Quick Answer: What Is Oshikatsu?
Oshikatsu (推し活) is a term used in Japanese fan culture. It roughly translates to “activities you do to support your oshi,” meaning your favourite character, streamer, actor, or, in my case, my favourite idol. It is more than just “being a fan.” It means actively showing support through actions such as buying merchandise, interacting on social media, and attending live shows.
What Does “Oshi” Actually Mean?
First, the basics: oshi (推し).
Oshi is Japanese slang that comes from the verb osu (推す), which has a similar meaning to “to push for” or “to endorse.” An oshi is basically your favourite person whom you choose to support. An oshi is often chosen through feelings like “this person brings me joy and meaning,” so it is more than a casual “I like this person” feeling. Some might even call them their comfort person. Your oshi can be:
- • A specific idol in a group, or the group itself
- • A VTuber you watch every stream
- • An anime character you adore
- • Your wife or husband
You are not limited to only one oshi. You can have a Hako-oshi (箱推し), meaning you support an entire group as your oshi, or you can have oshis spread across multiple groups. You can also have a favourite among your oshis. This is called a Kami-oshi (神推し), which literally means “God oshi.” So, oshikatsu includes all the things you do for your oshi.
What Are Oshikatsu Activities Like?
Think of oshikatsu as supporting your favourite as a lifestyle, not just a hobby. It is highly personal and varies from fan to fan, but common examples include:
Everyday Actions
- • Watching live streams, concerts, anime, or performances
- • Streaming songs and videos to boost visibility
- • Sharing clips, edits, fan art, or supportive posts online
Showing Your Love in the Real World
- • Buying merchandise such as badges, albums, acrylic stands, or taking chekis
- • Creating ita-bags, which are bags covered with pins and goods of your oshi
- • Attending pop-up cafés or themed events
- • Travelling for live shows and meet-ups
Now, you do not have to do all of this. You set your own pace and limits. Oshikatsu is deeply personal, and the most important part is that both you and your oshi are having fun. This means staying respectful and mindful of your oshi while also respecting yourself. Your oshi would not want you to burn out or go broke over them. They appreciate any support, no matter how small. Your oshi also would not want you to become obsessed or entitled. Remember that they are regular people too. You do not own them, and they do not owe you anything.
Why Do People Practice Oshikatsu?
From the outside, dedicating so much time and love to a fictional character or an idol you have never met might seem extreme. However, fans describe it in a way that feels deeply human.
Emotional Connection
For many people, their oshi becomes a positive and reassuring presence. They can provide comfort, joy, or motivation during difficult days. Oshikatsu becomes a form of self-care and self-expression, a way to celebrate what makes you happy.
Community and Belonging
Oshikatsu often brings people together. Fans meet others who share the same passion, form friendships, and feel part of something bigger than themselves.
Oshikatsu as an International Fan
Living outside Japan makes it harder but definitely not impossible to practise oshikatsu. Since oshikatsu is more of a personal thing anyways, you can partake in it from anywhere, and believe me, your oshi will appreciate the extra effort you put in!
Doing oshikatsu from overseas often looks something like this: Listening to your oshi’s music through platfroms like Youtube and Spotify, every view/listen counts! Interacting with your oshi on social media, even just liking or reposting their tweets make them feel appreciated, you can even reply to them! No need to learn Japanese for that, though I do recommend it, it is fun and opens up more of your oshi’s work and creates more ways to do oshikatsu!
If you have the money you can also buy official merch, partake in online cheki events, and some groups even let you video call with the idols (for this one you might want to know a little Japanese). Official merch and chekis do often require forwarding services like Buyee or Zenmarket, personally I’ve used Buyee multiple times.
While you can’t physically be present for your oshi, believe me when I say that your effort does matter to them, the idols and the group do notice an influx in overseas fans, and maybe they will even open up paths for you to support them better. Though I need to press this, do by no means try to change idol culture to suit you, they don’t have to make it easier for you, you are not entitled to be spoken to in English, you need to conform to their culture and their language. Idol culture is unique and it would be a loss to see it change in order to expand overseas.
What Makes Oshikatsu Worth It
At its core, oshikatsu is not about obsessing over an idol. It is about community and supporting something that brings you joy. It is about choosing to do something because it makes both you and someone else happy.
For some, it is simply listening to music or watching streams. For others, it is a creative outlet and a way to surround themselves with things that make them smile. Oshikatsu is a wonderful way to meet new people and turn fandom into something meaningful and active.
It is loving something with purpose.
Sources
- Jisho— Japanese dictionary entry for "oshi" (推し)