come to Acosta. Also, during the event, everyone will be wearing masks and only taking them off outside during shooting so there is also an extra level of safety compared to the West during these pandemic times.

If you want to go to Comiket (winter or summer), the ticket ’s a lottery system so you’re not even guaranteed a ticket nowadays because of the coronavirus as they’re only letting a certain number of people enter. If you love Halloween, I recommend trying cosplay once, you will get plenty of beautiful photos in return and experience a different new subculture compared to the West.

Photo Credits:

Top Photo: suiraさん on PhotoAC

All additional images taken and provided by Anonymous, used with permission.