Interest

Ikebukuro on the Rise, Akiba on the Decline with Otaku's Next Generation

Akihabara: the home of otaku from all around the world. But a recent article points to a new contender for the throne.

For more than 20 years, Akihabara has claimed the title of “Home of Otaku.” It's no wonder why, since the town is inundated with anime, manga, idol, and other sub-cultures. However, a new article from the Nihon Keizai Shinbun (Nikkei) suggests younger otaku find Ikebukuro as their new home.

On November 5, Nikkei published an article on the changing shopping habits of anime and manga fans. The article notes how internet shopping and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have impacted Akihabara as a whole. From the closing of numerous otaku related arcades and stores such as the Toranoana Akihabara A Store and the consolation of all the Animate Akihabara locations into neighboring buildings, to the ease of finding rare items online, Akihabara is losing its prestige as a one-stop-shop for all your otaku needs. This isn't all that surprising, though, as over the years Akihabara has shifted its priorities to meet its current needs.

Originally the electric district of Tokyo, people would flock to Akihabara for cheap or even niche electronic products. During the boom in personalized computers in the 1980s and 90s, the town began attracting fans of computer parts and products. While it's still possible to find electronics in Akihabara, since about the 2000s there has been a shift in catering to anime and manga fans — likely due to the crossover between computer and anime fans. As Akihabara grew in popularity, so did its cultural cache. And soon enough the town found itself being promoted in manga and anime alike. Once that happened, Akihabara began another slow and steady change to a tourist destination.

None of this is bad for Akihabara. In fact, it's brought a new awareness to the town. However, one of the undue effects on the town is it has lost a lot of what made it unique. Some of the comments on the news aggregate blog Yaraon! point this out. One commenter stated, “There's no need to go to Akiba now. I can buy electronic parts online.” Unfortunately, there are far more nationalistic comments on the site as well. They generally focus on how there are too many foreigners visiting Akihabara and because of this the commenters lack interest in going to the town.

So, where are all the otaku going instead? The Nikkei article suggests Ikebukuro as the new destination. More specifically, the article stated, roughly translated, “If Akihabara is for male otaku, then Ikebukuro is for female otaku.” And for good reason. The Otome Road, a street just south of Sunshine City, features numerous anime- and manga-related shops that cater to women's interests: male voice actors, boys love (BL) works, to an assortment of anime- and manga-related cafés. What's more, Animate's main store, which reopened in March 2023 after extensive renovations, is in Ikebukuro. Add on top of this, more and more anime-related events are being hosted in Ikebukuro, such as the Halloween Cosplay Fes or the regular cosplay events at Sunshine City. This has resulted in Ikebukuro slowly gaining traction among Gen-Z and younger, as well as female, otaku.

It's interesting seeing younger Japanese anime and manga fans, and otaku in general, flock toward Ikebukuro over Akihabara. Even more so when you consider a place like Nakano, more specifically the Nakano Broadway, has that old-school otaku feel to it. Yet, at the same time it makes perfect sense as Ikebukuro has been one of the go-to destinations for young people. Add to this how otaku sub-culture in Japan has slowly become accepted by the mainstream, it's no wonder Ikebukuro is becoming a hotbed for otaku culture. That being said, Akihabara will still hold a certain amount of that otaku clout, even if some Japanese people believe they have no need to go there anymore.

Source: Nikkei via Yaraon!, Animate (Link 2), and Toranoana

Update: This article has been updated to clarify the closing of Toranona Akihabara A Store, the Animate Akihabara stores have been consolidated into neighboring buildings, Animate Ikebukuro reopened in March 2023 after undergoing renovations, and additional sources cited. Thank you to all the commenters regarding the errors.