Last week, I had the opportunity to go to Yuriten 2025 in Osaka, my first Yuri-themed event in Japan.

I’ve lived here for many years, but most of that time was spent in the Aomori countryside, pining from the sidelines as so many otaku events came and went in the big city. Finally, though, after moving to the Kansai area, I got my chance to see the Yuri fandom up-close and in-person.

Recently, I started my own lesbian game development studio, Yuri Kissaten! We’ve released two games so far and several more to come. So of course I am now honor-bound to go to all LGBTQ+ otaku events in the Kansai area!

Yuriten 2025 was held from February 8-16 in the Shinsaibashi area of Osaka, north of Dotonbori and close to a lot of Namba’s lesbian bars (a very nice touch). This year’s Yuriten was held in Osaka Space, which seems to be a different, and smaller venue than previous years where it was held at Namba Parks.

I went with a friend on February 11th, a national holiday. Osaka was absolutely buzzing with activity, but the area around the event was surprisingly quiet. After curry lunch at a nice little cafe, we went to Osaka Space and descended down the stairs to the basement floor event.

Yuriten definitely felt like a low-key affair. With free entry and a very quiet atmosphere, it was almost like a pop-up museum. High-resolution manga prints for a couple dozen series, a guided path through the space, and a place to write a memo for future guests to look on. Everyone was quiet, almost in reverence to the beauty of fictional lesbianism. I had to whisper to my friend anytime I had a comment.

With how museum-like it felt, I’d honestly have loved an actual exhibit with Yuri genre history and some really old magazines on display. But this is more like a showcase of creators and series past and present–it’s run by Village Vanguard (basically the Hot Topic of Japan), and so the goal is definitely to help boost manga sales in a niche but growing genre.

There were many series on display, some I recognized, and some I had never seen before. That’s part of the appeal of the event, I imagine; see some really cool art from comics you’ve never heard of, or only seen a pic or two online, and finding new series to read through.

It also showcased Strawberry Panic and Aoi Hana, two of the classic Yuri schoolgirl romance anime series of the 2000s. That’s some nice representation! Strawberry Panic was the first Yuri media I ever found, and it hit me in a very bad way to realize that it’s turning twenty years old next year.

Time passes very quickly…

Anyway, most everything else was currently running or just-finished manga series firmly in the Yuri genre.

I noticed one RPG called Witch & Lily, but practically everything else was manga. It’s fitting for a Village Vanguard event, but I was disappointed to find little love for other mediums, especially games, music, movies, and novels. (Especially games… I’d love to be featured here one day…)

This year also seems sorely lacking in “heavy hitter” series. Compared to previous years like 2019, Yuriten didn’t feature many of the current bestsellers like I’m In Love with the Villainess, How Do We Relationship, or almost anything from Comic Yuri Hime magazine, let alone recent non-romance series with Yuri elements like Witch from Mercury or Dead Dead Demon’s De-De-De-De-Destruction. I understand that series like Love Bullet or The Guy She Was Interested Wasn’t a Guy At All probably became popular too recently to coordinate an appearance, but it felt distinctly like there was something lacking from Yuriten. Like we only got a slice of the fandom, not a full celebration.

Still, I really appreciate what did show up. The fact that there’s so much popular Yuri out there these days that I’m lamenting what’s missing is a sign of just how many great series are running right now! I just hope Yuriten continues to expand in future years, and hopefully goes to more cities than just Tokyo and Osaka.

Of course, at the end of the mini-exhibit was the gift shop. Lots of exclusive, overpriced items from all your favorite series, and manga for series you want to dive into.

I got me a couple cheap goods, as well as one nonfiction essay manga which stars a butch protagonist (very rare in manga!). I was very tempted to get a manga-branded t-shirt and parade that thing around for years, but I didn’t see any from my favorites.

Yuriten was certainly a fun experience, a free half an hour you can spend observing a slice of the Yuri fandom, and a place for a few exclusive items for smaller series that otherwise may never get any other merch. It made me really wish for bigger, more ambitious events in the future, though, especially something where we can actually meet and talk to other fans. A full Yuricon, perhaps…

(Also, look at this very strange and expensive dress my friend and I found while shopping after the event! Would you wear this to Yuriten?)