What Is Oshi-Katsu? A Complete Guide to Japan's Fan Culture: Meaning, Money and 2026 Trends

A friend says they spend their days off on “oshi-katsu,” and you wonder what that involves besides concerts and merch. Here is what oshi-katsu means, where the word comes from, how it differs from otaku activity, how to get started and how fans handle money.

If you know the K-pop idea of a “bias,” you’re halfway there. This guide from The Oshi Lab, a research outlet on Japanese fan culture, covers the meaning and origins of oshi-katsu, the kinds of activities it includes, the reality of the money, common misconceptions and the trends of 2026.

What Oshi-Katsu Means

Oshi-katsu (推し活, literally “oshi activity”) is the practice of supporting the person or character you root for most, your oshi, in all sorts of ways.

Going to concerts and events, collecting merchandise, spreading the word on social media, celebrating a birthday: anything you do out of love for your oshi counts as oshi-katsu.

What matters is that “support” can look completely different from one person to the next. Someone who goes to live events every week, someone who only watches videos at home and someone who simply thinks of their oshi are all taking part. How much you do, or how much you spend, is not a condition of oshi-katsu.

Where the Word “Oshi” Comes From

Oshi comes from the verb osu, which means to like something so much that you want to recommend it to others. “Like” is a feeling that stays inside you. Osu uses the character from the word for “recommendation,” so it carries an outward arrow: the wish to spread the word and cheer someone on. That one-character difference shaped the whole culture of oshi-katsu.

In 2000s idol culture the term oshimen, the member you support most (see oshimen and jitan), spread, and before long “oshi” alone was used beyond any single group. In January 2021, Rin Usami’s novel Idol, Burning (Oshi, Moyu in Japanese) won the 164th Akutagawa Prize, and in 2021 “oshi-katsu” was nominated for the U-Can New Words and Buzzwords Awards. As both a word and a culture, it has clearly taken root in Japanese society.

1. 2000sOshimen spreadsIn idol culture, the member you back most
2. Jan 2021Idol, Burning wins the Akutagawa PrizeOshi, Moyu in Japanese
3. 2021Nominated for a buzzword awardOshi-katsu becomes part of everyday speech

The word grew from one group's slang into a culture-wide term.

Early fan culture sometimes spelled the word with a different character, one meaning “to push,” but today the version with the “recommend” character, which carries the sense of “so good you want to recommend it,” is nearly standard. A fuller history of the word is in the entry What Is an Oshi?.

How It Differs From Ota-Katsu

In practice the two overlap heavily, and you don’t need to be strict about it. Oshi-katsu is the one with a feeling of “supporting a particular someone” at its center. We compare the two terms in more detail in What Is Ota-Katsu?.

Focus on a someone

Oshi-katsu

• A specific oshi, person or character
• [object Object]

Focus on a hobby

Ota-katsu

• A whole hobby genre
• [object Object]

They overlap heavily, so there is no need to be strict.

Examples

• “Is oshi-katsu just buying merch?”
• “I play one of my oshi’s songs every morning to get me through the day.”
• “I pick events within my budget, and I don’t beat myself up for skipping some.”
• “This year I decided on two live events, and I’m streaming the rest.”
• “I can’t even remember when I started oshi-katsu. It just happened so naturally.”

How Wide Can an Oshi Be?

There are no rules about what can be an oshi.

• Idols and artists (J-pop, K-pop and more)
• Actors, voice actors and comedians
• Characters from anime, manga and games
• VTubers, streamers and utaite (people who post covers of songs online)
• Athletes and sports teams
• Trains, Buddha statues, castles, even the giant panda at the zoo. There is a term, gainen-oshi (concept oshi), so the range really is open

Types of Oshi-Katsu and How to Enjoy Them

Here are the typical activities, grouped into five types: participation, collecting, sharing, creating and celebrating.

You can do just one of these or all of them. There is no “right way” and no quota in oshi-katsu, and that is the most important rule.

Oshi-katsuNo right way, no quota

• ParticipationLive shows, plays, pilgrimages
• CollectingMerch, cards, magazines, CDs
• SharingPosts, fan art, spreading the word
• CreatingHandmade goods, ita-bags, nui-katsu
• CelebratingBirthdays and anniversaries

Do one, several or all of them.

Oshi-Katsu in Conversation and Posts

• “This weekend is my oshi-katsu day, so don’t book anything for me.” (talking to a friend)
• “Today’s oshi-katsu: played the new single from morning, took photos with my acrylic stand at a café.” (a classic social media format)
• “Thanks to oshi-katsu, I’m not afraid of Mondays anymore.”

Simply giving a name to small everyday actions and calling them “oshi-katsu” makes life a little brighter. That is one reason people love the word.

How to Start Oshi-Katsu (4 Steps)

1. Find something that catches your interest. Look for a “kind of like it” on YouTube or social media
2. Follow it loosely, for free. Follow videos, streams and accounts. You don’t need to spend any money yet
3. Set a budget. Decide in advance how much you can spend per month. This is the biggest key to enjoying it long term
4. Choose a style that suits you. Live events, staying home, collecting? What fits is different for everyone

1. 01Find your sparkSomething you kind of like
2. 02Follow for freeVideos, streams, accounts
3. 03Set a budgetDecide the monthly limit first
4. 04Pick your styleLive, at home or collecting

You don't need to spend anything until step three.

The Reality of Money in Oshi-Katsu

The oshi-katsu market is estimated at roughly ¥4.1 trillion (roughly $27 billion), with an estimated 19.4 million people taking part, so it is a huge culture (see our sourced roundup of the data).

At the individual level, though, the median annual spend is about ¥40,000. The average (about ¥210,000) is far higher because a group of heavy spenders pulls it up. A 2026 survey of 1,000 people also found that more than 70% spend less than ¥10,000 a month (74.3%), so it is not true that “everyone is spending huge sums.” (We collect the latest data with sources in Oshi-Katsu Market Size, 2026 Edition.)

¥4.1 trillion

Estimated market size

19.4 million

Estimated participants

¥40,000

Median yearly spend

70%+

Spend under ¥10,000 a month

The average is about ¥210,000, pulled up by heavy spenders.

A standard way to keep spending under control is oshi-chokin, an oshi savings fund that sets money aside for oshi-katsu in advance. If you worry about managing the money side, we cover it in more depth in the Oshi-Katsu and Money category.

Common Misconceptions About Oshi-Katsu

Oshi-Katsu Trends in 2026

• “Yuru-oshi” (relaxed fandom) becomes the majority. Instead of attending everything and buying everything, enjoying it within your means has become the mainstream style
• Solo oshi-katsu takes hold. About 60% describe themselves as “solo” fans, so it is now a culture you can enjoy without anyone else
• Senior oshi-katsu is growing. Oshi-katsu is not just for the young; it has reached people in their 60s and older
• More company-and-oshi-katsu collaborations. Cafe menus in an oshi’s color and anniversary campaigns are among the many ways companies and fan culture now meet (case studies are in Oshi-Katsu and Business)

Notes From The Oshi Lab: Oshi-Katsu Is Not a Niche, but a Culture of Daily Life

At The Oshi Lab, we see oshi-katsu as no longer a niche market for companies and brands, but a culture woven into everyday life. What stands out is that the center of gravity in spending has shifted from “buying things” to “feeling that you are supporting.” Even for the same product, fans respond very differently depending on whether a connection to their oshi (an anniversary, a color, a collaboration) has been designed into it.

At the same time, “oshi-katsu bandwagoning” without an understanding of the culture tends to backfire. Learning fans’ language and manners is a precondition for any campaign. We explain that thinking in What Is Oshi-Katsu Marketing?.

Summary: Oshi-Katsu Is a Right, Not an Obligation

Oshi-katsu means every action you take out of thought for your oshi. Neither the amount of money nor the number of events measures your love.

It is fine to rest when you are tired. It is fine to support your oshi lightly. Oshi-katsu is a right, not an obligation.

If you want to go deeper, try the Oshi-Katsu Glossary and Oshi-Katsu Bookshelf. We also cover the “now” of oshi-katsu every week on our Podcast and YouTube channel, The Oshi Lab (in Japanese).