Have you ever wanted to cosplay in Japan but you don’t live here? Are you daunted by the rules and etiquette required of cosplayers in Japan? Maybe you’re just a bit intimidated by the high level you see on the internet or at specific events.
Have no fear, there are still events you can enjoy cosplaying at! One of the major events that even tourists can join is called the Nipponbashi Street Festival, held every May in Osaka. Nipponbashi, also known as DenDen Town, is the Akihabara of Osaka. You can find electronics, games and game-related items, and, of course, anime merch shops. It’s also home to a number of cosplay-related stores, so if you find yourself in Osaka and want to cosplay, it’s the perfect place to go!
Anyone can participate in the Nipponbashi Street Festival: all you need is to buy a wristband. You can buy it either online or in participating shops in Nipponbashi such as Animate. (You also need a wristband if you want to participate as a photographer.) These wristbands are available up to the day of the festival, so you can decide to join last-minute.
Now, you are expected to follow standard cosplay rules such as no nudity, and you will have to change in specified changing areas. I highly recommend bringing your cosplay in a suitcase if you’re able, as you will also be using the changing area to do your makeup. Everyone used their suitcase to prop up their mirrors closer to their faces, which was a great idea! I brought my cosplay in a backpack which led to trouble trying to do even my basic makeup with one hand holding my mirror up. The changing areas are big open rooms separated by gender, so if you’re not comfortable with stripping down among strangers, consider picking a cosplay where you can go half-dressed or wear underclothes that you’re comfortable revealing. For that reason, I chose Atsushi from Bungo Stray Dogs because I could travel to the event in the pants and shirt, then put on the accessories, wig, and makeup in the changing room.
If you know in advance before your trip that you’ll be joining, of course you can pack whatever cosplay you’d like. But maybe you simply decide on a whim that you want to cosplay while you have the chance, so what should you do then?
This is where DenDen Town shines.
There are stores like Assist (next to the Animate) that not only have wigs, they also have accessories for all kinds of cosplay such as geta sandals, elf ears, ties, makeup, horns, and even colored contacts. In Animate, you can find official anime cosplay (and cosplay-style merch such as hoodies) from the brand ACOS that you can simply purchase in full, same with COSPA Osaka a few blocks away. If you have time and a bit of spare cash, you can even hire stylists at Assist to make your wig for you! (Highly recommended to order your wig online before you go; their rush orders take five business days, but standard orders take 20-45 business days depending on the difficulty of the wig.)
Atsushi is also a great example of the sort of cosplay you can put together by running around a few shops in Nipponbashi/Namba. I had done that cosplay in previous years, but needed to replace the shirt and pants. So, I picked those pieces up at GU, and while I already had the accessories, Assist had everything else I would’ve needed: suspenders, fingerless gloves, the tie, belt, and wig. You can even buy wig-styling supplies at Assist, so feel free to hack away at your wig in your hotel bathroom!
The joy of the Nipponbashi Street Festival is that you can choose to walk around the area, enjoy shopping and visiting local cafes and restaurants in cosplay, or decide to pose and wait for people to come to you. Japanese cosplay etiquette normally dictates that you don’t go into businesses or other public areas while in cosplay as it’s considered bothersome to the neighbors (the visual equivalent of blasting heavy metal as you walk down the street), but when it comes to the street festa, almost everything goes! Enjoy eating takoyaki and ice cream while dressed as your favorite characters.
I personally am only a casual cosplayer. I don’t tend to do Japanese-style cosplay makeup and I purchase my cosplay because I’m not very crafty. Japanese-style cosplay is intended to look as close to an anime character as possible, leading to the big eyes and very contoured base makeup. It’s also considered taboo to not wear wigs, even if your character’s hair is naturally similar to yours.
As a result, I personally find Japanese events to be quite intimidating, but the Nipponbashi Street Festa is full of so many friendly faces that other cosplayers even took pictures with me!
As you can see, I wouldn’t call myself a particularly high-level cosplayer. But the point is that I do enjoy it, and the Nipponbashi Street Festival is a great place to enjoy yourself dressed as your favorite characters or even just whatever character you could put together last-minute! Why not add a fun half-day of cosplay to your trip itinerary? Cosplay with your friends and make a whole event out of it! This is the time and place to have fun and make your cosplay dreams come true!
Photos by Mar Arungay