The term cosplay originated in Japan, though the activity itself has become increasingly popular in the Unites States, as well as in other parts of the world. An abbreviation for costume play, cosplay refers to the practice of dressing up in costume to resemble anime, manga, sci-fi/fantasy, and video game characters.

In Japan, cosplayers can be found in a variety of locations, including just roaming the streets, though some areas are more common than others. It’s not uncommon to find many young adults engaging in cosplay in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, a popular teenage gathering place known for its street fashion, as defined by Japan’s young urban trendsetters and rebellious youth culture. Cosplayers can also be found in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, where there are large numbers of maid cafes and cosplay cafes, in which waitresses dress up as anime and game characters in order to please their primarily male customer base, comprised of anime and video game fans. Cosplay parties are often held at nightclubs and amusement parks, and video game shows often focus on cosplaying as well.

The largest concentration of cosplayers can probably be found at various conventions, catering specifically to manga and anime fans, which are held throughout Japan each year. One of the most famous of such conventions is Comiket, or Comic Market, which is held twice a year in Tokyo. At such events, people gather to buy their favorite manga, or comics, show off their costumes, and take lots of pictures.

Costumes can be simple or elaborate, store-bought or home-made. Making their own costumes enables cosplayers to create a costume that accurately resembles their favorite character, as well as to take pride in the fact that they did it themselves. Costume contests are often the highlight of many conventions, for it gives cosplayers the chance to finally be rewarded for all of the hard work they put into making their costumes. Winners show that they can not only look like their favorite characters, but also talk and act like them as well.

In the United States, cosplaying is rarely seen outside of anime and sci-fi conventions. These conventions, however, have been growing in popularity over the years, both in the number of conventions in existence and the number of people who attend them. Star Trek and Star Wars characters have always been popular choices among cosplayers at science fiction conventions in America, but with the increase in popularity of Japanese anime on American television, more and more people are becoming interested in cosplaying at anime conventions as well. If you are interested in cosplaying, consider taking a trip to Otakon, Anime Boston, DragonCon, or one of the many other conventions held annually here in America. If you’re not afraid to venture even further, you may even consider attending a convention in Japan, where you can truly learn what it means to cosplay from the nation that invented the word.