HLJ Blog

An Introduction to Oshi-Katsu

If you’ve been paying attention to our front page or social media recently, you may have noticed us launching a big new page linked at the top: HLJ x Oshi-Katsu! This cute page briefly explains the art of ‘oshi-katsu’ - a term that is growing in popularity for the act of being a fan and the things you might do for your 'fandom.'

Although we have tried to explain the concept in brief on the page, ‘Oshi-katsu’ is not simple, and takes many different forms, so we thought a short blog on the topic might help further answer some questions about our new range of products and how they can help you enjoy fandom culture.

What does ‘Oshi-katsu’ involve?

At its core, Oshi-Katsu is about supporting your favorite characters, idols, musicians, actors or through a variety of activities. But really, it’s about whatever you want it to be. From creating detailed displays featuring merchandise of your oshi, creating ‘Ita-Bags,’ attending events, creating your own fan goods and more. ‘Oshi-katsu’ involves all the kind of things we do when we’re a huge fan of something - some call it ‘fandom,’ and some call it ‘stan’ culture, but the roots of oshi-katsu ultimately advocates a kind, careful and safe approach to being a megafan.

Attending events to see your oshi is a common form of 'oshi-katsu,' even if it's a fictional character - here in Japan, many dedicated will queue for hours just to take a photo with a standee of their favorite fictional idol, and of course, the commitment to events for real-life idols is even huger.

Decorating your spaces and possessions with love for your oshi is also one of the more commonly practiced 'oshi-katsu' activities. Even if you're not going to go as far as create an 'ita-bag' (see below), most fans enjoy the act of creating small shines to their most beloved characters - it's an essential part of oshi-katsu.

Our monthly magazine, Hobby Highlights, includes a regular column where we introduce different ways of expressing your fandom: in past issues, we’ve included visits to iconic locations from media (‘fan pilgrimages’), dish recreations, and photography sessions related to different popular characters and the works they come from as examples of oshi-katsu activities

The variety in these activities is a good example of the multitude of different ways people like to show appreciation for their favorite characters, but there’s certainly not any limitations to ‘oshi-katsu’ - you can express your love for your favorites in a wide variety of different ways, and a big part of oshi-katsu is getting creative, and also taking inspiration from the wider community that surrounds your ‘oshi.’

How Can HLJ help you live your best ‘Oshi-Katsu’ life?

As you can see on the Oshi-Katsu page, we’ve divided our products for fans into a selection of different categories.Firstly, there’s the Ita-bag section, which contains a huge amount of different Ita-bags, as explained above! Get bags with special windows for displaying the badges and decorations of your favorite character

We also have other sections such as the oshi ‘Display’ section, which contains goods for displaying your collection, such as your Nendoroid figures, acrylic standees, keyrings, trading cards and much more, and a selection of products dedicated to photography, which includes items like stands and backgrounds for setting up fun shots of figures or plushies of your oshi!

In addition, we have a range of accessories for storing and displaying your plush - plush are very delicate, so keeping them in good condition is any fan’s priority. Finally, we have items for attending ‘oshi’ events, such as live concerts. This category includes items like pen lights (essential for Japanese concerts) and pouches for taking character items with you!

Outside of these product categories, however, we also have a lot of different products such as badges, acrylic stands, figures of a wide variety of different characters across all kinds of media which are perfect for getting your Ita-bag or oshi display started. We also plan to add more products to our oshi-katsu product collection in the future.