Aiming to Bridge Japan with the Rest of the World: Cosplayer Yuriko Tiger

Brought to Japan by a Love of Otaku Culture 

Everyone, cosplay freaks all over the world, the moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived. The beautiful, stylish, talented cosplayer from Italy, the country of the arts, is here! It’s Yuriko Tiger!!!

 

Musashi Miyamoto from Fate/Grand Order (interview photographer: cozy / @cozy1215)

 

“I may be from Italy, but my heart is half Italian and half Japanese (laughs)”

 

Yuriko loves subcultures like anime and video games so much that she came to Japan by herself. “I just ended up here,” she said, giggling. That was eight years ago. Since then she’s been active as not only a cosplayer but also a TV personality. 

 

Okita Soji from Fate

 

Jeanne D’arc Alter Santa Lily (Racing ver) from Fate/Grand Order

 

The Results of a Gifted Education in Italy

“My father ran a video game shop, so I grew up liking Japanese video games and anime. Nowadays a lot of people appreciate otaku culture, but when I was growing up, no one did. At school, out of 30 people in my class, I could only talk to one or two of them about anime and video games.”

 

We might not have the same experience in Japan, but we do know that once you step foot in the quagmire of otaku culture, it won’t let you go so easily. Yuriko’s father, we salute you for your educational policies!

 

Original character

 

Deedlit from Record of Lodoss War

 

“But my father’s real educational policy was…For example, if he wanted his kids to play volleyball, he would start by getting us interested in a video game, then have us try it in real life. But the volleyball game my father liked was Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball so…well, this is the result (laughs).”

 

Dad…great job!!

 

Musashi Miyamoto from Fate/Grand Order (interview photographer: cozy / @cozy1215)

 

Alisa Bosconovitch from Tekken 7

 

 

 

The Differences between Italian and Japanese Cosplay

So, once Yuriko came to Japan after admiring otaku culture for so long, did she find that there were a lot of differences between Japanese and Italian otaku?

 

“First, Japanese otaku are shy. I think that’s partially a national trait. In Italy, even otaku kiss and hug each other in greeting. I think Italians are good at communicating. But expert Japanese otaku really impress me with their spirit of inquiry when it comes to their favorite things.”

 

Oh yes, that is something of a national trait. 

 

“Also, the things we do at cosplay events are totally different. In Italy, the contests are the main event. You get on stage and dance and sing, performing in front of the attendees. But in Japan, photography is the main event.”

 

Mt. Fuji Cosplay World Conference (She was invited as a guest)

 

Kizuna Ai

 

The differences between Italian and Japanese cosplay events may come down to differences in history, culture, and even national personality. But Yuriko said that this has been changing little by little.

 

“Italy is starting to get like Japan. Since social media is so popular, cosplayers have changed their focus from contests to showing their cosplay to as many people as possible. So, to become popular, they work on taking good pictures. A lot more cosplayers also wear revealing costumes.”

 

Doing cosplay not to express your love for something but to gain popularity…that sort of switches the method and the goal, doesn’t it? Of course, we can’t deny that Japan is heading in the same direction. 

 

Mature from King of Fighters

 

 

 

Speaking like an Osakan?!

Yuriko’s Japanese is so good that we could almost entirely forget that she’s Italian. No wonder she boasts of being half Japanese at heart. 

 

“After eight years I can even eat natto now.”

 

Wow! Natto, highly pungent fermented soybeans, is one thing a lot of foreign people in Japan just can’t do…but Yuriko conquered that challenge. But surely she must have experienced lots of culture shock when she arrived in Japan.

 

Android 18 from Dragon Ball

 

Harley Quin from Suicide Squad (Official cosplayer)

 

“Yes, the first time I arrived at Narita Airport I was so shocked. I was like, ‘this is the boonies!’ (laughs)”

 

Ah, before arriving she probably expected to see the huge metropolis of Tokyo. Hang on… “The boonies”? Yuriko, you speak like someone from Kansai!

 

“I’ve actually only been to Osaka like three times, but I like Osaka accents. I feel like it’s natural for me, or like the feel of it or the sense of the people are similar to Italy. Italian is also different depending on if you come from the north or the south.”

 

According to Yuriko, people from southern Italy are more relaxed and open. 

 

An original character in her day-to-day clothes

 

“There’s another thing that surprised me about Japan. Japanese people seem like they’re really shy, but when stores are having sales… Their super loud ‘Irasshaimaseeeeeee!!!’ really shocked me (laughs). In Italy, people don’t say much beyond saying good morning or hello.”

 

Pekora Usada from hololive

 

Gravure-style original character

 

 

 

Advice for International Cosplayers

At the end of our interview, we asked Yuriko for advice for those hoping to become international cosplayers. 

 

“First off, the important thing is to have fun, but there are different rules between Italy and Japan. In Italy, we all get on the train in cosplay to go to events, but in Japan, that’s not allowed. You should look up those rules before you go. If you don’t know something, you should be proactive in asking the people around you.”

 

Solid advice you could only get from Yuriko Tiger, who moved from Italy to Japan, and now occasionally makes her triumphant return to Italy as a Japanese cosplayer. 

 

Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (official cosplayer)

 

“My goal is to become the bridge that connects Japan with the rest of the world!”

 

We’ll be sharing her words all around the world and devoting ourselves to helping her become that bridge!!

 

Official photo from the idol group Kurofune-chan

 

 

• Yuriko Tiger

Twitter：@YURIKOTIGER

 

Instagram：yurikotiger

 

TikTok：yurikotiger

 

YouTube：https://www.youtube.com/yurikotigerjp

 

 

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