オタ恋 OTAKOI
Speculative Environments
Supervisor - Dr. Joseph Lim
Coexistence between a Politically Correct Akihabara and its Darker Counterpart
Known universally as the anime (i.e. Japanese animation) headquarters of the world, Akihabara in Tokyo, Japan, has been a crucial element in the country’s ‘Cool Japan’ image-branding, especially in lieu of the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
From busy crossroad to wartime black market, and subsequently Electric Town and now Anime central, Akihabara has matured into a city full of its own character - in its colourful, opaque architecture, boisterous, entrepreneurial spirit and as a symbol to its habitual patrons. Beneath the media glitz and visual red herring lies a far more complex tale – of socio-political tension, territorial ambiguity, and cultural prejudice. In Walter Santagata’s terms, Akihabara as a culture town faces many issues that are likewise manifesting in other culture towns - issues of cultural appropriation, conservation, and aggressive political agenda.
This thesis first aims to explore Akihabara’s rich past and understand its current disposition, and subsequently strives to imagine a possible future of co-existence between a politically correct Akihabara with its darker counterpart through guerrilla appropriation of space.
