There are few better icebreakers in the world than having a cool hobby. Except maybe being very very attractive. That also works well when trying to socialize. But for those of us that haven’t won the genetic lottery and can’t quite afford the plastic surgery, a cool hobby is a nice second place.
I’m serious. Have you ever tried telling that interesting stranger that you take a super secret codebreaking class on the weekends? You should! You’ll see how much they want to talk to you after that! And if they don’t, you can do better!
However, what are some cool hobbies out there that you can do without breaking the bank or your back! Here’s where anime comes in handy.
I should specify that these are hobbies I would do, or pretend to do, and not necessarily the actual coolest hobbies out there. There’s a girl in Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei who collects tails. Not a typo, actual tails…
5. Yuru Camp – Camping
Honestly, I am not a camping sort of person. I have often said that as a species we clawed our way out of the much in order to avoid having to do things like camping at all costs. What I am though, is an introvert.
Those quiet scenes of Rin all alone with the scenery and her little diner almost convinced me to go buy a tent. It just seemed so peaceful and relaxing. That is until her personal space got invaded. That show is really an understated horror masterpiece!
Then I remembered that I live in a country where temperatures are usually 30C or -30C with very little in between and snow and freezing rain get immediately replaced by mosquitoes and the urge passes.
4. Princess Jellyfish (design)
So here’s the thing. I really liked Princess Jellyfish. And I loved how their odd hobbies brought everyone together. But for me, I related most to Kuranosuke. Which is really odd. I wanted to be him and my first instinct was to say that I wanted to crossdress as a hobby. Then I remembered that for me it isn’t actually cross-dressing and wearing clothes is a bit of a stretch to be called a hobby.
So instead, I’m going to say I want to design pretty/weird dresses. And then wear them. Mostly I want to wear them. At some point, you have to accept that you’re a basic b.
3. Chihayafuru
I never managed to get into the anime. I don’t know why. I know it’s good, I enjoyed every episode I watched and then I just stopped watching it. It’s one of those shows I will surely get back to at some point. I did watch enough though to be impressed with Karuta.
Karuta is amazing. It’s a card game where you match cards to create (or recreate) proverbs. I always thought the idea of it was deeply romantic. To be good at it you have to memorize all these sayings and haiku and then translate them into a visual representation. What I didn’t expect is for Karuta to be so intense and aggressive! It’s an actual physical sport! I would 100% be super interested if someone told me they played Karuta on the weekends!
2. Tsurune
Look, it’s archery. There’s nothing that weird about it but at the same time, I don’t know anyone right now who does archery in their free time. And I want to. I really want to know an archer. Archers are cool peeps!
The fact is, I have wanted to try out archery more seriously (as in more seriously than the handful of random times I have done it in the past) for years now, but I never got the chance. Watching Tsurune each week just twists that knife. Maybe it will be my next hobby.
1. My Dress-Up Darling (Cosplay)
Is it cheating since it’s technically just wearing things again…
Ok, here’s the deal, I have always said that I really liked putting costumes together but actual cosplay is another story. Having to wear often uncomfortable get-ups for hours. Overheating and getting painful bruises from ridiculous accessories, having strangers really really enthusiastic about meeting you or taking your picture. All of these are things that I wasn’t so keen about.
But setting up a private photoshoot with a couple of friends, WOW that looks like fun. I wanna do that big time. And I might have an idea who to ask 😉
So there you have it, 5 hobby ideas to help you break the ice. Now that I look back on it, maybe these aren’t hobbies that will help you get the interest of everyone out there. But they will definitely get my attention so there’s that…
