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Otaku glossary: anime & otaku terms every visitor should know

A quick, accurate glossary of the anime, shopping, fandom and event words you'll see all over Japan — so you know your gunpla from your gachapon and your oshi from your itasha.

Fandom basics

  • Otaku (オタク) — a passionate fan, especially of anime, manga or games. In Japan it's broad and increasingly mainstream.
  • Oshi (推し) — your favourite character or idol member, the one you support; oshikatsu (推し活) is the activity of supporting them.
  • Waifu / husbando — fan slang for a fictional character you adore as if a partner.
  • Moe (萌え) — the warm, affectionate feeling a cute character evokes.
  • Fujoshi (腐女子) — a female fan of BL (boys' love); Ikebukuro's Otome Road is their hub.
  • Seiyuu (声優) — voice actor; in Japan they're celebrities with concerts and fan events.
  • Isekai (異世界) — the hugely popular "transported to another world" genre.
  • Tsundere / yandere — character archetypes (cold-then-warm / obsessively-loving).

Shopping & merch

  • Gunpla (ガンプラ) — Gundam plastic model kits; the home of them is The Gundam Base.
  • Gachapon / gashapon (ガチャポン) — capsule-toy vending machines; gacha also means random draws in games. See Gachapon Kaikan.
  • Scale figure / prize figure — collectible figures (boxed, painted) vs cheaper crane-game/lottery prizes.
  • Garage kit (ガレージキット) — unpainted resin kits, the star of Wonder Festival.
  • Nendoroid / figma — popular chibi and poseable figure brands.
  • Doujinshi (同人誌) — self-published fan works (comics, art), sold at events like Comiket.
  • Itasha (痛車) — a car wrapped in anime characters.
  • Tax-free / 免税 — duty-free shopping for tourists; see our tax-free guide.

Places & culture

  • Maid café (メイド喫茶) — themed café with maid hospitality; read the etiquette guide.
  • Seichi junrei (聖地巡礼) — "holy-site pilgrimage," visiting real-life anime locations.
  • 2.5D (2.5次元) — stage musicals/plays adapting anime and games.
  • Tokusatsu (特撮) — live-action SFX shows like Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Godzilla.
  • Cosplay (コスプレ) — costume play; common at conventions and Wonder Festival.
  • Cour (クール) — a ~13-episode anime season block; OVA/OAD — direct-to-video episodes.
  • Light novel (ラノベ) — illustrated young-adult novels, the source of many anime.

常见问题

What's the difference between gachapon and gacha?
Gachapon (or gashapon) are the physical capsule-toy vending machines you turn for a random toy. 'Gacha' more broadly means a random draw — including the paid random rewards in mobile games. Akihabara's Gachapon Kaikan has around 500 machines.
What is 'oshi'?
Your oshi is your favourite — the character, idol or member you most support. 'Oshikatsu' is the hobby of supporting them: buying their goods, going to events, and so on.
What does 2.5D mean?
2.5-dimensional theatre (2.5次元) is live stage musicals and plays that adapt 2D anime, manga and games — a huge scene in Japan, especially around Ikebukuro.
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On-the-ground coverage of otaku Japan — shops, cafés, events.

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手办东京（其他）

The Gundam Base Tokyo

The official Gunpla flagship in DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, Odaiba — every Gundam model kit, exclusives, builder zones, and the life-size Unicorn Gundam statue outside.

  • 免税
  • 英语OK