Tokyo is a city of professionals. The “salarymen” dress in black suits, white shirt and tie, and “salarywomen” in navy blue or grey.
But fighting against this monochromatic predictability comes cosplay, or “costume play.”
What you’re about to see has nothing to do with Halloween. This is day-to-day life in Tokyo.
Cosplay is a modern-day evolution from Masquerade balls of earlier centuries.
The intention is to replicate a specific character, typically from movies, TV, comic books, video games, music, or anime.
I stumbled across this event by chance in the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo on a Sunday morning in January.
A group of 50+ shops and restaurants in the area offered discounts to cosplayers, which created this crowd.
This hobby gained rapid popularity in the 1990’s and is now anchored in Japanese culture with conventions and competitions (local and international).
There are two cosplay magazines in Japan and endless activity online via social media.
These gatherings draw as many photographers as they do cosplayers.
Photographers will patiently queue…
… to capture this pose.
There are clear rules and boundaries which everyone respects.
No personal information is exchanged… it’s all about capturing the moment.
Gender-bending is known as crossplay. It’s all in fun.
Selfie’s are standard…
… and selfie sticks are a must.
I’ve never seen so many selfie sticks.
This cosplayer has a “professional grade” selfie setup.
Multi-colored contacts lenses are a common accessory, sometimes with varying colors at the same time.
This hobby is to see, and be seen.
The bright colors and joyful interactions created many smiles and much laughter.
Halloween is around the corner… I can only imagine what’s coming. Please enjoy these additional photos below. ts
Ukrainian Tom 