Winter Comiket 2019

Winter Comiket 2019

It’s been a busy year for everyone here at The Tokyo Life, and everywhere else, and as the year comes to an end, all anyone wants to do is buy gifts, spend time with loved ones, and be entertained and relaxed. With that, rounding off 2019’s round up (almost literally) is the Winter Comiket, Comiket 97 (a portmanteau of ‘comic’ and ‘market’). The focus of this event is on doujinshi (works that are not available through commercial publishers), and so at every turn, you will meet a bevy of self-published works relating to games, anime, and manga.

Now, you might be thinking, “I thought The Tokyo Life was supposed to be for residents, not tourists!” And you would be right! However, there is an argument here that games, comics, and anime aren’t just for tourists, or even primarily for tourists, for that matter.

I mean, if you lived in San Diego, most of the people you would see going to SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) probably live in the area, or at least the US. Besides, games, comics, and anime are media consumed by EVERYONE. They’re a story to tell with all the same elements you know and love from classic films and novels.

And like SDCC, Comiket has a huge following, but it’s definitely worth it to go, if not only to see and meet local artists and expand your horizons a little bit. You might even get to meet new friends who have the same interests. So, who knows?

Comiket does warn, however, that they see hundreds of thousands of people each day, and it understandably gets quite busy, so arrive early and expect to be in line a while. They also caution that mobile reception WILL be bad so please plan ahead, if you don’t intend to go alone.

Winter Comiket Rules and Guidelines

A few other things to note are that Comiket does not allow participants to be in costume all willy-nilly. They have a few broad rules, as they say:

  1. Participants must come and leave in civilian attire.
  2. Participants who wish to cosplay must register on-site and pay ¥1,000. Changing rooms are available for you to change in.
  3. Cosplayers should not wear anything that is too revealing.
  4. Cosplayers must ensure that their costumes won’t be a hazard or an inconvenience to others.
  5. Attendees who wish to dress in uniform must ensure that they won’t be mistaken for real police officers, fire fighters, etc.

People who wish to photograph the event are also asked to be polite and ask for permission first.

For more information on Winter Comiket, you can visit their website here. And for more details on cosplaying, see their event leaflet here.

Comiket 97 will run from December 28th to 31st, from about 10:00 am to 4:00 pm – up to 5:00 pm for those using the changing rooms for their cosplay, at Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba.

Tickets are available on-site for ¥500/day.

Photo by Raita Futo on Flickr.

Lyon
Lyon has been living in Japan for almost three years now. He's deeply invested in all things Pokémon, Harry Potter, and Kingdom Hearts. He's typically reserved...until someone says 'karaoke'.

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