The Ita Bag Debate

What do you think about the Japanese vs Western ita bag debate?
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[AddyHarajuku]

Quick correction (thank you to a few comments): Ita bag means painful bag, but the initial meaning for this was due to it being seen as cringey/embarassing/painful to look at. Hence terms like ‘ita’ used as an insult towards lolita’s in the days of live journal.
Later interpretations of the name see it more as a dedication term.

I always try to research & I keep sources saved on my script but unfortunately as an english only speaker, I can miss nuances or extra insight. Mistakes happen and so I appreciate corrections & additional information given in good faith 🙂‍↕️🎀

[charisu]

My tikka masala-level hot take: I actually prefer itabags that show off indie/fanmade/handmade merch. I just find fan-made designs so much more varied and interesting than official merch a lot of the time!

[mochike]

"japanese traditional ita bags" as a korean this is like hearing "korean traditional photocards" and it dealt 4d10 psychic damage to me girl what are you saying

[stBadFriend]

This drama is legit so funny to me because when I was in Japan earlier this year I took my "western" style bag of Minami from i7 with me (rosettes, flowers, custom fabric insert, pins/keychains/badges) and got a ton of compliments in Ikebukuro and Akihabara. Especially from people who were excited that a tourist knew the series in general.

[strawberrywheels]

as a native person i cannot believe that person was comparing western/niche/subtle ita bag designs to literal Columbus

[BlendyStick]

As someone who has lived in Japan longer than most tiktokers have had control of their bowels, the phrase "traditional Japanese itabag" is an absolutely wild combination of words to hear someone say with a straight face!

[dissinyosandwich]

>accuses the West of “colonizing” Japanese culture
>tries to gatekeep a Japanese cultural hobby as a Westerner introduced to it by trying to give the “correct” way to participate in the hobby based on her own views
The joke literally writes itself holy shit

[gloriantes]

My Final Fantasy ita bag was a hit with a random granny in Kyoto, who reminisced with us about how her grandson played the games. It was so wonderful. Sunnie can eat it.

[JamesLacroixx]

Late, but as an artist alley artist, thanks for discussing small business pricing like that. It really made my blood boil to be accused of 'scamming' people because we have to charge enough money to cover our overhead plus have enough to, you know, live on. We didn't just buy a bunch of premade bags and jack the prices up, we DESIGNED them ourselves. We spent months interfacing with factories to find the right one and to communicate our design to them and checking proofs and raising funds to produce them. Product design is an actual skill that not just anyone can do.

[winter-starlight]

Imagine being a white American girl trying to police Japanese culture. Wild. Why can't Sunnie just let people have their fun?

[Lara-gcwd]

i just wanted to show off my pin collection without them getting damaged jesus christ

[sunnihikki]

its so annoying bc people dont gaf abt ur ita bag irl only chronically online people care 😢😢😢

[blueskylark]

Also hate the overconsumption aspect of sunnie’s ideas. I don’t own an ita bag, I would love too, but I don’t need to own a multiple bags that perfectly match my “curated Aesthetic” my Goemon Ishikawa pin is going to be next to Percy De Rolo because I like Lupin III and critical role.

[huil]

To add to this, Chinese Ita bags also have their own take on this. They like to decorate the bag beautifully dedicated to just one character but everything would be placed strategically and they're really aesthetically pleasing to look at. I saw some Japanese tik tok creators that recreated a Chinese style ita bag because they find it cute.

[lellybelly]

I have a “western” ita bag and the only thing I’ve ever gotten in response to people seeing it is that they like my pins lol. I actually love how they’re all mismatched, because it tells a story of my interests! I’ve been able to strike up a conversation with anyone who comments on them, whether it’s about Deadpool or Hello Kitty or Stray Kids. All of my pins have been gathered over the years from meaningful events/moments in my life, or things that interest me. I collected pins wayyy before I had an ita bag.

I think ita bags solely based on shows are amazing, the repeat ones are super cool too! I also only use one purse most days, so having all my favorite pins on one bag makes it more fun for me than dedicating one bag to one of my interests (tho that would be fun to do in the future).

I think fan culture and ita bags are definitely a matter of taste in what you like. When I saw Sunni’s video, my first thought was “it’s not ur bag???” It seems pointless to fuss about something that people enjoy and see as a form of self expression 🤷‍♀️

[Kyuupire]

If you are on japanese SNS 90% of bags that go viral are big repeat bags. But if you go outside to live events, a lot of people have small bags with different can badges and decorations inside.
Especially chinese style bags that are more decorations than goods have gained popularity.
And "oddly shaped" bags are rare but exist in japan as well. The only difference is that they are official and not fan made.
The idea that there is only one true itabag style is chronically online. It's not happening in real life in japan. If you have a cheap mixed bag and meet japanese otaku, they would not care.

[pippip]

i was in japan recently and i saw people with both kinds of bags... the repeating pattern and a bags with mixed matched merch. I dont understand why some people assume Japanese people are always super strict with fan culture... we are all just having fun no matter the country.

[muma-kitty]

i was so confused about how there could possibly be drama over a bag made to display pins, but then you said "tiktok" and now i understand.

[PQ_]

There shouldn't be rules when it comes to your hobby. Life is short, as long as it's not hurting anyone do what makes you happy! I've never heard of an ita bag before, but I love the idea of bags with a "display screen" so to speak. I would love to print out art and slot it in, or even a book I may be reading (if it fits) to display the cover art.

[thelittleowl]

"Fandoms are supposed to be fun" louder for the people in the back. She can say all she likes about what a "proper" ita bag is supposed to look like but I doubt less privileged people in Japan limited to 2nd hand merch stores and the same cheap mass-produced ita bags we were stuck with originally share the same sentiment.