KyoMAF (Kyoto Manga and Anime Festival) - Miyako Messe in Kyoto, Japan
I actually found out about KyoMAF from local flyers around town, so we came in with very little information. The website detailed there were 60+ anime studios and vendors attending and that there would be workshops, panels involving industry guests, exclusive merchandise drops, a character cafe and a character/cosplay photoshoot area. There were also officially three venues, listed as Miyako Messe, Rohm Theatre and the International Manga Museum. Sadly, by the time I was on the website to get further details and buy tickets, the panel tickets were already sold out via lottery. That meant this year, we would be going solely for exploration and merchandise and only to the main venue. After moving SO MUCH stuff and packing up our house in the U.S., I swore I wouldn't be purchasing much once we got here- yet, here we were.
We arrived at 8:55AM with normal admission tickets- there were "fast pass" ticket available for a much higher cost, I believe over 20,000Y ($127.54) each. Clearer line and crowd control would have improved our experience greatly, as the times posted online were 9AM to 5PM, but the normal ticket holders were not actually allowed inside until 10AM. Upon parking and following signs to get up to ground level, we were ushered into a set of multiple lines without access to restrooms or vending, however once 10AM came around the lines moved quickly and we were inside by 10:10AM. I would have definitely used the restroom, brought water and an umbrella for shelter had I known about the wait. A huge positive was the free bottle of water you were given along with a map of the venue (English and Japanese versions)! I thank the venue for thinking ahead there as we waited in the heat of the morning unprepared beforehand.
Once inside, the vendors were all very well organized, though certain lines here were also a bit confusing and extremely long. The great thing we realized quickly was that nearly all of the booths had flyers (some just a poster near or on their booth) of all the merchandise available. This made it easy to either ask for what you wanted or know if you wanted to line up in the first place. The first booth we had catch our eye with the Frieren illustration in the corner, gorgeous Kyoto-style Vocaloid art and a coaster of Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi (not something I ever expected to see here!)
The first floor had some initial merchandise booths and a lot of lesser known studios. There were a few booths and merchandise I would have liked to get pictures of, but was trying to be polite and courteous of those in attendance. I did come out with a LOT of flyers and information on upcoming projects, which I have not been able to get through yet. When I finally do, I plan to update this post with a link- it will also be on our Facebook. See the end of this post for a link to the full album of what I was able to capture!
The second half of this floor was dedicated to the cafe- standing tables and lines for merch. Unfortunately, there weren't any characters we were familiar with and the food/drinks looked too mass produced to be worth the wait and cost so we passed on this area other than to stand at a table to get drink more of the water we were given at the door.
This floor widely varied with merchandise booths, workshop experiences and, most of all, the major studios showcasing current, past and upcoming works. Some very cool features were here, and a board from MBS blasting anime openings in your ear the second you round a corner. Gundam Seed was the one I immediately caught. The picture doesn't do it justice as the board was about 150 inches with two loud speakers on the sides. Walking past it a few more times, the schedule you can see here did not lie and some real classics made their rounds.
I opted to wait for Tensura merchandise (see last pictures) and the kid opted to wait for Oshi no Ko merchandise at a different booth. It was very packed on this floor and we were separated several times. Between lines, walking through booths, taking (and being given) lots of free items, it was a sensory overload. I believe we spent about two hours here before giving up to go find food. Back on the first floor I knew there was the character cafe food (see previous mention that it didn't look great), but there was also an Aburu restaurant on the map. I was hopeful we could sit for a few minutes by heading here. It was a 20-minute line to order and I was disappointed to not see a menu until we were actually ordering. Of which, there were just two featured dishes and two desserts available! One by each M.C.- I got what I thought was a rice bowl/salad and Matt got the katsu. It wasn't until we ordered and were stuck with the decisions I was able to translate the only Japanese flyer and see the rice bowl was a battle to eat through the spiciness! Oh no, I can't eat spicy so my husband being who he was switched with me and we both got a pretty small, subpar lunch (not going to sugar coat this one). At least there were tables and we could sit for a few!
Recharged a bit, we received a text from the kid stating she headed to B1 (the last floor for the event in this venue) and was in line at "the" KyoMAF merchandise booth. By the time we arrived (add in an additional 20 minute wait to use the restroom), she was far enough that we couldn't see her. Some ill-guided directions and we were stuck another hour and a half (no joke!) while she waited in line to shop, shopped (with our money) and the waited to pay. This is how her total got a little out of hand here...
While we waited, there was the design and art museum and store to browse, a few more exhibits (this lantern style anime characters were great) and the workshops. Not going to lie, a lot of these workshops looked excellent and there wasn't a wait to participate in them. However, there was no foreign support and I am 100% not confident in any ability to converse yet, so we didn't try anything. Maybe next year will be different!
We were able to meet up with a Facebook Kyoto anime club member and chatted until the kid was finished. By this time we were hitting 5 hours in the venue and running out of steam. We took one more lap together while chatting and finally parted around 2:30PM. I was super glad we drove in as it eliminated the need for a 10+ minute walk to a bus or train and additional commuting time. If I had to do it again, I would recommend bringing a snack, more water (though I did locate vending once inside) and schedule in breaks. I also hope to be able to get panel/event tickets next year and participate in things more fully with at least a stronger grasp on Japanese than I have now.
We overall enjoyed ourselves, had plenty to look at and, as usual, plenty to buy. We might have a problem.
To see the full image dump or larger sizes of any photos click here.
Cost breakdown:
- Tickets: 8,100Y ($52.46)
- Parking: 2,120Y ($13.73)
- Lunch (for two): 2.800Y ($18.13)
- Merchandise: 41,090Y ($266.13) + 32,240Y ($208.81) (kids reserved as holiday presents)
- Dinner off site at Hama Sushi (for 3): 3,600Y ($23.36)
- Total: 89,950Y ($581.99)
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