In Japan, policymakers and economists are paying close attention to the oshikatsu phenomenon as a growing driver of consumer spending ¡ª and 24-year-old Momoka Matsui is one of many doing her part to shore up the economy.
Matsui is part of an expanding demographic of mostly 20- and 30-somethings engaged in activities supporting their favourite celebrities, anime characters, cuddly mascots or any oshi ¡ª the Japanese term for an object of adulation.
¡°If my salary goes up, I¡¯d like to go to concerts out of town, even overseas, more frequently,¡± says Matsui as she, like many workers in Japan, waits eagerly for another year of wage hikes.
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