#7 The Comiket

Sure we have comic conventions all over the place here in America, but what about other places? Do they have something similar? This is where we take a look at an interesting member of today's nations: Japan. From Vocaloid concerts to Akihabara, there are so many subjects to examine. But today, we'll be turning our attention to the semiannual festival traditionally known as "Comiket".

Held twice a year in Tokyo, Comiket is the largest fair in the world where fans and artists come to collect/sell dōjinshi (self published Japanese works, usually fan fiction or spin offs). At first it sounds rather dubious that anybody would visit the convention just to buy some comics and goods, but the massive attendance of these events proves the idea wrong, as hundreds of thousands of people line up every fair to purchase from these authors.

Comiket takes place every summer and winter of a year, and it still attracts a huge amount of people. The preparation and anticipation of this event is so fierce that thousands will line up outside the event area a few days before to get their hands on these prized products (similar to Americans lining up for new video games and consoles, right?).

Example of the long waiting lines from Comiket 77, in December 2009