The dakimakura is a mainstay of otaku culture, often associated with the most hardcore fans of the anime culture. Chances are, you’ve seen images of them floating around, often decorated with covers of an anime character (often not safe for work pictures!). Have you ever seen one and thought about purchasing one for yourself? No worries, as this guide will go through the process of buying your first dakimakura, from where to purchase one, to how to take care of your precious body pillow post-purchase.

What is a dakimakura?

Before we get into the process of purchasing one, it’s important to understand what it is, and how it can benefit you. A dakimakura is essentially a large body pillow, but if you were to literally translate the word “dakimakura”, it reads “hugging pillow”. Outside of Japan, dakimakura is mostly associated with the image of an anime character covering the body pillow. For the rest of this guide, I will make the distinction between the pillow itself and the cover by referring the pillow as dakimakura, and the cover as dakimakura cover.

There are also smaller dakimakuras out there that have the characters pre-printed on them (so you can’t switch out the covers), and can usually be found at a cheap price online, or at popular arcades in Japan. For the purpose of this guide, we’ll only be focusing on the larger type of dakimakura.

There are a two sizes to note when purchasing a dakimakura: 160x50cm and 150x50cm. As a general rule to follow, most modern dakimakura covers are 160x50cm, but make sure that it’ll fit your dakimakura! What I would suggest is finding a dakimakura cover you want to buy first, and then buying the appropriately sized dakimakura to accommodate it.

There are various types of dakimakura cover materials out there, but for the sake of simplicity, I would highly suggest just getting a 2-way tricot (abbreviated as 2WT), which is the most commonly sold dakimakura cover. 2-way refers to the material being able to stretch both ways, and tricot is a method of weave. You’ll often find tricot fabric in swimwear, sportswear, gloves, etc. as a point of reference if you’re unsure how it looks or feels. You may see some other materials out there for dakimakura covers, such as peach skin (which is mostly polyester), but there are rarely any instances of an artist or merch store offering the same print in different dakimakura cover materials.

Why should I get a dakimakura?

The main appeal of owning a dakimakura is the ability to cover it with various anime characters. Got a favorite waifu or husbando? Now you can sleep next to them every night. With one pillow, you can switch out multiple covers, giving it that fresh feeling everytime you do.

As with most anime studios, merchandise is the main source of their income, so purchasing dakimakura covers from your favorite studio can help support them. If there’s an artist you like, you can always check to see if they have any dakimakura covers for sale, or you can commission one. It’s a great way to give back to the community while supporting the creators.

Beyond that, a dakimakura can help give you a better night’s sleep. A dakimakura can help straighten out your spinal strain, support your neck, and generally allows your muscle to relax. A dakimakura is also wonderful if you are a side sleeper, as it can help support your upper arm and leg.

Also, if you’re ever feeling lonely or cold, hugging a body pillow of your favorite anime character never fails to comfort!

Where can I buy a dakimakura?

Luckily for you, gone are the days where expensive proxy services were one of the only reliable options to purchase one. There are plenty of options when it comes to purchasing a dakimakura these days, such as Amazon. As a personal recommendation, I highly suggest the DHR 6000 body pillow as your first dakimakura. If the price is too steep for you, there are plenty of other cheap options you can purchase, such as this dakimakura from COMODO, or this recently released dakimakura from Dakimakuri.

There are plenty of options to choose from, and to be honest, I would recommend buying one that fits your wallet budget. There won’t be a large difference in terms of the pillows if you’re not too picky. Buying a dakimakura is a heavy investment, so make sure you can afford it. Besides, for most of us, the real appeal of buying a dakimakura is to drape a dakimakura cover of our favorite character over it.

Cool! How do I put my favorite characters on them?

Just like how it’s much easier these days to get a dakimakura, the global market has made purchasing a dakimakura cover easier and cheaper for foreigners. You can buy dakimakura covers here at the J-List store as well, such as this dakimakura cover of Kirino from OreImo, or this cover of Yui Ichinose drawn by Sankuro. There are plenty of dakimakura covers of anime characters out there, so chances are your waifu/husbando is out there in pillow form.

There are great resources to find new dakimakura covers to buy, such as this website that displays recent covers, or Dakimakuri, a US-based doujin circle that sells dakimakura covers drawn by artists. If you have a favorite artist, you can also follow them on Pixiv or Twitter, where they may announce that they’re drawing a dakimakura cover, or you can commission one.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking to buy a dakimakura cover that’s long been sold, you’ll have your work cut out for you. There are second hand shops out there, but the best place to buy them will be in Japan. Older dakimakura covers may pop up once in a while on the resale market, but it is rare.

Be wary of bootlegs! As buying dakimakuras have grown in popularity, so has the amount of bootlegs. There are a few easy ways to spot them, such as an insanely cheap price for a sold out cover. My advice is to use trusted websites to purchase your dakimakura covers, and to stay away from sites such as eBay and Aliexpress. Use your best judgment when purchasing a cover, as it is a costly expense.

Ultimately, if there is a dakimakura cover that you really want, and you already have a dakimakura, go for the purchase. It’s a scarce market, and definitely one you don’t want to miss out on.

Great! I’ve got my dakimakura now… but how do I clean it?

Treat them like you would your delicates. The best thing you can do for your precious cover is to hand wash it thoroughly in cold water and delicate detergent, and then air dry. When washing, flip the dakimakura cover inside out. This will maximize the life span of your dakimakura cover, ensuring that the color won’t fade as fast over time.

You can also take a gamble if you have a decent washing machine model (like I did), and try washing it on a delicate setting. I prefer to wash it in cold water with no spin, but if it’s really dirty, you can add a small spin to it. The key is to not let the washing machine potentially rip up any of the fabric, and it can be a coin toss on whether or not your washing machine will do that or not.

And, of course, the most important step to keeping your dakimakura cover clean is to keep yourself clean. As dakimakura covers are made of fabric, they will deteriorate over time. To preserve them longer, make sure that you keep yourself hygienic when you snuggle with your body pillow. Shower at night, shave your face, and wash your hands!

Buying your first dakimakura can be a daunting task, and definitely an expensive one. This guide aimed to simplify the buying process by answering common questions, so hopefully you can start snuggling next to your new body pillow sooner than later. Do you have a preferred dakimakura, or simply want to show off your own dakimakura to others? Share in the comments below!