The eighth annual Nipponbashi Street Festa stamped Osaka March 20, 2012 (Nipponbashi is Osaka’s geek district – much like Akihabara is for Tokyo). Cosplayers turned up in colourful outfits, dressing as characters from their favourite manga, anime, and video games. The street was closed to cars, and otaku flooded the streets, snapping pics, cosplaying, and hanging out.

A Canadian actress, pop singer and song writer Jessica Lowndes (she is best known for her role as Adrianna Tate-Duncan on TV series 90210) Jessica Lowndes attends a party at the Sugar Hut at Sugar Hut on May 4, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Danny Martindale)

Donna Vekic of Croatia poses during a portrait session held on February 9, 2012 in London. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

In this Wednesday, May 23, 2012 photograph, a young deer and a cat share a moment in Feench village near Jodhpur, Rajasthan state, India. (Photo by AP Photo)

A man crosses Canal Street in the wind and rain from Hurricane Isaac August 29, 2012. (Photo by David J. Phillip/Associated Press)

Actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley arrives at the LACMA Art + Gala at LACMA on October 27, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Rihanna arrives at the GQ Men Of The Year Party at Chateau Marmont Hotel on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

Kashmiri vegetable vendors assemble at a floating market in the interiors of the Dal Lake in Srinagar April 17, 2012. (Photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters)