News
Yano Research: 1 out of 4 Japanese Say They Are Otaku
posted on by Egan Loo
The Yano Research Institute posted its 2011 report on the Japanese "otaku marketplace" on October 7.
Out of 10,102 people who responded to Yano's survey, 2,581 or 25.5% answered yes to the following question: "Do you think that you are an 'otaku' or have you been called an 'otaku' by other people?" That is an increase of 5.1% from last year. Yano Ressearch attributed the increase in otaku and the expansion of the otaku marketplace to "light otaku" or casual fans.
In particular, the online gaming segment jumped 40.5% to 299.4 billion yen in 2010. The rise in the number of social gamers, social game content, smartphone adoption rate, and smartphone content all contributed to the jump.
Dating simulation game segment rose 30.2% to 11.1 billion yen. Female-targeted mobile phones games catered to general female audiences as well as otaku players.
The electronic comics segment also continued to grow at 28.0% to 54.0 billion yen. Yano cited the increase of available content, the tablet/smartphone adoption rates, and lower costs (compared to print) as selling points.
Maid- and cosplay-related services came in 10.7% higher or 9.3 billion yen, due to the popularity of convenient stores that targeted the mainstream buyers as well as traditional maid/cosplay shops.
| Category | 2010 | 2011 (Estimate) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Comics | 54.0 billion yen | US$710 million | 70.0 billion yen | US$921 million |
| Dōjinshi | 70.0 billion yen | US$921 million | 68.2 billion yen | US$897 million |
| Light Novels | 31.6 billion yen | US$415 million | 33.2 billion yen | US$437 million |
| Plastic Models | 26.2 billion yen | US$345 million | 26.5 billion yen | US$349 million |
| Figures | 29.3 billion yen | US$385 million | 30.6 billion yen | US$402 million |
| Dolls | 13.7 billion yen | US$180 million | 13.8 billion yen | US$182 million |
| Railroad Models (Including Dioramas and Related Products) | 16.0 billion yen | US$210 million | 16.0 billion yen | US$210 million |
| Idols | 55.7 billion yen | US$733 million | 56.8 billion yen | US$747 million |
| Pro Wrestling | 12.5 billion yen | US$164 million | 12.2 billion yen | US$160 million |
| Cosplay Outfits | 41.2 billion yen | US$542 million | 41.7 billion yen | US$549 million |
| Maid-, Cosplay-Related Services | 9.3 billion yen | US$122 million | 9.6 billion yen | US$126 million |
| Online Games | 299.4 billion yen | US$3.938 billion | 316.1 billion yen | US$4.158 billion |
| Adult Games | 26.1 billion yen | US$344 million | 25.2 billion yen | US$332 million |
| Adult Videos (Including Adult Video Tapes, DVDs, Downloaded Content) | 55.4 billion yen | US$729 million | 53.8 billion yen | US$709 million |
| Dating Simulation Games | 11.2 billion yen | US$148 million | 13.7 billion yen | US$180 million |
| Boys-Love | 22.0 billion yen | US$289 million | 21.9 billion yen | US$288 million |
Yano Research conducted its study through in-person and telephone interviews as well as through fax and online surveys from July to September. There is a partial overlap in the categories of dating simulation games and online games. Similarly, some items in the boys-Love Category were also counted towards the electronic comic, dōjinshi, adult game, and adult video categories.
Source: Netlab
Update: The part of the survey on whether people consider themselves "otaku" was conducted in August among 10,102 "general consumers" nationwide, ages 15 to 69. The sample was divided by gender and age range in proportion to Japan's population statistics, and was not self-selected. This part of the survey was separate from the rest of the research on the otaku marketplace, and it was not limited to people interested in those otaku areas.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history