Comiket
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General Information
Comiket, otherwise known as the Comic Market or CM is the world's largest comic convention held biannually in Tokyo, Japan. The first CM was held in December of 1975 with only about 30 participating circles and an estimated 700 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a quarter of a million people. The convention lasts for three days. CM is held for the purpose of fans exchanging and communicating through their beloved hobby of dōjinshi. CM is not about profiting by selling massive amounts of books, and corporate comic publishers are not allowed to participate in CM. CM is a grassroots DIY effort by fans for fans. CM is not a convention motivated by profit, and as such no mainstream publishers' comics are for sale at CM. However, as items sold in CM are considered very rare (because dōjinshi are seldom reprinted), some items sold at CM can be found in shops or on the Internet at prices up to 10 times the item's original price.
The continuing operation of CM is the responsibility of the Comic Market Preparatory Committee (CMPC).
Approximately 35,000 sellers, known as circles, currently participate in CM. An estimated 350,000 attendees converge in the course of 3 days, but this number continues to move in an upward direction. With the addition of police, guards, staff, volunteers, there are nearly half a million people. Because of the extreme number of people gathering in a single place, mobile phone companies set up temporary antennas that are usually employed when stationary antennas are out of service. Area hotels, trains, and bus services also make special arrangements to accommodate the large crowds.
Time, Date, and Location
CM is held twice a year for three days each; once in August and once in December. These are referred to typically as Summer Comike and Winter Comike respectively. The current convention location is the Tokyo Big Sight convention center near Odaiba, Tokyo. The doors open to attendees at around 10:00 AM. Because there are large crowds, the actual time of entry into the event will more than likely be delayed.
Admission
No entrance fee is required for admission to CM, however attendees are strongly encouraged to purchase the Comic Market Catalog.
The Comic Market Catalog
The Catalog
The CM Catalog contains information about the buyers and sellers at CM and other general event information. It is available in print and CD-ROM format. The print version is roughly the size of a small phone book. It contains lists of all the participating circles, maps of the convention layout, maps and directions to get to and from the convention, rules for the convention, and arguably the most useful, a picture or two for every participating circle. The visuals are extremely helpful, especially for non-Japanese speakers.
The catalog is not required for admittance, but without it the event is nearly impossible to navigate. Catalogs are often sold at tents in and around the event for the benefit of latecomers.
The CD-ROM edition of the catalog includes the following features:
- Advanced search functions by day, location, circle, title, genre, etc.
- Custom color coded checklist creation
- Customized map and list printing with customizeable lists and fields
- Clickable layout map for navigation
- Importing and exporting circle and image data (presumably for new versions)
- Saving lists as .csv files for use in a spreadsheet program
To date, there is no English edition of the catalog available.
Where the catalog can be purchased
The CM website usually has a list of stores (by prefecture) where you can order the catalog. Please be aware that not all stores have the CD-ROM version and some may not have the print version. This is also on the list of stores on the CM homepage. Catalogs can be ordered from overseas depending on the store.
When the catalog can be purchased
The Catalog typically comes out two weeks before the convention. Up until the first day of CM, large manga shops such as "Tora no Ana", "Mandarake", and "Animate" tend to still have catalogs in stock.
Rules
General Rules
The general rules for the convention are all outlined in the CM Catalog and are fairly basic.
- Running is forbidden, to prevent injury.
- Lining up for hours before the convention is forbidden, as pre-convention "parties" have drawn complaints from local residents in previous years.
- Taking pictures of cosplayers outside of the Cosplay Square is forbidden. In the past, there have been problems with unscrupulous photographers snapping unsolicited shots.
- Don't take pictures of cosplayers without their express permission.
There are additional rules which apply to cosplayers as well.
What to Bring / What not to Bring
To Bring
- Floor maps (either customized via the CD-ROM catalog or the print catalog pull-out maps)
- An easily accessible shoulder bag or backpack
- A small, but good quality, sketchbook for custom sketches (at least an A4 size)
- Business cards (for exchanges with artists)
- Cash (lots of small denominations as many sellers cannot make change)
- A small railway guide / schedule
- Something to write with such as a pencil or pen
- A camera; preferably a small digital camera with lots of memory
- Comfortable loose-fitting clothing that breathes well
- A mobile phone (though the network may be crowded)
- A Japanese friend (if those lacking Japanese skills)
Not To Bring
- Personal checks or travelers checks
- Anything that could be considered dangerous or a weapon of any kind... or anything weapon-like in appearance
- A heavy coat or too many layers of clothes that could be cumbersome once inside the event
- The print version of the Comic Market catalog
Problem related to Comiket
As the number of circles participating and number of participants increase rapidly, the event has become very crowded. In order to buy their favourite (especially famous items, such as dōjinshi from famous authors or special limited-edition items), thousands of people queue up outside the Tokyo Big Sight convention center days before the event starts, causing serious security problems. Hence, queueing before the day Comiket is held on has been phohibited in recent years.
Another serious problem is cosplay photographers. In recent Comikets, there have been more and more troubles related to cosplay photographers, such as not allowing cosplayers to leave, or forcing cosplayers to give their contact. Hence, starting from Comiket68 (i.e. Summer Comiket in 2005), all cosplay photo taking will be prohibited.
External links
- The official Comic Market site (in Japanese) (http://www.comiket.co.jp/)
- Tokyo Cool Manga Messe—a site containing information and reports on Comiket (http://www.inter-g7.or.jp/g2/manga/home.html)
- The Japan Comic Market FAQ: "The Gaijin's Guide to Comike" (http://www.benher.org/FAQ_CM.php)
- Dan Kanemitsu's Otaku Subculture Related Research Lab - Author of “The Storm Front Journal - Doujinshi, the Alternative Publishing Medium of Japan” (http://www.tc.umn.edu/~kane0034/)
- Comiketwalker - Comiket discussion on Yahoogroups (requires registration) (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/comiketwalker/)