Interest

Photo Feature: Cosplay Parade in Osaka's Den Den Town

All eyes might have been on Tokyo this weekend for the new-and-improved Anime Japan event, but on Friday, Osaka's Den Den Town held its own otaku-centric festival: the Nippombashi Street Festa. Den Den Town is Osaka's answer to Akihabara, and it also has maid cafes and shops upon shops of anime merchandise and cosplay goods.

Held each spring and now in its 10th year, the highlight of the Nippombashi Street Festa is definitely the cosplay parade. The main drag of Den Den Town is closed to traffic, and thousands upon thousands gather in the streets to show off their cosplay and take pictures. There are also live stage events.

Professional and amateur cosplayers alike flocked to the event, which gave rise to a very odd sight: cosplayers going through the Japanese business card exchange ritual. Several instances of this can be seen in the gallery below.