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Cosplay paradise! Haco Stadium Tokyo complex has 33 themed rooms waiting for your photo shoot

Casey Baseel Apr 15, 2015
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Last week, we took a look at the amazingly accurate recreation of a room from popular anime Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun. That’s was only one limited-time room at the awesome Haco Stadium cosplay complex, though.

Haco Stadium actually has 33 permanent cosplay rooms, meaning you can make the cosplaying rounds of a Japanese high school, samurai residence, fantasy castle, and science fiction backdrop, all without ever having to leave the building.

Haco Stadium also has a branch in Osaka, but the closest to downtown Tokyo is Haco Stadium Tokyo, which is actually located in Chiba Prefecture, although not too far from Japan’s capital.

While Haco Stadium doesn’t supply costumes, there is a cosplay accessory shop on the premises, featuring items from more than a dozen cosplay brands.

There’s also a cafe serving drinks and light fare, but the main draw is, of course, the cosplay area. First, you’ll want to change into your anime outfit, and Haco Stadium is equipped with changing rooms, styling areas, and lockers to stow your more ordinary clothing in.

The 33 cosplay rooms are divided up into eight different zones: standard, house, school, Japanese, world, another dimension, fantasy, and cafe/restaurant (the last one being separate from the actual, operating cafe at Haco Stadium that serves food). Let’s take a whirlwind tour of this cosplay wonderland.

▼ Like man of Haco Stadium’s sections, the Japanese zone has both exteriors and interiors to set up your shots with.

Not all of the Japanese-inspired sets are so classic, though, like the living room and school rooms.

▼ Don’t forget to grab that seat in the back corner if you’re cosplaying as the main character!

Haco Stadium is also ready to accommodate sports anime fans, especially if you happen to be into Slam Dunk or Kuroko’s Basketball

If your fantasies are more western than Japanese, head on over to the fantasy section, where you can discuss your next quest with your guildmates…

…store your treasures from successful adventures…

…or delve into the dungeons on new ones.

▼ A gothic-themed room for gothic Lolita enthusiasts

▼ Are you and your friends locked in a bitter argument over who was the greater genius, Lewis Carrol, M.C. Escher, or Salvador Dali? Why not make everyone happy at once with this room.

There are also rooms with Arabian and Chinese motifs, in case you’ve been getting really into Magi or Fushigi Yugi.

Or, if your favorite story doesn’t take place on earth, there are these two contrasting visions of the interstellar future.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, things don’t get much more mundane than this coffee shop and diner.

And finally, no doubt in response to popular idol singer series like Love Live! and The Idolm@aster, there’s a stage with working lights.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or reserved ahead of time online here (which gives you a bit of a discount). Guests choose from one of three time blocks, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., or 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Prices range from 2,300 to 4,500 yen (US$19-$38).

One thing to keep in mind is that Haco Stadium isn’t a private studio. Your ticket gives you access to each and every set, but use is determined on a first-come, first-served basis. Haco Stadium does, therefore, request that groups not monopolize a single room for too long.

However, that’s not to say there aren’t any extra services thrown in. Don’t feel like doing your photo shoot with your smartphone? No problem! Your ticket entitles you to a free, two-hour rental of one of Haco Stadium’s SLR cameras, and throwing down an additional 500 yen gives you the camera for the whole day. Strobe lights and camera batteries are also available free for two hours (which can once again be extended to a full day for 300 or 500 yen, respectively).

Other freebies include tripods, indoor slippers, blankets to keep you warm (handy if you’re wearing a skimpy cosplay outfit), and even a range of props including fake flowers, handguns, swords, stuffed animals, and sports balls. Haco Stadium staff are even available to help with taking pictures.

Really, as long as you’ve got your costume sorted out, the only problem we can foresee is getting too shutter happy and running out of memory. Oh, what’s that? Haco Stadium sells eight-gigabyte memory cards for 1,200 yen? OK, now there’s really nothing not to like about this place.

Related: Haco Stadium Tokyo
Top image: Haco Stadium (1, 2, 3, 4) (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert image: Haco Stadium (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)