Forum - View topicLack of Conventions in Japan?
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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With a hobby like anime and manga one would think that Japan, the home and birthplace of all that is anime, has quite a number of anime conventions. As it seems this is quite far from the truth. Perhaps it is that there are a number of small conventions in Japan that don't get exposure outside limited areas. Looking at www.anime-cons.com / www.adequate.com the list for Japan shows only 5 conventions, 3 of which are comic conventions and 1 of which is strictly a cosplay exposition. So that leaves Japan with only 1 (one) true, orthodox convention devoted to anime and manga.
In contrast the United States has about 80-100 specifically anime conventions per year and other NA/SA countries like Mexico, Canada and Brazil have 5-10 or more. Some points to consider why Japan apparently has so few: Anime fandom is pretty much limited to the city of Tokyo and it being such a commercialized field of interest, anime fans flock to this large metropolitan area where anime and related merchandise is always abundant and available (therefore specialized conventions dealing with anime really aren't as necessary) Japan is a small country and it's population is less than half of the population of the US. Since most people only go to 1 or 2 conventions per year and the public transportation system in Japan is phenomenal, 1 con is enough for the majority of the anime fan population of Japan. I think also there is a cultural reason in that the US and Canada are much more culturally diverse nations and we take pride in events like conventions more seriously because many people enjoy meeting others who share their interests despite their background. Any other thoughts? |
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Azathrael
 Posts: 745 |
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In Japan, anime is much more easily accessible and people probably find it much easier to find others with similar tastes. Compared to that, conventions hold a much more "practical" purpose in the US of gathering anime fans who are not only looking for (relatively hard to get) anime but other fans too.
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Swissman
Posts: 800 Location: Switzerland |
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There are lot more than 3-5 conventions per year in Japan. The thing is, there's no advertising on foreign websites, and even in Japan it's rather difficult to get any information about the cons. Most of them are rather small and have doujinshi of a certain show or genre as main topic, or they're small gatherings of a few hundred cosplayers.
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Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10472 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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There are no major North American style anime conventions in Japan.
There are many, many doujinshi conventions such as Comiket. There are many "events" dedictaed to certain shows (a mini conventions for one show), and numerous small "anime cons," but nothing like Anime Expo or Otakon. Anime and manga are so ubiquitous in Japan that having a convention for them would almost be like having a "tv show convention." There is "Tokyo Anime Fair" which is an open to the public trade show. But it's essentially just an exhibitor hall. No cosplay is allowed, there are no panels, no shows, etc... -t |
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The Seventh Son
Posts: 380 Location: Where your missing socks end up. |
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the only problem with the US is that we cant get a wide access to the newest anime. hell theres anime that we STILL haven't gotten, even after like 30 years. and im talking about the unedited stuff too. instead we have to rely on fansubs until the anime gets licensed, which can take years. and manga takes forever too, especially when we get it released at a much slower rate. so if there was some way to make it come over faster, than we would be better off.
i never new how good we had it in terms of anime. |
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KyuuA4
 Posts: 1363 Location: America, where anime and manga can be made |
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Why should Japan have conventions for anime? They have anime virtually 24/7.
This is like asking why don't we have conventions for Hollywood movies. 
Conventions have been established in America to promote anime. The Japanese can simply come up with 30-seconds of advertising and put it into TV. Or, they can release anime promos into TV. |
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DKong
 Posts: 152 |
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Also, the sites you listed are primarily North American based, so I doubt that they'd show EVERY Japan con. |
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Dan42
Chief Encyclopedist
 Posts: 3794 Location: Montreal |
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There was an Anime Expo in Tokyo, but it was both very big (major guests, fanfare, expense) and small (attendance). My guess is that they under-advertised the event because during the same weekend, the Broccoli event in the same building was absolutely jam-packed.
But probably the biggest reason there aren't these big anime events in Japan is that the otaku over there are more shy and private about their hobby/obsession. They preferer the anonymity of 2ch to the public exposure of a con. Presenting a proper image in public is very important (the nail that sticks out gets hammered down) and non-serious hobbies like anime are kept to private spaces. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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What about Comiket, Wonderfes, and various smaller doujin conventions? It seems to me that since anime production is a highly organized and commercial activity, Japanese fans seem to attend anime-related events on individual level, while manga/doujinshi market, which has a much lower doorstep, is more eagerly participated in packs. Furthermore, as commercial products most anime and anime-related goods can be easily purchased over the net, while limited edition doujinshi and GK figures are queue-only. By the way, it's the same here in Taiwan: two major commercial comic/manga exhibitions (Comic Exhibition in August and TIBE in late January - early February), several major and minor doujin conventions (Fancy Frontier, etc.), but NO anime convention of any kind at all. Why do people need anime conventions when there are one dedicated anime channel, four mostly-anime channels, and a dozen of other channels that broadcast anime regularly? |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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It does seem reasonable to suggest that the typical otaku in Japan would need to be more open about his/her fandom in order to attend a public exposition like an anime convention. Comiket and other big events seem like a place where there are cosplayers outside showing off for the world to see. I think though the people who organize and staff conventions in Japan are more in tune with the industry and commercial side of things. Most of the cons in NA are put on entirely by fans who want to bring more anime enjoyment to other fans. And there is where I think the big difference lies. Perhaps the crowdedness of Japanese big cities and ruralness of rural areas don't have facilities that you'd typically find in an American hotel chain like Marriott or Hilton which are multipurpose venues for all sorts of other types of conventions and trade shows.
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