Comiket 2010 Questions
Hello everyone!
I'm going to be in Japan this December and I want to attend Comiket ^w^ I have some questions that I hope you guys will be able to answer :)
Price
I've heard some people saying that Comiket is free, while others say that you must reserve tickets. Can somebody please elaborate on this part?
.....If there is a price
How can I buy tickets beforehand?
Will there be...
Things other than manga, doujin, etc.? Like Figures and other merchandise?
Cosplay...
Anything I need to know about the cosplay rules of Comiket?
Also, can somebody help me pick a character to cosplay, I'm having a tough time >w< I've watched so many anime that I can't possibly choose one character to cosplay.
Here is some info about how I look:
Age: 15
Hair: Black / Really Dark Brown
Weight: Skinny, I think. 43 KG.
Height: 155 cm (Will I feel too tall for Japan? Just wondering...)
I was thinking of cosplaying many characters like Louise from Zero no Tsukaima to Kanade-chan from Angel Beats, or Ranka Lee and Anya Alstreim. Many choices. What do you guys think? Any suggestions? I hope it's a character that I won't see 10000 people cosplaying ^^; I know Ranka will be famous, and so will Haruhi Suzumiya and such famous characters.
BTW, want to point out that I'm not American ^^ I come from Asia, so if you're wondering about my skin color, I have asian tone. Also, I have big eyes, kind of almond shaped.
Money?
How much money should I bring?
How to...
Avoid the mob for the entrance area? What time should I arrive?
Friends
I was thinking of going with my old middle school friends from Shibuya from when I attended a school there. Will we need an adult guardian? One of my friends is 16 years old.
Anything else I need to know?
Just in case ^^;
Thank you all for taking your time to read this :D
You'll find most of the info you need here
http://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/TAFO/C78TAFO/C78eng.html
If you're going to this year's winter Comiket, do you want to join me and maybe a few other Dannychoo members? The size of the line and the amount of people means that going alone is not really an option. If you've watched Lucky Star, know that the portrayal of the lines in that anime is no joke.
Tickets: No tickets, attendance is free.
Cosplay: The rules are not that complicated. Essentially, don't block up the pathways, don't carry dangerous or dangerous looking items, and no excessive skin exposure. The link that Churam has pretty much explains everything. Also, 155cm. I think you will fit in right in with the average height of females in Japan. You definitely won't be standing out in that department. Kanade from Angel Beats and Louise from Zero no Tsukaima were actually rare at the previous Comiket, so I think you will be safe. What you do want to avoid is cosplaying a vocaloid because there are 139420394832098409324820348 of them at Comiket.
Will there be other merchandise: YES. Tons of anime derivative goods. TONS. In the corporate wing anyway. The doujin wing will have games, posters, wall scrolls, etc. in addition to manga. What is there depends on which day of Comiket it is.
Money: Before each Comiket, there is a 2000 yen Catalog that comes out in electronic and paperback editions. It's a lot of work, but if you flip through that and figure out what you want. You will get a much better idea of how much $$ you need and you will have a much better chance of actually getting the items. Goods are sold out SOOO fast at Comiket.
How to line up: There is no avoiding the mob. Waiting overnight is strictly prohibited, and you are only "supposed" to arrive on the first train. I saw "supposed" to because people line up overnight anyway. Just depending on what you want, you may be able to settle for a spot farther back from the front of the mob.
Friends: If your parents are cool with you visiting a foreign country all by yourself, I don't see why you would need an adult guardian for an event like Comiket. But you really need to look out for yourself at Comiket, your peers will likely be too busy looking after themselves to help you. There's a lot to look out for, and a bigger group will be much better.
Other things:
Remember to bring food + water + a picnic sheet or a portable chair. Some people actually bring diapers because the lines for the washrooms are so ridiculously long. If you are desperate for certain goods, you may find that it will mean living like a hobo (sleeping outdoors on the cold hard floor) for 2 nights.
Thank you very much for the info ^^ Yes, I bet there will be tons of Vocaloid cosplay, they are always the popular choices!
I'll make sure to bring tons of $$ for this trip xD
And my dad is actually in Tokyo with me, my family used to live in Shibuya, and I speak fluent Japanese, so I think I'll be fine in communication standards. And I've already contacted 5 friends that are willing to go with me :)
You've been a great help!! Thanks :) And thank you all!!
Oh groovy, you were thinking about forming a DC Winter Comiket group?
I'm still planning my Japan trip, such as where to go at what times.
Yes I was planning to start a DC winter comiket group. Alas, I have garbage luck when it comes to actually because it usually never works out for me.
But hey, if you do land in Tokyo, please drop me a line.
Sure thing aye, it'll be my first experience so I think it'd be better to head around with more people.
Hey are you still planning the group going to comiket 79? If so I would actually love to join you guys. I haven't worked out plans with any of the other people I know potentially going this year .. so I'm quite afraid to be by my lonesome @_@;;
The two people above answer your questions so well,so I just add some comments.
155cm....The average height of the Japanese girls of your age is about 158cm,so you don't need to be worried.
How to avoid the mob....I recommend you'd visit there at noon if you don't have anything you want. This time is said to be the most uncrowded time.
Anyway, I hope you'll have a good time at Comiket^^
Thanks for the info :) Actually, the last time I've seen my middle school friends (now they're high schoolers) most of them were 160 cm and above, except for 2 of them who were twins and were 1 cm shorter than me xD
The mob will be difficult, but I'll have to go through it for the sake of anime love >:3
Thanks for the info ^w^
Oh man I remember the first time, My god...
Anyway if you're going to take the first trains/monorail I really reccomend you work on your cardio because you're going to RUN LIKE A MAD MAN THROUGH THE SEA OF PEOPLE, You can't stop and drop anything, you'll never see it again.
And if you're staying overnight (Which is highly reccomended to get into the Commercial Halls/Doujin Halls to buy some awesome stuff i.e Clothes, special goods, knick-knacks + millions of other goods. Can't remember what side of Tokyo BigSight but you're gonna have to wear alot of thick warm winter clothes and like 4-5 layers cus you'll die of Hypothermia otherwise.
Go to the toilet as often as you can, cus the wait will be forever. Also be free to leave your belongings there in your spot in the group in lines, nobody will ever take your stuff :3, just be sure to get back bfore the lines start moving. Once again dont drop ANYTHING or else it's gone...
I think that's all I can say for now, In the mornings there will be Two McDonalds open in the area doing set meal orders only, grab a ticket for the corresponding meal, hand over ticket, pay, devour, leave, devour.
That's all I can think off the top of my head, off to bed now.
There's no entrance fee, but it's a good idea to buy the guide in advance (I think it's around ¥2000) and then use it to look up circles you might be interested in and mark them on the included maps. You don't have to bring the guide with you (it's the size of a phone directory) but definitely bring the maps!
If you have a plan of stalls you want to visit, prioritise them according to how much you want their stuff and how quickly it's likely to go, and be prepared to be flexible with your plan depending on queue sizes.
For money I'd recommend at least ¥10,000 per day you plan to attend, and definitely more if you like to buy lots of limited goods and stuff like clothing, games or figures (goods from the corporate booths are particularly expensive) or if you just like to buy a lot of doujinshi. If you're not on a tight budget, bring more than you think you'll need because the queues for the ATMs get very long. Be warned that it's very easy to spend money there and you could easily get through ¥20,000 or so before you realise just how much you're spending.
The only way to avoid the queueing is to arrive early afternoon, but if you want any limited goods or specific circles then you have no choice but to arrive early and brave the queues. Of course, if you just want to wander and browse then go ahead and turn up noon or so - the queueing is an experience of its own, but it's not the most pleasant way to spend your morning. Make sure you dress up warm if you plan on queueing, and use layers so that you can take stuff off inside because it will get pretty warm in there even in December.
Cosplay-wise it's fine to just do whatever you want. There are people cosplaying as popular mainstream characters but also people in obscure costumes (and even a few dressed as internet memes). The most popular cosplays at the Japanese events I went to in the last year were Vocaloid characters.
Otherwise just use common sense (bring lots of snacks and water etc.) and have fun!
Well the guys are right, I've just been to c78 for the first time.... all I can say is that take these guys advice and good luck :D
Price:
Free to entry!
Will there be...
Things other than manga, doujin, etc.? Like Figures and other merchandise?:
Friday is mainly offical merchandise like figures, general stuff, anything anime related.
Cosplay...
Anything I need to know about the cosplay rules of Comiket?:
Theres a cosplay section, you're not allowed to be in your cosplay when u enter, and you can change to ur cosplay when u are inside. also always ask if u want to take any photos of the cosplayer.
Money?
How much money should I bring?:
As much as you can, comiket DRAINS money.
How to...
Avoid the mob for the entrance area? What time should I arrive?:
If you want to get limited stuff, get there at least 10hour before the enterance time, which will be around 23:00=0:00.
Friends
I was thinking of going with my old middle school friends from Shibuya from when I attended a school there. Will we need an adult guardian? One of my friends is 16 years old.:
Bring as many friends as you can! especially some booth will take u 3hour+ to wait and 1 per line...
Anything else I need to know?:
Lots of water, if your going in the summer wear light, pack light, winter make sure ur warm and waterproofed.
I want to go with you!! Me and my friend will be in Tokyo for the winter and we are thinking about going to the convention
Hey! I just moved to Japan and wanted to start cosplaying here! I know I am a bit late, and comiket is soon, but are any of you in a cosplay group that are willing to contact me?