Final answer:
Otaku culture began to emerge in Japan in the late 20th century, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, alongside the rise of manga and anime fandom.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term otaku culture refers to the enthusiast community that celebrates aspects of anime, manga, video games, and other related areas of pop culture predominantly from Japan. While the provided historical context discusses various periods of Japanese history such as the Yayoi, Kofun, and Edo periods, along with the Meiji Restoration, it does not directly address the origins of otaku culture. However, otaku culture as it's known today began to emerge in the late 20th century, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s with the increase of manga and anime fandom. This was a time when Japan's technology and economy were rapidly advancing, creating the perfect environment for niche hobbies to develop into the otaku subculture. It was during this time that the term 'otaku' started being used to describe these fans, who were often intensely focused on their interests.