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For the working otaku – Convertible bags you can take to work and anime/idol events【Photos】

Casey Baseel Jan 27, 2022
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Clever design lets you transform from serious professional to hardcore fan in seconds flat.

The vast majority of people in Japan commute by train, so if you’re heading to work, you’re going to need a bag for anything you need to take with you or pick up on the way home. Since your work bag is effectively part of your business attire, most people want something with a mature and understated design, as low-key looks are the norm in professional settings in Japan. So, for example, the shoulder bags seen above would all be sensible choices, as would these backpacks.

But what if, after finishing your humdrum shift at work, you’ve got something really important to do, like attending an anime fan event or idol singer meet-and-greet session? Proper otaku etiquette dictates that for such occasions, you should be carrying a bag decked out with pins, plushies, and other symbols of your devoted support for your favorite character or performer. Anything less would be unseemly, but what if you don’t have time to head back home and pick up your special otaku bag before the event starts?

Then the bags shown here are an especially wise choice, because they’re designed to be used in both workplace and fan space environments.

▼ Work time…

▼ Otaku time!

Manufacturer Elecom’s Oshigoto Bags (a pun on the Japanese words oshi, “favorite character/idol,” and shigoto, “work”) look simple enough from the outside while in their work-mode forms, but there’s a clever trick on the inside. Open up the zipper at the top, and you’ll immediately see three separate compartments inside, with a large central cavity sandwiched by two clear plastic sections.

Since one of those clear sections is connected to the flap you’ve unzipped, you can keep bending it down, and if you then attach it to the bottom of the bag, presto! The clear sections are now both on the outer edge of the bag, allowing you to display the otaku items you’ve placed inside of them.

The shoulder bag works in the same way.

There are all sorts of functional details too, like extra cushioning to keep your laptop safe (the backpack will fit models with up to 15.6-inch screens)…

…and the cloth side of the clear sections also have a mesh backing, so that you can attach pins without having to puncture the fabric.

The Oshigoto shoulder bag is priced at 4,280 yen (US$37) and the backpack at 5,980, and both can be ordered through Elecom’s online store (black and gray shoulder bags here and here, black and gray backpacks here and here). Just make sure to double check if your company offers an Oshi Vacation System if you’re planning to blow off work entirely.

Source: PR Times
Top image: Elecom
Insert images: PR Times, Elecom (1, 2, 3, 4)
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