The Asahi Shimbun has reported on a recent study by a private think tank about the nature and buying habits of Japan's obsessive pop culture fans (otaku).  The study defined 'otaku' as 'people who spend much of their time and money on a focused area of interest,' and singled out four key areas of interest: manga, anime, video games and idol singers.  According to the study some 2.8 million Japanese (about 2.2% of the population) can be classified as 'otaku' and that they spend 260 billion yen per year on their obsessions, averaging $912 per fan per year.  Manga, anime and video game enthusiasts spend about the same amount per year, while idol singer otaku spend 25% less.

 

The manga otaku are by far the largest group.  They spent an estimated 100 billion yen on manga in 2003, accounting for 16% of the total industry's 625 billion yen ($5.7 billion) in sales.  Though it has been hurt to a degree in recent years by the proliferation of 'manga exchange' second-hand stores, Japan's comics industry remains the envy of the world in sales, scope and cultural influence.

 

Wouldn't it be great if there were a similar survey in size and scope about similar groups of fans (and their buying habits) here in North America?  Certainly judging by the size of the various markets in North America, video games would dominate here, but it would be interesting to find out exactly what the average comics/manga/anime fan is spending per year on his or her particular obsession.