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Recently renovated Animate Ikebukuro. Many customers cannot wait until they get home, choosing instead to open their purchases in Nakaikebukuro Park, seen here in the foreground. (© Hanioka Yuri)
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Cosplayers blend in with the crowds outside Animate Ikebukuro. (© Hanioka Yuri)
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The plush doll section at the craft and hobby store Yuzawaya inside Ikebukuro’s Wacca shopping complex. A wide selection of cloth for costumes allows fans to faithfully recreate the look of their favorite characters. (© Hanioka Yuri)
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Costumes for a variety of characters are displayed with fabric along with other goods needed to create a wide range of accessories. (© Hanioka Yuri)
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The K-Pop-Kan at K-Books is stocked with every conceivable item related to Korean pop culture idols. Fans throng the aisles of the store every weekend shortly after opening. (© Hanioka Yuri)
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The Video corner within the K-Pop-Kan has a wide variety of merchandise related to video content creators like YouTubers, VTubers, singers, and dancers. (© Hanioka Yuri)
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Scenes of a cosplay event held in Higashiikebukuro Central Park. Attendees outdid one another with the authenticity of their costumes. (© Hanioka Yuri)
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Cafe Cinnamon looks like any other fashionable café, but its clientele consists mainly of female otaku, as indicated by women sporting ita-bags at the entrance. (© Hanioka Yuri)
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