From our other sites
The story
Nikkei Cross Trend’s report that Japan’s “oshikatsu” (fan-support spending) market has grown an estimated 32% over three years to reach ¥3.4 trillion sparked a thread on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board about Gen Z spending habits. While Gen Z is often said to skip traditional “adult hobbies” like golf, drinking, smoking, cars, gambling, and watches, some posters noted that young employees at their companies golf constantly, and that people in their 20s make up a notable share of pachinko and boat-racing participants — highlighting a gap between the generational narrative and the actual numbers.
Japan’s Fan-Support Spending Market Grows 30% in Three Years to ¥3.4 Trillion — Data Reveals What’s Driving the Growth
In fact, even excluding indirect spending such as travel and dining out, the fan-support spending market has reached an estimated ¥3.4 trillion, growing roughly 32% over the past three years.
So what’s driving this growth?
Source: xtrend.nikkei.com / Original article here
What people said
At my company the young guys golf like crazy too. They drink a ton as well.
Golf really is fun. I'm 28 and totally hooked on it right now.
Golf costs money, though.
Among Gen Z, a YouTuber with maybe 500,000 subscribers probably has more name recognition than a B-list celebrity or an aging big-name star.
I've gotta start golfing but I have no idea what to buy or where to begin… For now a senior coworker gave me a full set of clubs and a bag.
If you got those, all that's left is to practice at the driving range.
People always say to practice with a 7-iron first, but I think irons are hard, so I figure it's safer to just start with the driver.
If you're heading to the driving range, you can at least work on your grip and stance at home beforehand — that's the most important part.
If it's women, I mean… whatever. It's basically a mascot character at this point, practically a national phenomenon.
Anime and plastic models aren't just a women's thing though.
The girls' outfits are cute, the food tastes great out there, and it feels amazing when you hit a clean shot.
Honestly I think it's kind of a sport for otaku types. You know how they love stuff like "my original deck build!" or "my own custom shortcut technique!" — it's that same energy.
Boat racing's seen a huge jump in young fans too.
Nah, the reality is almost nobody's actually trading stocks.
Dream goal: a comfortable, carefree life in a nursing home! Is that really living, though?
Everyone's hobbies look pointless from the outside. Even "oshikatsu" looks like nothing but throwing money away to me.
But this whole thread feels like it's ranking certain hobbies as higher or lower status than others.
Does anyone actually do it outside of work obligations?
I do it all the time, for real.
Otaku = oshikatsu. Same thing.
Mobile gaming kind of feels like its boom has passed, honestly.
Apparently today's otaku ride motorcycles, go camping, fish, and play guitar, all at once.
Darts: "And what about me?"
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
The original article calculated Japan’s fan-support spending market at an estimated ¥3.4 trillion, up 32% over three years. But what the thread actually debated was the underlying assumption behind that framing — that “Gen Z doesn’t buy alcohol, cigarettes, cars, gambling, or luxury watches.” On golf specifically, opinions split between “young employees at my workplace golf all the time” and “it gets avoided because it’s expensive,” suggesting the reality isn’t so clear-cut. Posters also pointed out that people in their 20s make up a notable share of pachinko and boat-racing participants, hinting that the idea of Gen Z “abandoning gambling” may also be an oversimplification. Even “oshikatsu” itself came up as covering far more than idols and anime — golf, camping, and playing instruments were all mentioned — underscoring just how hard it is to sum up a generation in one narrative.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Gen Z: “No need for women, golf, booze, cigarettes, cars, gambling, or watches” ← Turns out we found out what they ARE spending money on wwwwwwww“
Leave a Reply