Exposure to Anime in Peru and Its Relationship with Demand for Goods and Services Related to Japanese Popular Culture

Abstract

Japanese animation, usually referred as anime, has gained popularity around the world. Anime fans, when exposed to this audio-visual product, generate unique feelings, which could develop into an attraction for other cultural products of Japanese origin. The objective of the study is to determinate significates relationships between exposure to anime and the raising demand for goods and services related to Japanese popular (in the means of desire to consume manga, to eat Japanese cuisine, to wear Japanese fashion, to attend a Japanese rock or pop concert, to study the Japanese language, and to travel to Japan). The research was conducted in Arenales Plaza, a famous otaku congregation place located in Lima, Peru. Data was collected through a questionnaire developed by the authors, applied to a sample of 68 observations. The descriptive results identified high levels in each of the observed variables. As for the inferential results, Spearman's rho statistical test determined that there was a relationship between exposure to anime and the desire to consume manga (p. < 0.001; r = 0.75), desire to consume Japanese cuisine (p. < 0.001; r = 0.65), desire to consume Japanese fashion (p. < 0.001; r = 0.65), desire to consume Japanese pop and rock music (p. < 0.001; r = 0.25), desire to study Japanese (p. < 0.001; r = 0.25), and desire to travel to Japan (p. < 0.001; r = 0.53).