A new cafe catering to Japan’s growing subculture of female otakus recently opened in Osaka’s Nipponbashi shopping district.
Ataraxia Cafe distances itself from typical otaku cafes by catering exclusively to women who often feel shy or intimidated about indulging in their nerdy hobbies in public.
While the social view of otakus today aren’t as negative as it once was, most Japanese women still feel like they need a place away from the often obstreperous environment of male-dominated otaku spaces.
At Ataraxia, bookshelves stocked with volumes of manga and magazines of every genre line the walls. There’s a spacious area equipped with work tables and rentable equipment where customers can sew cosplay outfits, create their own doujin, or whatever suits their fancy. Free wifi plus numerous outlets for portable video game devices and laptops, round up the services.
There is no membership fee for ladies who want to geek out at Ataraxia. However, everyone is required to take an Otaku Test at the entrance to weed out normies and ensure Ataraxia remains an exclusive haven for its niche clientele.
Images via twitter.com/ataraxiacafe, rocketnews24.com, inside-games.jp