Hideaki Kobayashi (cosplayer)

Hideaki Kobayashi
小林 秀章
Kobayashi in 2016
Born1962 (age 62–63)
Suginami Ward, Tokyo, Japan
Other namesSailor Suit Uncle
Alma materWaseda University
Occupation(s)Cosplayer, computer engineer, Music producer, Photographer
Known forCosplaying as school girls

Hideaki Kobayashi (小林 秀章, Kobayashi Hideaki) is a Japanese cosplayer, computer engineer, music producer, and photographer. He is known for cosplaying as a schoolgirl. He is nicknamed as Sailor Suit Uncle (セーラー服おじさん, Sērā-fuku Ojisan).[1]

Biography

He was born in 1962 in Suginami Ward, Tokyo.[2] He said in an interview with ITmedia that his "hobby" of cosplaying dates back to when he was in first and second grade, when he lifted his female classmate's skirt, for which he was forced to wear a sailor suit in front of his classmate as punishment. He attended Toho Middle School and High School, an all-boys school.[3][4] He majored in Mathematics at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, where he also finished his master's study.[2][4] He said that this was the time when he enjoyed cross-dressing in his room and secretly wearing panties.[4][5] He works as an information processing software engineer at a printing company.[2] He said that he started cosplaying after being at a cosplaying convention in May 2010.[3][6]

In June 2011, he was invited by his friend to visit a ramen shop in Yokohama that gave away free ramen if a customer over 30 dressed up like a school girl. He started cosplaying after he found that people did not have a negative reception for his cosplay. Following that, he started walking around the streets of Shibuya every weekend.[7]

Internet virality

He went viral on Twitter and the Japanese internet in 2013 after he was seen cosplaying in a Japanese school girls' uniform (sailor suit).[1][3][6][8]

A sticker featuring him was created by the messaging app, Line.[9] He was invited 10 times to various events in China and countries like Spain, Cuba, France and Thailand.[10][11] A portrait of him was displayed in a subway station in Bangkok, Thailand.[12]

Other ventures

Kobayashi also works as a computer engineer with a patent, and photographer and music producer for Chaos de Japon.[8]

Reception

Many tourists visiting Akihabara in Tokyo have praised Kobayashi.[3] CNN praised Kobayashi calling him "courageous" for dressing up.[6]

Zenbei, a character from the upcoming game Nippon Marathon 2, was inspired by him.[13]

Personal life

Kobayashi identifies as heterosexual.[14] He is fluent in English.[15]

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b 【コミケ90】セーラー服おじさん、会社を休んでコミケ来場. Oricon (in Japanese). October 21, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Tanaka 2019, p. 4.
  3. ^ a b c d Sonoko, Ikeda (April 23, 2013). 実はアイドルグループの一員だった！ 話題沸騰中の「セーラー服おじさん」に会ってきた. ITLab (in Japanese). Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Okuda 2014, p. 1.
  5. ^ Tanaka 2019, p. 1.
  6. ^ a b c Ripley, Will (July 20, 2014). "A 51-year-old male schoolgirl? Meet Tokyo's inspirational cross-dresser". CNN. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  7. ^ Tanaka 2019, pp. 2, 4.
  8. ^ a b "This Is Just a Middle-Aged Man Dressed as a Japanese Schoolgirl". Kotaku. April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  9. ^ 「セーラー服おじさん」のLINEスタンプが出たぞ！！. ITmedia (in Japanese). October 24, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  10. ^ Okuda 2014, p. 3.
  11. ^ 「セーラー服おじさん」はタイにもいた！ 日本のセーラー服おじさんと対面し濃厚コラボを果たす. ITmedia (in Japanese). November 19, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  12. ^ Tanaka 2019, p. 2.
  13. ^ セーラー服おじさん、「Nippon Marathon 2」に参戦！プレーヤーに"チャレンジ"を与えるキャラクターに. Impress (in Japanese). October 8, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  14. ^ Moye, David (July 18, 2014). "SAY CHEESE: Japan's Most Famous 'Schoolgirl' Is A Man". HuffPost. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  15. ^ Okuda 2014, pp. 3–4.

Citations

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