While doujinshi are tolerated, Japanese media companies are notoriously hostile to Let's Plays, reaction videos, and clips on YouTube. This contrasts sharply with Western companies that embrace creators as free marketing. Japanese broadcasters (NHK, TBS) have only recently allowed limited streaming.

Visiting Japan as a fan is disorienting. You can eat a Demon Slayer ramen, attend a virtual Hatsune Miku concert, watch a Starto idol wave goodbye on a giant screen in Shibuya, and then walk into a temple where a 1,000-year-old ritual is being performed. The entertainment industry does not suppress tradition; it cannibalizes it, turns it into costume and catchphrase.