Give me your tired, your poor, your costumed masses yearning to break free: Japan welcomes wacky performance artists everywhere to the World Cosplay Summit held this Saturday and Sunday, at which presumably cosplayers will issue a statement solving the problems of the world.
In all (or most) seriousness, the event, which includes a parade and the ominously named World Cosplay Championship, marks a turning point in Japanese attitudes toward visitors.
Where tourism offices may have once been cool to anime-crazy foreigners, it recognizes now that they're a lucrative market, as your local Hot Topic knows. As the event's website proclaims:
These young people who know Japan from manga say... JAPAN is COOL!
Related Stories:
· World Cosplay Summit [Official Site]
· Japan Gives State Welcome to Cosplayers [AFP]
· Travel Trends coverage [Jaunted]]]>