Cosplay Culture in Japan vs Australia

If you’ve picked up this copy of Colin Magazine, you probably have an idea or interest in cosplay (if not, Better Homes and Gardens can be obtained at your local newsagents). Cosplay as we know originated in Japan and has become a global phenomenon, with millions of fans flexing their creative muscles and hot glue gun trigger fingers to share their love for their favourite characters. The way cosplay is embraced and expressed varies widely between countries and is shaped by unique cultural norms and values. While Australian cosplay culture is more casual and community based, Japan’s societal emphasis on harmony forgoes the laid-back approach in favour of orderliness and consideration. 

Let’s explore how cultural differences shape the vibrant world of cosplay in Japan and Australia.

We’ve all experienced that cosplayer rite-of-passage where you’re on a train, heading to the convention, looking cute and feeling good: and you have that inexplicable feeling people are looking at you. Couldn’t be your brightly coloured wig, giant sword prop, and cat ears, could it? Heading to a con or event in cosplay on public transport can be a much-dreaded activity, but for cosplayers in Japan, they forgo this character-building experience entirely. In Japan, you’re not allowed to arrive at or leave an event in cosplay.

For events where you can cosplay - such as conventions or even festivals - often it is explicitly stated in their information that you are not to arrive at or leave the event in cosplay. You must use special changing areas to get into cosplay and put on your makeup and wig. If your makeup is particularly loud, you also have to remove it before reentering society/reality. Why is this?

Consideration for those around you is an essential cornerstone of Japanese culture, and wearing cosplay around the city outside a convention is not considered appropriate. Japan as a society prioritises social harmony and discourages activities that may disturb the peace in public.

Sorry friends, no One Piece/Super Mario/Valorant group mashups post-con at a Maccas allowed.

One of the most fun parts of conventions as cosplayers is the classic lobby conning experience, or linking up with a bunch of different photographers to capture your cosplay creations. Whether it’s on the event floor or scouting out nearby locations, getting con photos can be a spontaneous but fun part of the day. However, this is not the case at Japanese conventions. Cosplay photography is

allowed only in designated sections of the event, and taking photos willy-nilly is prohibited. So if you see a fantastic cosplayer roaming the floor at a Japanese convention, you cannot just snap a pic there and then - you must head to the designated photography area for your shots. A key rule is that you must ASK the cosplayer for a photo every time. Which, honestly, should be a golden rule of cosplay worldwide.

Another difference in cosplay culture is the focus on accuracy amongst Japanese cosplayers. From Halloween at Disneyland to Tokyo Game Show, the cosplayers are no slouch - with screen-accurate costumes to incredible makeup and wigs. Of course, in the Australian cosplay scene, we have no shortage of cosplayers who create astoundingly detailed costumes, but you can see just as often the creative spin cosplayers put on their creations. Gender bending characters, OCs (original characters), and all the delightful interpretations of characters that aren’t necessarily 100% accurate to the original design can be spotted and celebrated in the Australian scene. Japan’s cosplay community is just as wonderful and artistic, but there is more of a focus on accuracy rather than interpretation.

In the Venn diagram of cosplay culture in Japan vs Australia, we share a love of the characters we’re playing, the creativity to pull it together, and throwing up a peace sign when getting our photo taken. Nonetheless, there are distinct differences in our cultures that also manifest in cosplay. Which aspect surprised you most?

Written for Colin Magazine Edition 9 by Susan Craggs