The Bag That Hurts, aka the Ita Bag

What does "ita bag" even mean?

痛い), which translates to “painful.” The reason these bags are thought to be painful are probably due to the

• Visual Overload: The aesthetic can be "painful" or cringeworthy to look at because the bag is completely covered in pins, buttons, and merchandise
• and Financial Strain: Buying all that official anime, manga, or idol merchandise hurts a fan's wallet.

they cause. It could also be a way for Japanese otakus to joke in a self-deprecating way, as the term was originally used as a joke, basically saying that their love for 2-dimensional characters was so intense and embarrassing that it "hurts.”

What is an ita bag?

An ita-bag is a bag that is typically covered with anime/ subculture badges and plush toys. They’re often used as portable character shrines, with each bag generally being dedicated to one fandom or character. 

They’re really popular in Japan (obviously, since they originated from there), especially as a mainstream staple of oshi-katsu, or the culture of supporting a favorite idol, anime character, or fictional celebrity.
If you were to go to Japan, you’d probably see them constantly in districts like Ikebukuro (especially near Animate), Akihabara in Tokyo, or Nipponbashi in Osaka, which are all pop culture hubs. They’re also practically uniform at anime conventions, voice actor concerts, and live idol performances. Fans load them up with badges, keychains, and plushies dedicated to a single character. 
All of that was to say it’s perfectly okay and acceptable to wear an ita bag in public. Nobody normal would make fun of you for it, because everyone has some obsession in some way.

The structure of an ita bag

Because ita bags are used to display one’s love and utter devotion to a character, the merch inside has to be visible. That’s why all ita bags have a clear plastic window for at least one pocket storing all the pins, plushies, and other stuff. Most ita bags have foam inserts, which are removable foam or fabric panels for you to attach spiky stuff to. Of course, there’s also the standard main compartment to store your normal, everyday things like your phone or books.

The appearance

Ita bags don't really have the same appearance as a normal bag. Its surface is packed with keychains, photos/ photocards, badges, or other items that depict your favorite character. In other words, these bags could look unusual to a normie outsider. 

Ita bags tend to have a see-through window or additional plastic coating, which can ensure that its contents will be protected, and most importantly, visible, because EVERYONE deserves to see your bias/waifu/husbando/whatever put on display.

The Background of ita bags

Ita-bags aren't a new trend, as they originated around 15 or 20 years ago among admirers of a type of music called visual kei. They put pictures of their favorite musicians and attached them to clothing and accessories, and demonstrated their appreciation for their oshimen, or favorite music group member, by covering their clothing and bags with patches and pins. 

Anime and otaku ita-bags represent a similar trend. Admirers of particular characters usually cover these bags with images of the character they like the most, as this demonstrates their appreciation of the character as well as of their favorite group member.

Where and when should I wear an ita bag?

Anywhere. Anytime. 

Where can I find stuff to put in my ita bag?

Heh. You should look at colenth.com, they (we) have really cool stuff. You can also find a lot of things at conventions.

"I'm so ready to buy an ita bag!" 

That's great! So great. We have a lot of ita bags from international boutiques who have recently just partnered with us! Find them here. Wanna learn more about these boutiques in question? Read here.