[ SECRET POST #1290 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1290 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 05 pages, 108 secrets from Secret Submission Post #184.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 2 3 4 5 - not!fandom ], [ 1 2 3 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom.livejournal.com]

143. http://i49.tinypic.com/smtzqh.jpg

[rathanylakan.livejournal.com]

Um. I hope you find other cosplayers to bond with, but, Akihabara isn't exactly crawling with them. When I've been there, most of the people in costume were promoting maid cafes. I love Akiba, but most of what I've seen there are electronics shops, maid cafes catering to foreigners, and just a handful of shops catering to anime fans.

"this should be my home?" <- I don't want to read too much into this, but it sounds like you've really built Japan into some sort of ideal. I ... I hope you are able to enjoy whatever you do find over there and don't waste your trip looking for what's not there.

[(Anonymous)]

hate to tell you, bb, but Japan is even worse about the fandom thing than America is. I taught English there for years, I know of some Otaku kids who were basically disowned by their parents for liking anime/manga so much. Additionally, I'm sure you can find a group who enjoys the same thing you do, but I'm not exactly sure you'll be able to enjoy fandom stuff with them if you're an "outsider". Its the sad reality of Japan. They are very "in" and "out" group, and foreigners are often considered "out".

Why not just do some typical touristy stuff? Its a lot easier to met Japanese interested in hanging out with you. See the shrines, shopping, invest in a rail pass, etc.

[(Anonymous)]

"Get used to disappointment." Japan is not the land of kawaii-desu all-anime all the time sparkly happy land.

In fact, must people probably won't even like you that much because you're a foreigner. Sure, they'll pay attention to you and stuff, but it's because you're weird(to them) and not Japanese. Unfortunately, Japan is full of rampant xenophobia. Unless you're there to teach their kids English or to be a tourist, they don't want you.

[uuuun.livejournal.com]

You are really going to be disappointed if you go to Japan thinking it's some kind of otaku paradise, which it most certainly is not. There are plenty of anime fans in Japan, but it's not really the cool thing, you know?

Don't spend all your time in Akihabara looking for cosplayers and anime fans, Japan is a really cool country with a cool history, and if you spend all your time there looking for anime you are doing yourself a disservice.

[(Anonymous)]

I was in Japan for a while last year, and as awesome as it was (I really want to go back for good) it's not going to be the "fandom mecca" that you seem to envision it to be. I love Akihabara, I had to change trains there every day going back and forth from the school that I went to, but it's not like, fandom central. Yeah there's a shit ton of anime shops and such, but you don't just see people randomly in costume, unless you're going to a maid cafe or something like that. The only time I've seen people actively cosplaying in Japan was when I went to a doujinshi event. Even when I went to Tokyo Anime Fair, I didn't see that many cosplayers milling about.

As for the "accepted and not alienated" thing, unless you're Japanese or even just of Asian descent, you're going to feel pretty left out. You get stared at a lot on a train just because you're not Asian. For the most part people were pretty helpful, but there's a lot who'll refuse to help you at all because either you don't speak the language or because you're not Asian. So I would recommend NOT prancing around in a cosplay outfit when you're there because you're going to get a lot of even funnier looks.

Just enjoy your time there, see the sights, marvel at some of the things you'll find there, but don't expect it to be the be-all-end-all of fandom. Whatever you've built it up to be in your mind, the reality is that it's not.

[tayles.livejournal.com]

I'm somewhat tempted to call troll, but then again I know people who would actually say this sort of thing...

Sad fact is, the above comments are right - 'otaku' are just as looked down upon in Japan as in the West. Unless you already know people out there or are planning on hitting up a convention or doujinshi fair, it will probably be hard to find 'fandom' friends. It's seen as an incredibly nerdy passtime if you take it beyond just reading manga on the train or watching the latest big name anime series.

That said, going round Animate and finding manga and DVDs and CDs of things that are usually so difficult to find is a bit of a thrill (totally check out K Books too! Masses of merchandise to be found!), and don't be afraid to talk to someone if you see them looking at merchandise for a show/manga/etc. that you like. Foreigners are often looked at as a bit of a novelty and so you're bound to meet someone who's happy to talk fandom to you.

Do go and do non-fandom things as well though! There's so much more to Japan than just anime/manga/hot dancing tennis boys. It may not be the ideal you've made it out to be, but as long as you're realistic with your expectations it can be an incredibly fun place.

lol

[(Anonymous)]

Haha, another otaku who thinks Japan is going to be the ~promise land~ of anime and otaku culture. I have a lot of Japanese friends (did foreign exchange in high school, and am going to school there this fall) and sorry to say, but "otaku" is considered an insult to a lot of Japanese youth. My friends were never part of the anime culture (sure, we watched it and read manga on occasion because it's what was on/most girls did, but mostly girly stuff and we didn't nerd out too much), and believe me, white people who are are shunned/made fun of pretty bad. Gaijin are treated differently anyway, and it REALLY doesn't help if you fit the nerd stereotype. I was one of the only white non-otaku the people I hung out with had ever met, so I was well-liked.

As others have said, Akiba isn't fucking anime wonderland, it's a district for shopping and tourists. Not as much anime as you'd think, though I did see some otaku tourists. I didn't really like going there, because most of the other Americans I saw were otaku doing socially awkward things, and were really fucking annoying.

So, yeah. My advice would be to not be all fandom-y. There's a possibility that you could meet some Japanese otaku and become friends (and if you're doing study abroad or something with other Americans, you'll surely meet otaku there, heh), but if you go around weeaboo'ing it up, yeah, expect to be treated worse. It' just the truth.

(sorry if that came off as harsh. I have a lot of feelings about this, since American otaku kinda give the rest of us a bad name over there -_-)

[(Anonymous)]

Oh anon. I hope I'm wrong. But I've always gotten the impression that Japanese people want nothing to do with you unless you're of the same ethnicity, weigh 95 pounds and have a haircut that is considered trendy in their country. I get the feeling you're in for a thoroughly unpleasant disillusioning.

[subarashiine.livejournal.com]

Oh sweetheart, if you're white, you're going to be stared at and ostracized all the time. Take it from my best friend who lived there for eight months. The Japanese can be incredibly ignorant of other cultures, particularly America, and can be very racist.

And yeah, to agree with everyone else, it's definitely not the Anime wonderland you're expecting.

[(Anonymous)]

People like you are really shameful. It's a shame that you can disrespect a country's true culture and history by distorting it as some frilly cosplay-anime land. I hope when you go there you learn to appreciate Japan as a country with rich history and tradition, as well as just a beautiful country. If you can't learn to even do that, then you don't deserve to go there. Not everyone can just hop onto a plane and go visit a country they love.
Or really, do you even like Japan that much? Are you going to dislike it if you come to realise it's not the distorted haven that you've been envisioning it to be?

[(Anonymous)]

LOL, you're a dumb piece of shit.

[affablyevil.livejournal.com]

Let me guess: Group A right?

You're probably going to be able to find these people, but meeting people and forming friendships takes time, patience, and enthusiasm. You're not going to be able to just default have fandom friends, but that doesn't mean you can't meet people who share your interests — you'll definitely be able to make some though!

Language learning takes time — all Japanese people have to have at least those 3 years of English in middle school. But I've found that a lot of Japanese people who aren't very confident in their English are extremely shy to speak English to a native-speaker, so while they might be able to understand more than you think they can, they'll be reticent to reply to you. Nobody likes being misunderstood.

So if it's breaking into fandom you want, you're going to have to be the one putting yourself out there the most. The more you are able to communicate with them the easier time you'll have making friends that share your interests, so try really hard to absorb as much Japanese as you can. They'll appreciate the efforts you make, trust me.

Bon voyage and I hope you have a great trip!

[kimoto.livejournal.com]

I hope you'll have a great time but don't be disappointed if Japan is not like you expected. I've been to Japan the previous year and it's definitely no 'fandom heaven' in my opinion. I found it very difficult to make connect with people there. Anyway if you have a possibility(and interest) go to a manga con, I was amazed at how friendly the mangakas were and if you dress up in your costume I bet people will come to talk with you :)

[childings.livejournal.com]

[(Anonymous)]

Japan is where I learned to be ashamed of liking anime/manga. "Otaku" doesn't just mean fan, it also carries the connotation of "potential serial killer."

Don't worry - nomihodai makes it all ok!

[(Anonymous)]

*sigh*

I just got back from studying in Japan this week. I was there about three months. It was the trip of a fucking lifetime- I made a ton of friends, had a fantastic time, and learned and experienced a ton.

None of the excitement and enjoyment came from being an otaku. Or at least, nothing that was special to me. I went through Akiba at least once a week, on my way home from volunteering at a homeless shelter. I bought a good chunk of otaku swag- I've got an awesome Subaru Nakajima figure sitting in my room, I bought a copy of Fate/Stay Night, some CDs, etc. But that was all little, personal things. I didn't talk with any of my Japanese friends about anime, we talked about a whole bunch of things.

Also- everyone who's telling you Japan's full of racist, xenophobic pricks who wouldn't piss on a gaijin if he was on fire?* They're not telling the full story. There are a good number of those types of people in Japan, but you could probably find them everywhere. Just about everyone I interacted with in Japan, from my teachers to the volunteers at the shelter I was at, was amazingly helpful and friendly. They were nice people, same as everywhere else.

But they're people, same as everywhere else, and most people aren't involved in fandom. Anime and manga, manga in particular, is more mainstream over there. Which means that it's just TV to most people. There's nothing special about it, and most people aren't going to want to talk about it for hours on end.

If you're going alone, with minimal Japanese skills, and hoping to find otaku friends and fit in, you're going to be in trouble. I couldn't tell you how to get ingratiated with that sort of crowd, and I suspect it would be highly difficult.

If you're going with a group, you're probably going to have a blast. Look at the other people in your group if you want to talk geek- chances are, a lot of them are otaku as well. A lot of people in my program were. With one exception (and even then, he was a decent guy), we were all there for more than just the anime.

Japan is full of awesome stuff besides anime and manga. Go sing karaoke with your friends, have a party at an izakaya, go to an onsen, visit all the tourist sites, eat at a hole-in-the-wall ramen stand, etc. There are so many things you can do that have nothing to do with anime and manga that you sell yourself really short if that's all you're looking for.

Be careful, too. If you're a girl doing all that stuff, you're going to get a lot of strange looks, and probably more than a few creepers. Keep an eye out.

*yes, yes, it's hyperbolic. So sue me.

[sophistry]

Ngl, this is now the only thing I can picture:

Been here five years, hit me up

[shigeruhiko.livejournal.com]

OP, I'm not gonna rehash all the crap others have said.

If you want to hit me up for all your questions, please feel free to. I will be quite honest. I love Japan, been here five years and will be here for at least one more, I think.

Also, be careful with where you cosplay. Japan is mostly safe, but there are unsafe places and things as well. I know a few places where there are cosplay events, but it is a different animal then we're used to in the US.

Please don't hesitate to contact me. I will NOT judge.

[(Anonymous)]

*sigh*

oh, dear.

[(Anonymous)]

Going to Japan was the worst mistake I ever made. Hope you're not about to ruin your life, hon.

[sairei.livejournal.com]

Reschedule for a time when you have been disillusioned about Japan. Thank you.

Speaking as someone who made fandom friends in japan...

[itachinyu.livejournal.com]

I knew people would reply to this all "we're so hip and edgey for calling you a douche, no one likes anime in japan, lolololol."

I was in Japan for half a year just recently. (Fukuoka) I made a few friends/acquaintenes through university and stuff...but, none of them were 'fandom friends'. When they say they like anime, they just mean mainstream stuff and the idea of 'fandom' would be wtf to them.
And then I went to a little mini animecon in a park. It was just a small cosplay event. I was sticking close to where this Hetalia group was because they were doing funny things so I was asking to take photos when they did. Eventually they caught on to me being able to speak Japanese, thought it was interesting and started talking to me. One of the non-cosplayers who was also taking photos took immense interest in the Meiko(vocaloid) badge on my bag and then we really started talking. It turned out this girl was into all my fandoms, and she really was a giant otaku. (She even called herself an 'otaku'). We exchanged phone numbers and met up again at least once a week or so, going shopping or having little drawing sessions, or just going out to eat. And we were always talking about fandom things (she talked about her ships a lot - turned out she also draws doujinshi). She's since become one of my best friends; she also introduced me to some other people there.
However, she couldnt speak a single word of english. All conversations were in Japanese. I've been learning for 7-8 years so this wasnt a huge problem for me but you say you're a beginner. It wasn't just her, NONE of the otaku girls I met could speak english besides some scarce nouns.
But anyway, now that I'm back in my home country, we still talk/chat online, on Skype and by email, it's a lot of fun.

I just thought I ought to post this to show people that this kind of thing can happen. I realize that my experience may be pretty unique and may not happen to everyone. Also I had language proficiency on my side, and it's not like I went on exchange in Japan solely to find fandom friends (it was for my university degree. I major in Asian Studies, I just also happen to be a fantard of a lot of things.)
The point is that you are not going to just randomly meet people anywhere, I think it has to be in a social setting (ie, this cosplay event). In my experience (with the number of otaku girls I met), the female anime fans are very friendly and open to conversation.

[hako-neko.livejournal.com]

Please be a troll?

[(Anonymous)]

LOLOLOL this is the place that regularly has police men monitor otaku for strange behavior. They are not so tolerant nonny.