Osaka's fashion sanctuary of Amerika-mura is being taken over by otaku, turning the area into the "Akihabara of West Japan", after Tokyo's nerd haven, according to a shocked Weekly Playboy (3/31).

While Kansai's geeks have until recently focused their attentions on Osaka's Nihonbashi district, the center of otaku culture in the area appears likely to shift to Amerika-mura, traditionally regarded as the place most young, fashion-conscious Osaka hipsters head for.

Prompting the change was the March 3 closure of Nanba Mandarake, the Nihonbashi outlet of a nationwide chain of manga stores and a magnet for geeks. Replacing the outlet will be Mandarake Grand Chaos, a new store that has just opened on a prime plot in Amerika-mura.

"There wasn't enough space at the Nanba store to hold the events we wanted to, but there's three times more floor space at the Amerika-mura outlet," a spokesman for Mandarake tells Weekly Playboy. "Amerika-mura also attracts a lot of young people and it's a town with a bit of life in it. We decided for these reasons that the new location was a prime spot for us."

Some worry that the blend of hyper-fashionistas typical of Amerika-mura and Nihonbashi's otaku may cause friction.

"I wonder if I'll feel out of place because everyone's so trendy," a Nihonbashi otaku tells the men's weekly. "I've never been to Amerika-mura in my life. My friend told me a black guy working there tried to sell him all these baggy clothes. To be honest, I've always found it an area that's a bit hard to approach."

Nihonbashi retailers are not feeling threatened by a shift in the center of Kansai otaku culture to Amerika-mura.

"There's certainly a lot of serious otaku hanging out in Amerika-mura. But otaku culture has entered the mainstream, and there are many young people interested in fashion that are only mildly into the otaku caper," the operator of a Nihonbashi maid cafe, a typical geek haunt, tells Weekly Playboy. "I think Amerika-mura's Mandarake will be a huge success. Hardcore otaku will keep coming back to Nihonbashi and the softcore otaku types will probably go to Amerika-mura, I guess."

Surprisingly given the gap between trendsetters and their supposed opposite in the otaku, most fashionistas in Amerika-mura are keen to see a greater nerd presence in the area.

"I'm delighted to see Mandarake opening up here," a young guy in Amerika-mura tells the weekly.

And retailers in the area are also putting out the welcome signs.

"We're really delighted to see otaku here. Amerika-mura is known as a fashion center, but there are also plenty of great restaurants and specialty stores here as well. This has always been a place that has welcomed people with open arms," Keiichi Morimoto, an advisor to the Amerika-mura no Kai retailers' association, tells Weekly Playboy. "If anything, I'm looking forward to seeing how the otaku will change the flavor of the district. We want to help Mandarake find its feet in Amerika-mura. I'd be quite happy to see our district become something like Akihabara." (By Ryann Connell)