Jeff Yang published an interesting article about the status of otaku in Japan but also globally.

otaku first appeared maybe 10 years ago and where cool for a while. Then, being otaku was not cool and now they are cool and even sexy again and as a study from Nomura Research Institute indicate they are now a powerful consumer group. There are about 2.85 million otaku, who are responsible for generating over $2.6 billion in purchases last year in Japan.

Last weekend American otaku gathered in Anaheim in California at the AX (Anime Expo) - otaku is not just a Japanese life-style.
Read the full article on SFGate.

For a definition of otaku refer to Wikipedia.


See also Jeff Yangs story on Why Cool Stuff comes out first in Japan.