The trend of Japanese pop culture and its differentiating approach through event tourism

Japanese pop culture and its globalization

Globalization is a social phenomenon that is connected to several trends and models in terms of cultural, social, economic and political dimensions (Choudhury, 2022; Raikhan et al., 2014). This phenomenon, which produces significant changes in consumption and even tourist production, is a daily developing trend as a result of global communication and the expansion of information networks, with global influences acting on a destination and having implications for the receiving society (Buhalis, 2001; Giddens and Sutton, 2021). In fact, it is a trend that reflects a process that boosts economic activity while also raising global awareness and bringing varied groups together all over the world (Song et al., 2018). People's interest in exploring the cultural singularities of the countries they visit can be boosted by globalization, stimulating subsequent travel to related destinations, as evidenced by a desire to experience cultural identities that are not their own, but with which they sympathize and want to learn more (Seaton and Yamamura, 2015; Song et al., 2018).

Incorporated into this concept, Japanese pop culture serves as an appropriate example, being widely recognized due to its mixture of numerous characteristics that generate a variety of interests and curiosities in the areas where they are implemented (Rich, 2011; Seaton and Yamamura, 2015). This is defined as the “expression of the essence of modern Japan” that involves different parameters of Japanese daily life such as “manga” (Japanese books or Japanese comics), “anime” (Japanese animation films and series), videogames, fashion, “cosplay” (interpretation and incarnation of well-known characters in this theme), among others (Kawamata et al., 2017; Simeon, 2006). In this view, two forms of content are distinguished: (1) the original (including the development of companies, but also its distribution through the media); and (2) the derivative (which is used from the original content), such as secondary creation, pilgrimage to sites linked to this theme and even “cosplay” (Kawamata et al., 2017; Tajima, 2018).

One of the most important factors for the internationalization of this culture was the “anime” (a type of Japanese film and television animation aimed at both adults and children), which served as Japan's foundation for the country to transmit its culture to a wide diversity of people (Craig, 2000; Napier, 2005). It was not until the 1980s that Japan began to invest extensively in this aspect abroad in order to compete with American imports, as it is a component present in Japan's movie industry (Napier, 2005). As a result, series and films based on this theme began to appear on international television, exhibiting a high level of quality and efficiency with the use of resources, showing the potential they possessed through shows such as “Heidi”, “Neon Genesis Evangelion” and “Astro Boy”. The ongoing production of quality and unforgettable stories propels “anime” to succeed in the entertainment business, producing content aimed at both children and adults, with complex and nuanced storylines (Barros, 2016; Napier, 2005). There is arduous work associated with character creation that captures the attention of people, in a way that stimulates the development of personalities such as those who envision and, as a result, create unique links and ties (Denison, 2010; Lamerichs, 2013; Tajima, 2018).

All this culture's richness, in conjunction with “anime”, were the main key in the globalization and acceptance of societies outside of Japan, involving a mix of content that may appeal to a wide range of interests (Condry, 2013; Sato, 2007; Tung et al., 2019). “Manga” (a type of Japanese comic book and graphic novel aimed at both adults and children), another recognized component of the culture under investigation, has a broader influence than American comics due to its diversity of material and public, becoming well-known due to its ability to influence cultures and reach children, adolescents and adults all over the world (Napier, 2005; Shoji, 2010).

The diversity of this culture, which also is communicated through video games, gastronomy and fashion, among many other things, is the most obvious aspect of Japanese pop culture, making it easier to discern its global appeal (Freedman and Slade, 2018; Simeon, 2006). Brands like “Pokémon” and “Hello Kitty” are examples of massive expansion, whether through merchandising, series, videogames, or movies (Assunção et al., 2017; Craig, 2020; Laato and Rauti, 2021; Yano, 2013).

To summarize, the globalization of Japanese cultural products is a significant example of the cultural landscape of contemporary society, being an integral part of this culture through artistic works that were intelligently disseminated by the media, resulting in a positive tool for the promotion of Japan internationally, with several countries around the world playing this type of contents on their national media (Esposito, 2011; Rich, 2011; Shoji, 2010).

The impacts of Japanese pop culture events

Japanese pop culture events are moments that represent the modern trend of Japan in a variety of areas of interest of this culture. The events serve as a starting point to explore and interrelate in the most diverse themes, resulting in the promotion of tourism destinations, an increase in the economy, values and the local society itself (Sabre, 2013; Tajima, 2018).

With a 20-year expansion, these events surpass more than 200 official events held annually in the pre-pandemic COVID-19 era globally, with a highly diverse audience that focused on both the general public who enjoy Japanese themes and interested individuals only in a specific location, either in groups or individually (Kawamata et al., 2017). Outside of Japan, the attendance at these events exceeds thousands of people, as evidenced by the “Anime Expo” in Los Angeles and the “Japan Expo” in Paris (Tung et al., 2019).

These events can be a positive way of promoting and disseminating Japanese pop culture, as they represent events that develop experiences and provide opportunities for people to learn about the country of origin of these contents, as well as deepening their interest in the presented themes, resulting in essential events to promote destinations and culture (Close, 2018; Gushiken and Hirata, 2014). They can reveal curiosities about the present situation in the Asian country, the main trends and the cultural reality, increasing tourism and enhancing both the host region's and, in the long run, the promoted country's economy (Kawamata et al., 2017; Tajima, 2018).

The impacts of Japanese pop culture events can be seen at the events' locations as well as in the Japanese community (via tourism induced by curiosity and interest in learning more about culture), luring private and public entities, people and even the media, as they manage to stimulate the purchase of services and products, affecting the society, economy, spatial planning and the environment (Close, 2018; Craig, 2020; Preuss, 2005; Yürük-Kayapınar and Akyol, 2017). They can make the difference in destinations, as well they can be a source of diversification and an encouraging aspect in the demand for tourism services in the impacted destination after the event (Mihajlović and Vidak, 2017). As previously stated, they are events that manage to increase tourist flows in the regions where they are used, forming meeting points for regular and occasional participants, as well as being advantageous times to boost the economy, resulting from the participants' interest in purchasing merchandising related to Japanese culture, which is normally difficult to find outside of the country of origin (Tajima, 2018; Yamato, 2016).

Japanese pop culture events, effectively, are an example of an event that incorporates a wide range of elements and realities into a Japanese theme, demonstrating added value for both the destination and the origin and serving as a lever for boosting the economy and tourism through its beneficial disclosure (Hudson, 2003; Kawamata et al., 2017; Tajima, 2018).

Type of visitor – survey results

According to the quantitative findings, about half of the respondents (prior to the COVID-19 era) frequented this type of event at least twice or three times annually (49%), and the majority desire to attend these events more frequently (57%). In agreement, 91.2% of respondents indicated that they were motivated or very motivated to participate in these events, with the remaining 8.8% indicating that they are neither motivated nor unmotivated. A closer examination of the Likert scale administered to respondents on the motivation to participate in Japanese pop culture events, where 1 is not motivated and 5 is very motivated, reveals that the average of the responses was 4.38, with a median out of 5 and a deviation error of 0.823, demonstrating the high motivation of participants in this trend's events. This data refers to how much the participants enjoy the events of this theme, with diversity within the culture being the most indicated by the sample, followed by doing and enjoying cosplay (that is, being an active element in Japanese pop culture), socialization, available merchandising and competitions. It should be noted that the North American attendees, with an average of 4.51, are thought to be the most motivated. Following that are the responses from Spain (4.49), France (4.47) and Portugal (4.29).

When asked how participants differentiate the tourist experience in this category of event, 88% of the respondents highlighted “the diversity of Japanese pop culture elements in one place”. Correspondingly, 69% of respondents believed that these events are a good recreation of Japan, increasing the potential for Japan's promotion through these events and demonstrating a viable way to make the country's reality known. Following that, participants viewed these events as places for product consumerism (54%) as well as a place for socializing (45%). As stated in the literature (Seaton et al., 2017), this can be an intriguing perspective for investment in destinations outside of Japan, as events can often be presented as opportunities to experience a place that is sometimes inaccessible to the consumer, such as Japan and its pop culture. Actually, 98.3% of respondents express a desire to visit Japan, whether for the first time or not, whereas only 11.5% of respondents have been there. With events being idealized as representative of Japan's diversity in a single event, it can be advantageous to attract diverse audiences, comprehending that this type of event, as well as others that investigate exotic pop cultures, can serve as effective promotional tools.

Even though only a small proportion of participants (14%) said they travel abroad to attend Japanese pop culture events (mainly from the French and Spanish respondents), a significant number (52%) travel domestically to other regions to attend these events. This means that these are the kinds of events that, as was already mentioned, could improve domestic travel and thus strengthen the local economy.

Most of the participants (79.70%) regarded these events as innovative when compared to other types of events, with exoticism or a differentiating culture representing the key elements, along with the various constituent elements. On the Likert scale administered to respondents on their opinion in differentiating these events in innovative terms compared to others, where 1 is nothing innovative and 5 is very innovative, it appears that the average of the responses was 3.95, with a median of 4 and deviation error of 0.835. This demonstrated the perception in terms of differentiation of this type of events, which, in turn, stimulates the tourist's curiosity for the visit, whether the tourist is already a fan of the culture or just has an interest in some of its elements. Among the groups studied, the Spanish respondents feels most satisfied with the events in which it participates, scoring an average of 4.51 on the provided scale. Following that are the French with an average contentment of 4.22, the Portuguese with an average of 4.28 and the North American respondents with an average of 4.49.

Otaku (unconditional fans of Japanese popular culture, especially “anime” and/or “manga”) are the main group of “enthusiastic” participants in these events, and they even contribute to the empowerment of the event by producing derivative content that enhances the event. The questionnaires showed these people as devoted followers who actively engage in the event, identify with the pop culture icons and show great enthusiasm for it. There are also the “casual” fans, who are interested in Japanese pop culture but do not actually engage or identify with it and the “core” fans, which are like lovers of this culture, but do not fully identify with it.

Regarding the type of participation, it is discovered that most participants in these events are male (56%), between the ages of nineteen and thirty (66%), with a bachelor's degree level (58%) or up to secondary education (25%) and currently working (51%) or studying (43%).

There is a predominance of “core” (54%) participants who usually go with friends (61%). Following this majority, “casual” and “enthusiastic” participants appear with similar percentages (25% and 21%, respectively), as well as the possibility of these participants coming alone or in pairs (14%). The French respondents was found to have the most enthusiastic participants (22.4%), while the North American respondents had the majority of “core” fans (63.8%). The study's results show that casual fans (30.9%) are more prevalent in Spain.

Using a non-parametric Chi-Square test, it is revealed that there are significant asymptotic differences between who the respondents usually attend Japanese pop culture events and their displacement to the event, with a result of less than 0.05. As a result, when a participant in this type of event travels abroad to these events, his preference is to go as a couple, or in pairs, travelling to neighbouring countries (40.6%), or alone to other regions farther away (58.8%), although at national events, he mostly travels with friends (65.6% in his home region and 64.2% in other parts of the country). In conclusion, participants in these events tend to travel domestically with friends rather than abroad, where it is more common to travel alone or in pairs.

In an analysis of the user type variable (casual, “core”, or enthusiast) using the Chi-Square test, it was discovered that there are differences in its asymptotic significance, with the group of enthusiasts revealing more older fans, between 25 and 30 years old (33.3%) and the “core” and casual group aged between 19 and 30 years old (42.3% and 34.4%, respectively), as is possible to analyse in Table 1. The young adult audience is primarily the casual and “core” group, that is, those who appreciate and enjoy this exotic culture; however, as they grow older, their interest in this subject grows significantly, reaching predominance in the enthusiast group at 25 years old.

When the frequency of users at these events and their intention to visit these events in the future was subjected to a Chi-Square test, differences in their asymptotic significance were also discovered. The enthusiastic user is the one who attends this type of event more than four times per year (55.3%), while the casual user attends events less frequently, once or less per year (81.7%). The “core” user is shown to be the intermediate one, who attends the event two to three times per year (62.2%). Conversely, the casual and “core” groups are those who aim to participate in these events more frequently (53.8% and 61.7%, respectively), while the enthusiastic group mostly plans to maintain their existing regularity (48%). This situation is based on the supposition that the enthusiastic fan already tries to attend as many events as possible, as an actual promoter of the culture itself. For casual users, the first event is a kind of catalyst for participate in more events.

Japanese pop culture events, their impacts and marketing feasibility – interviews results

According with the interviews, it appears that Japanese popular culture has gained attention globally over the past twenty years, with strong influences from “anime” and “manga” and a generally positive reception, especially in Europe and America. The interviewees mention it is a culture that adherents regard as unique because of the purity, impact and inspiring message it conveys through intricate and complicated storylines, captivating Westerners. Similarly, it is a trend with a variety of integral and modern areas of Japan that, due to their diversity, reaches a large number of enthusiasts and interested people. As a result, it is important that the events of this theme manage to highlight the matrix of Japanese pop culture, with an identity and message related to this multiplicity of experiences and with the participant's deep connection with the event itself, because these are active elements in the event, which like and insist on being present as representatives of their content. They are opportune times to share the content they truly value, to collaborate and communicate with one another and to forge connections for future events. Thus, and strongly expressed by the interviewees, “cosplay” is a very distinguishing feature of these events, and it is frequently a point of attraction (both to see and to participate), expressed by both casual visitors and fans, as well as those who do it for competition (usually, at these events there is a contest associated with the costumes and the interpretation of the characters they incarnate).

Emphasized by the interviewees, the target audience for these events is quite diverse, similar to the survey results, ranging from the curious visitor to the passionate one, who attend the event in groups or alone, even though the average group size is three visitors. For this reason, the interviewees showed there are a growing and diverse number of participants in these events, who often come with a purpose and stay in other areas to learn about Japanese culture. For example, the largest event in this field outside of Japan in 2019 was the “Anime Expo”, in North America, Los Angeles, with over 350 thousand visitors. In Europe, the largest event was the “Japan Expo” that was held in Paris, France, with over 250 thousand visitors in 2019. Following this, in 2019, “Japan Weekend” in Madrid, Spain, attracted more than a hundred and sixty thousand visitors, and “Iberanime” in Lisbon, Portugal, attracted more than thirty-five thousand visitors.

It is a culture that presents a vast amount of material to be explored, and thus, through its events, it can express this trend coming from Japan, with an increasing number of fans participating in these unique circumstances in order to experience and live moments that are so highly valued and idealized in their minds. In fact, the participants, together with the Japanese pop thematic, are the focus of the event, verified not only by the answers of the interviewees, but also through a content analysis of the conceptual meanings of the ideas and notions of them. As can be seen in Figure 1, the expressions which stand out the most, after event and culture, are the concepts of people, of Japan, of the anime and of the participants. This is due to its emphasis on its events (the target audience) and the main components to explore (such as “anime”), which are favourable occasions to always exalt Japan itself.

Interconnected with the exposure of the impacts of theme events in destinations outside of Japan, interviewees essentially expressed that the promotion, dissemination and enhancement of the destination image where the event takes place stands out, giving the region significant renown, which subsequently attracts participants back to the location. Events of this type successfully promote the region in which they are held, and most of their participants are not locals, but rather day visitors or even national tourists, similar to quantitative data shows. Even if the primary focus is domestic tourism (though the percentage of international tourists is increasing significantly), the interviews showed that its supporters feel obligated to actively participate in events to feel useful in promoting these events. In this way, events of this type of help to develop the local economy, the reputation of the host location and the image of the destinations, primarily by bringing a large number of people to the region over a two to four-day period. Thus, these events undoubtedly have a relevant and beneficial impact on the promotion of destinations, serving as conducive places to personally experience the culture, thereby creating memories and desires. Japanese pop culture events emerge then as possible mediators or catalysts of interest, as they make it possible to create a “spark” for interest in this culture and even encourage tourist practice, increasing motivation and thus arousing curiosity about its associated elements.

Moreover, the interviews also showed that there is an increase in the local economy related or unrelated to the event, as a result of the mass movement of population attracted to the event, with a focus on the event's stakeholders, because one of the participants' interests is to acquire merchandising that is difficult to acquire in retail stores. Additionally, catering and lodging services may be able to expand local business, as followers of this culture tend to migrate outside their areas of residence, resulting in the consumption of these services. Only in Los Angeles, the interviewees said the 2019 “Anime Expo” generated an economic impact of more than eighty million euros for the American metropolis. Despite a lesser scale, all the European countries studied had a favourable economic impact in their host cities because of their events.

The increase in tourism and visitors to the area, the potential for free publicity and the steadfastness of customers who stay in the area are additional effects of these incidents. These are the kinds of events that could draw both public and private organizations, giving the region a competitive edge. The region that hosts the event has a variety of effects, whether these effects are related to the event or not, because it may draw tourists, which stimulates commerce and, in turn, raises prices, which is good for the local economy.

Finally, in terms of understanding the positive effects of Japanese pop culture on events for destinations outside of Japan, interviewees agree that events are an asset for destinations and that, as previously stated, they increase not only the economy in the region where they are held, but also tourism and the growth of local businesses. They are events valued by lovers of the Japanese pop culture trend because they represent vital opportunities to demonstrate their taste, but they are also widely recognized by other people and the community as something interesting and unique, aimed at a diverse range of genres and ages. There are more admirers as a result of this, as well as the rise of this culture in theatres, televisions and bookstores. The number of parties involved in these events is also growing across several industries, as their participation only enhances their reputation and visibility. For instance, the 2019 “Anime Expo” event featured over 850 artists and exhibitors, yielding a 4.5-time average return on investment.

Thereby, according to the interviewees, the future of Japanese pop culture events is quite positive, owing to the strong connection of its consumers and the growing increase in news on this topic.