Oshikatsu, the fandom phenomenon Japan hopes can boost its flagging economy

By Fabio Gygi, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, SOAS, University of London

Posters in Tokyo’s enormous Shinjuku railway station are normally used for advertising commodities like cosmetics and food, as well as new films. But occasionally you may happen across a poster with a birthday message and a picture of a young man, often from a boy band and typically with impeccable looks.

These posters are created by specialised advertising companies and are paid for by adoring fans. They are part of a phenomenon called oshikatsu, a term coined in recent years that is made from the Japanese words for “push” and “activity”.

Oshikatsu refers…

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