In Tokyo, girls who want to get their geek on head for Otome (Maiden) Road in trendy Ikebukuro. Retail stores on the 200-meter commercial strip cater to the emerging subculture of onna otaku (she-nerds) by stocking femme-friendly comics, gadgets, and action figures instead of makeup and clothes. Increasingly, the sought-after goods – from cosplay outfits to anime DVDs – are being co-opted by wannabes in the States. Here are some tips for spotting a real onna otaku in the wild. – Lisa Katayama
10 Ways to Identify an Onna Otaku
Hair: No chestnut dyes, no colored highlights, minimal brushing.
Wardrobe: Generic jeans, shirts, and sneakers (with price tag left on, Minnie Pearl-style). Jacket from store at train station. For more formal occasions: school uniform, kimono, or Dhoulmagus costume. (He's the mysterious jester from Dragon Quest VIII. Duh!)
Pets: Six virtual pups on her Nintendo DS. (She feeds and walks them hourly.)
Phone: Worn clipped on pocket to look "technical." It's got a 3-megapixel camera, built-in smartcard purchasing, TV tuner, MP3 player, and browser.
Storage: Cute bags are OK for jaunts, but she prefers wheeled luggage for comic cons and epic shopping trips.
Magazines: Four different anime monthlies, Cosmode (for cosplayers), and Dolly Dolly (for figurine fans).
Diet: Why cook when 7-Eleven has beef bowls and habanero snack chips?
Recent Purchases: Action figures and manga galore. Spool of DVD-Rs for, uh, "backup" copies of her fave shows.
On her laptop: Script for Sailor Moon/Anakin Skywalker doujinshi (fan comic), links to manga release schedules and 2ch.net (think Slashdot).
Under her mattress: Boy's Love comics, which depict romantic, tragic, and hot pretty boy-on-pretty boy action.
onna otaku Jeremy Goldberg:stylist; Hanako Saito: hair & makeup; Lena for Stila Cosmetics
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