Pilgrimage and prestige: American anime fans and their travels to Japan

The Japanese animation and comics first introduced to the United States were carefully scrubbed of cultural markers, but for hardcore aficionados the 'Japanese-ness' of such products is part of the allure; fetishized elements of difference are embedded within a comforting familiarity of commonalities. These fans are only the most recent manifestation of a phenomenon in which a fantasy Japan becomes a kind of undiscovered homeland for Westerners who experience disjointedness and displacement within their own culture, Among anime fans, knowledge of Japan and the Japanese language is a significant source of social and cultural capital, with individuals who have traveled to or lived in Japan acquiring special status. But what of the experience itself? When these fans travel to Japan, there is an inevitable gap between the fantasy and their actual perceptions and interpretations, but this is not unlike the gap between an imagined Japan of the nostalgic past and contemporary life experienced by the Japanese themselves. This paper explores this topic via a series of interviews with fans who have traveled to Japan, examining their feelings of difference and belonging before and after their travels, and how they navigate their disappointment and delight in both the anticipated and the unexpected.