Events: Yuricon at Comiket

December 31st, 2006

This has got to be short, as I’m fading fast…but in short, today was really, really fun.

I stood on line for an hour at one point, but about five minutes into it I realized I was completely surrounded by guys. I mean, like surrounded. In the end I counted four women total, in a line an hour long.

We sold books and bought books and were given books and gave away books and other items, and I met many wonderful people, and got to spend many wonderful hours in the company of Rica Takashima, my wife, and Yuricon staffer Bruce. This was Yuricon’s last appearance at Comiket, as Rica is moving and I can’t fly in twice a year to do it, so it was especially cool that I was here this time.

I also almost ended up on a train to Yokohama by myself, but that’s a story for another day. Let me leave you with two quick thoughts.

Bruce commented that the first day was cold, but that Comiket politely provided him a coat of people to wear to keep him warm. LOL

I commented that Comiket is like an amusement ride made out of people. :-)

Okay, three thoughts:

Japanese otaku are much better behaved than American – no screaming, shrieking or squealing, people wait in lines politely, everyone asks if they can look at your books, then thanks you for letting them whether they buy or not. But there were still some behaviors that were the same, which I will go over in detail later.

Four thoughts:

Our cons are leaking into their events. There was much more cosplay simply walking around, not vendors, either, and a whole section that was just goods, not doujinshi. Like multiple rows of hats and jewelry and other goods. I think it’s cool.

I didn’t see half of what I wanted to see or, probably get half what I wanted to get, but what a stellar day. And, most importantly, no jet lag until just about an hour ago. Thank you seven gods of fortune – I owe you, as promised. :-)

Tomorrow we go around to shrines to pay back the seven gods of fortune. :-)

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