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The #TopTen hashtags in #Japan for #2021 so far are #revealed!

Forgive me for showing my age here, but the hashtag symbol was not always known as such — back in my day, we called it the pound sign and it was normally known as “that useless button on the bottom of your cellphone”. But thanks to a tweet by former Google developer Chris Messina fourteen years ago, it’s now become synonymous with trending topics on Twitter.

how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?

— Chris Messina  (@chrismessina) August 23, 2007

As a result of this fated tweet, August 23rd is now known in the Twittersphere as Hashtag Day, in commemoration of Messina’s tweet that started it all. You even get a special little emoji if you post the hashtag #HashtagDay —

▼ Just like this.

In celebration of the humble hashtag and its booming popularity, Twitter released the worldwide top ten most used hashtags posted to its website during the first half of 2021. Eagle eyed readers may spot a common theme amongst the top ten, with a certain Army dominating the rankings.

Top Ten Most Posted Hashtags Worldwide (Jan – June 2021)

• 1.#iHeartAwards
• 2.#BTS
• 3.#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
• 4.#BestFanArmy
• 5.#BBB21
• 6.#BTSArmy
• 7.#EXO
• 8.#Enhypen
• 9.#BestMusicVideo
• 10.#Dynamite

With the exception of number 3, all of the top ten consist of hashtags related to BTS and other South Korean groups like EXO and Enhypen.

But how does this compare to the Japanese top ten? BTS are extremely popular here in Japan, but are they popular enough to break into the most Tweeted hashtag rankings? Here are the Japanese top ten and an explanation for what each of them mean.

10. #fgo

FGOの周回パーティーを育てるための集会をしてる

持ってる鯖ならこれが最速だな
カレスコ凸があればな… pic.twitter.com/5TvQSO9qz6

— SOUくん (@15821945) May 14, 2020

FGO, or Fate/Grand Order is a popular Japanese RPG mobile game that, despite being released way back in 2015, is still going strong with a loyal fanbase.

9. #モンスト (MonSuto)

今回のαガチャはもう引きません！
雷葉αの厳選大変だ〜#モンスト#モンスト好きと繫がりたい pic.twitter.com/Ko9iA5JI7R

— ツッキー (@tukkii4649) August 24, 2021

MonSuto is an abbreviation for Monster Strike (“Strike” being pronounced sutoraiku in Japanese), another Japanese cell phone game where players collect monsters and use them in battle. Like FGO, Monster Strike has enduring popularity, having first been released way back in 2013. Many Tweets using the hashtag #MonSuto are from users sharing their rare gacha drops.

8. #sixtones

Congratulations to #SixTONES for their @MTV #FridayLivestream debut

https://t.co/drVHxSSidB pic.twitter.com/v1QturZDaL

— Kevan Kenney (@KevanKenney) August 21, 2020

SixTONES (which, for some reason, is pronounced as ‘stones’) are a Japanese boy band managed by Johnny and Associates. Originally the group worked as backup dancers for fellow Johnny’s boy band SexyZone but made their debut in 2020, with the release of their first album earlier this year. Their first five singles all went to number one in the Oricon music charts.

7. #呪術廻戦 (Jujutsu Kaisen)

中々面白い！
全巻大人買い（笑）#呪術廻戦 pic.twitter.com/Lr4cNRKD9X

— 都留　慎治 (@turusiki) May 22, 2021

Jujutsu Kaisen is a manga series telling the story of a group of supernatural high school students in Tokyo, and has sold over 50 million copies. The wildly popular manga was adapted into an anime series that finished its run earlier this year.

6. #jo1

STAY#JO1 #STAY pic.twitter.com/lFDty70Qpw

Sponsored Link

— マリン◡̈ (@blueview_kr) August 20, 2021

JO1 is another Japanese boyband, formed as a result of reality competition TV show Produce 101 Japan. The group was chosen via public vote and debuted in 2020.

5. #snowman

Smile Man ☻#snowman pic.twitter.com/ysnNV6fR6W

— 青色ゆきだるま (@Snow_shopy_ri) August 21, 2021

Nope, Japanese Twitter isn’t keen on keeping the country a winter wonderland all year long — Snow Man is yet another Japanese boy band managed by Johnny and Associates. They debuted on the same day as SixTONES, and their songs have been used as openings for the anime Black Clover.

4. #nintendoswitch

4000年振りにあつ森 #どうぶつの森 #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/Vj4cbpUtd2

— ネコ天@フランスオリンピック男子55kg級フリースタイルアニメ鑑賞響けユーフォニアム部門日本代表候補 (@lancer_shizuoka) August 22, 2021

We don’t really need to explain this one, hopefully. With Nintendo bringing out all kinds of fun games and people sharing their fun screenshots, we wouldn’t be surprised if #nintendoswitch stays in the top ten for a long time.

3. #原神 (Genshin Impact)

【原神Ver.2.1PV】
9月1日(水)アップデート予定のVer.2.1「韶光撫月の浮世」予告PV（フルVer）を公開しました！

▼YouTubehttps://t.co/OVdaJrkEwe#原神 #Genshin #原神アプデ情報 pic.twitter.com/LNPwu9kWUT

— 原神（Genshin）公式 (@Genshin_7) August 20, 2021

Genshin Impact, the Chinese free-to-play RPG, takes the number three spot in the top ten most Tweeted hashtags. Even in the offline world, Genshin Impact’s… well, impact has been such that even Akihabara natives AKB48 conceded to it.

2. #ローソン (Lawson)

お弁当買いにローソンへ
昨日、フォロワーさんがツイに載せてたローソンのチーズケーキ無かったこれで我慢( ¯ ¨̯ ¯̥̥ )#ローソン pic.twitter.com/S0ZU0HEfF3

— いっしー (@ishi_n59) August 23, 2021

One of the big three convenience stores in Japan and loved by celebrities like Katy Perry, Lawson takes second place. Many Twitter users make use of the Lawson tag due to all the coupons and campaigns the convenience store shares on the site. Twitter users also like to post snaps of things they buy from Uchi Cafe, Lawson’s range of sweets.

1.#ウマ娘 (Uma Musume)

祝ハーフアニバーサリー！　#ウマ娘 pic.twitter.com/nZct8ZZLv4

— あんのうん (@8unowen8) August 24, 2021

Taking the top spot is Uma Musume (meaning “Horse Girls“), a manga, anime and game series where champion race horses are reincarnated as ‘horse girls’. While the original manga was first published in 2016, February 2021 saw the release of the Uma Musume game. With users flooding the platform with not only screenshots of gacha pulls but also fanart of the characters, it’s no wonder Horse Girl ended in first place in the rankings.

So while South Korean boybands are conspicuously absent from Japan’s top ten, entries like J01 and SixTONES suggest no matter where you go, boy bands are popular in online communities, no matter the country. It’s just that Japanese Twitter prefers horse girls and roll cakes to cute boys, and that is a sentence I never thought I’d be lucky enough to be able to write.

Source: Twitter/@TwitterJP via Otakomu
Featured image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
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Source: SORA NEWS24