Otakus pay less

The otaku is a peculiarly Japanese phenomenon: an introverted mix of nerd and a trainspotter, whose girlfriends are more likely to be made of latex than wear spandex. But otaku are fast winning cult-status, as witnessed by the 2004 hit book Densha Otoko (電車男, Train Man), which tells the real story of a young, terminally shy and previously girlfriendless Tokyo man who came to the aid of a young woman on a train being molested by a drunk. This of course develops into a classic boy-meets-girl, boy-totally-unable-to-express-his-feelings-for-girl-type situation, the difference being the boy - posting anonymously as Densha Otoko on the popular BBS "2 channel" - gained encouragement from his peers, and two months later finally plucked up the courage to ask the girl for a date. Of course it all ended happily ever after.

Now released as a film, at least one Japanese cinema in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture (near Yokohama) is offering discounted tickets to Densha Otoko for anyone who "outs" themselves as an otaku: instead of the normal 1700 Yen (around €12 - Japanese cinemas are not cheap) they pay 1300 Yen. No "certification" is necessary, just the willingness to state "I am an otaku" at the box office.

(At the time of writing it is not clear whether this discount also applies to accompanying latex girlfriends).