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.

Jessie Diggins celebrates during a venue ceremony after winning the bronze medal in the women's sprint free cross-country skiing competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, February 8, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)

Police detain a protester during a demonstration near the Chinese embassy to mark the 63rd Tibetan uprising anniversary in New Delhi on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP Photo)

Filipino children frolic next to ships taking shelter inside a seaport in Navotas city, north of Manila, Philippines, 27 August 2019. According to the latest advisory from Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Tropical Storm Podul intensified from a tropical depression into a tropical storm on August 27, while moving toward Central Luzon with a maximum winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 80 km/h. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA/EFE)

Parade-goers walk in the annual West Indian Day Parade on September 02, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The annual celebration of Caribbean culture is one of the largest of its kind and features dozens of floats and costumed participants that make their way down Flatbush Avenue. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images)

Peahens seen at Motilal Nehru Marg during lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, on April 19, 2020 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

An employee stands on the step of The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express at Istanbul Station in Istanbul, on August 31, 2022. The Venice Simplon Orient-Express luxury train arrives in Istanbul, completing its annual voyage along a mythical route that takes it across Europe from Paris. (Photo by Yasin Akgul/AFP Photo)

Boy says hello to a swimming bear in Seattle, Washington on October 4, 2022. Fall weather brings out the Animals' playful side as Attendees celebrate World Animal Day with a visit to Woodlawn Park Zoo. (Photo by Shane Srogi/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)