With the spread of manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese cartoons) around the world, many have adopted the Japanese term `otaku' to identify fans of such media. The connection to manga and anime may seem straightforward, but, when taken for granted, often serves to obscure the debates within and around media fandom in Japan since the term `otaku' appeared in the niche publication Manga Burikko in 1983. Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan disrupts the naturalization and trivialization of `otaku' by examining the historical contingency of the term as a way to identify and contain problematic youth, consumers and fan cultures in Japan. Its chapters, many translated from Japanese and available in English for the first time - and with a foreword by Otsuka Eiji, former editor of Manga Burikko - explore key moments in the evolving discourse of `otaku' in Japan. Rather than presenting a smooth, triumphant narrative of the transition of a subculture to the mainstream, the edited volume repositions `otaku' in specific historical, social and economic contexts, providing new insights into the significance of the `otaku' phenomenon in Japan and the world. By going back to original Japanese documents, translating key contributions by Japanese scholars and offering sustained analysis of these documents and scholars, Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan provides alternative histories of and approaches to `otaku'. For all students and scholars of contemporary Japan and the history of Japanese fan and consumer cultures, this volume will be a foundation for understanding how `otaku', at different places and times and to different people, is meaningful.

濃縮了大半日本歷史的千年古都
在道地京都人的眼裡是一幅什麼樣的風景？
筆鋒最嗆辣的非典型導覽
帶你從從地理、歷史、居民性格到語言重新閱讀
這個風華絕代的「非觀光都市」
根據統計，每年造訪京都的「入洛」觀光客數量高達5000萬人。然而，你可知道平安神宮及金閣寺這兩個搶眼的景點，竟是現代重建的「膺品」？看似溫暖迎接來客的京都人，其實對卑躬屈膝的觀光至上主義不以為然？
如果你對京都的了解，還停留在歷史悠久、為數眾多的古蹟與宗教建築，以及作工精細的傳統手工藝品，那麼本書的內容將帶領你走入千年歲月所淬煉出來的「京文化」，重新認識這個日本戰後全力打造的「文化觀光都市」。