With a population of 2.5 million, Osaka is Japan's third largest and second most important city. Many Japanese see Osaka as the food capital of Japan. The locals are so passionate about food that they have an expression called "kuidaore," literally meaning "to eat until you drop.” Any foodie visiting Japan should not miss Osaka’s Dotonbori area, a neon-filled street where you can sample all the culinary delights that Osaka has to offer and Doguyasuji kitchenware street is fantastic for shopping for everything from sake flasks to sushi platters.
At World Travel Market, Osaka will be promoting itself not only as Japan’s key foodie destination, but also as the go to place for Japanese pop culture, with the first official International Cool Japan Awards and POP Matsuri (festival), set to take place in Osaka in from 21-30 March 2014. Categories will include manga, anime, cosplay and gaming and during the festival numerous events will be held throughout the city exploring the many facets of Japanese pop culture, from exclusive cosplay pilgrimage tours, special live concerts, delicious yet cheap Osaka food, subculture fashion, karaoke, figurines and more.
From 20 December 2013 to 28 February 2014, photo submission entries will be accepted for the "Best Cosplayer Award". The general public will be able to play a part in selecting the best cosplayer by voting for their favourite photos. The grand prize winner will be revealed at the POP Matsuri in Osaka in March 2014. Full details for the competition will be revealed on the event’s official website, osaka-pop.com, in the coming weeks.
This competition seeks entries from around the world to design the "to-be" OSAKA-POP official characters “Mio & Tsukushi”. It asks you – fans, otakus, artists, designers, children, adults, amateurs and professionals alike - to apply your imagination in a creative manner to design: “Mio & Tsukushi” a pair of girl characters fitting the image of Osaka. The selected award winning characters will serve as the official OSAKA-POP characters and make their debut, to promote the vibrant city of Osaka and its pop-ness to the world and the winner will receive a grand prize of 200,000 yen (£1,272). Entry is via the OSAKA-POP website at osaka-pop.com.
Interest in Japanese pop culture has grown significantly in recent years. In July 2013, HYPER JAPAN, the UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture, cuisine and cool, had a record number of over 62,000 visitors attending to see the latest in gaming, anime, cosplay, fashion, music, food and drink from Japan.
Kazuhiro Marumo, Managing Director of Cross Media, organisers of HYPER JAPAN 2013 exclaimed, “This is fifth HYPER JAPAN and the first time we have crossed the 60,000 visitor mark. This impressive figure is testament to just how strong the interest in Japanese culture has become here in the UK, and in HYPER JAPAN as a showcase of that culture. We’re already looking at how we can improve the event to make it bigger and better next time, bringing more of the ‘real’ Japan to the UK.”
Japan Journeys is the UK’s top specialist for Japanese pop culture holidays. The company offers manga-themed tours of Japan and an annual Tokyo Game Show Tour. Japan Journey’s Manga Holidays are the holiday of a lifetime for fans of manga, anime and all aspects of Japanese pop culture. As well as visits to the Ghibli Museum, Akihabara and Nakano Broadway, they give participants exclusive access to one of Japan’s top working anime studios.
Jeffrey Dale Starr is a world traveler, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.
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