The manga kissa of Japan sits as a distinct combination of vast manga (comic) library, internet café, and semi-private oasis nestled in the urban sprawl of cities such as Osaka and Tokyo. In the United States the concept of the “third space” (recently promoted by Starbucks) is a close parallel to the embodiment of the manga kissa idea as a home-away-from-home; though the Japanese version notably lacks most of the prominent social aspects found in Oldenburg and Brissett’s conception. Instead it is a sober and silent refuge from the noise of the city, and social pressures that regulate one’s daily life in Japanese society.
The aisles of manga are neatly kept, and each book is individually unassuming, yet visually staggering in their collective totality. Despite having been read dozens if not hundreds or even thousands of times, they show little to no signs of abuse or neglect. Courtesy for others is shown more solemnly through action, and verbal posturing is rarely necessary. Patrons are predominantly men, both young and old, student and office worker alike. Women too are a part of the manga kissa, and a substantial selection of shoujo (girls’ comics) targeted at young women is available as well. Their emphasis on interpersonal relations contrasts with the dominant action and humor themes of shounen (boys’ comics). These are gendered themes in the arc of Japanese life, prominent even in early education.
As a cultural icon, manga in Japan is ubiquitous and considered by many an important aspect of Japanese culture. The manga kissa is, however, only a single element of that larger pop culture phenomenon. While it creates a liminal space in which visitors may escape social reality, it simultaneously reinforces that reality (culturally) through parody and emulation in stories. Patrons may for a brief moment escape society in order to view it from a distance, to distort it and reshape it, before rejoining it once again.
4 Responses to “Japanese Pop Culture: The Manga Kissa”
Interesting subject and interesting commentary. Helpful links. I really like these kinds of posts that get you thinking about so many related things...
I think there are many examples of this third space idea in Japan, perhaps starting with the very notion of the simple kissaten itself. Why pay 500 yen for a cop of coffee in a kissaten when you can get a warm can of coffee for 120 yen? In a kissaten you aren't only paying for the coffee, you are paying for the space and the right to use it. Love hotels might be another example of this (yes, they have a functional use but lately some people use them as a third space because of the many accessories found in love hotels i.e. video games, TV, air conditioning, etc.). I remember a recent TV commercial for a car shaped as a cube - it showed the father parking the car and relaxing in it as a way of having his own personal time away from his family.
So there is a lot of potentially interesting things to study about a manga kissa or internet cafe. They are really so convenient and cheap. When I have time to kill in Osaka, I go a an internet cafe to check e-mail or take a nap in a massage chair. All you can drink beverages are an added bonus.
Another interesting aspect of these places is how some homeless people live in them. It usually takes a lot of money up front to get an apartment in Japan. But staying overnight in an internet cafe is relatively cheap, and safer than roughing it on the streets.
Oof. It's great blogging like this that makes the "open link in new tab" function so necessary.
Prof. Fedorosama is right about people living in them, even if only on a short term basis. I stayed in one all night in Tokyo once, and I'm 99.9% sure that the guy who slept in the booth next to mine was the same guy taking a nap in front of the building earlier that day.
Do these shops serve food? Do you have to purchase entrance or is it like a library? You said the comics are read and reread but show little signs of use - would that be an example of collectivism still being present in Japan? I know that it's been called into questions as to whether Japan is more collectivist/individualistic, but I can't think of any shared space that's open to the public in the US that doesn't suffer from the "tragedy of the commons". Even libraries you must "join", and agree to a terms of use, and in large urban areas there are library police around to enforce proper use of the books/computers/space.
Yes, you can buy food in a manga kissa; blankets, pillows, magazines and toiletries as well. As Joe pointed out, some people actually live in these places part-time.
You have to sign up for a "membership card" of sorts, but this is no different than requring one at the arcade. The impetus isn't on signing a lengthy code of conduct like in the U.S., but on knowingly associating yourself with an establishment. Or perhaps just a remnant of the Japanese love for bureaucracy that's sometimes written on. It's mostly a formality, and the forms are rudimentary. Similar to having a Starbucks card in the states.
The ties of community and networks here are the (misconstrued) basis of the "collectivist" argument in my opinion. Even though the manga kissa is an escape from social relaity, most people still treat the area in a dignified manner, recognizing it as shared space, and owning up to their "Japanese" social responsibility to their fellows. That responsbility has highly contextual limits though.
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