About Doujinshi event
Since it seems there are people who are interested, I’ll talk a bit about Japanese doujin (fan-made) events!
In Japan, there are many events related to doujinshi. The most famous one is probably Comiket, which is held in summer and winter. I’ve participated a few times, but there are just way too many people at Comiket… And even if you apply, there’s a lottery, so you’re not guaranteed a spot.
Because of that, I’ve been participating more often in events organized by Akaboo recently. ‘Akaboo’ refers to a company called Akaboo Inc., which hosts these events. They hold them in Tokyo, Osaka, and a few other major cities, and they run them at fairly regular times each year.
HARU COMIC CITY (March) SUPER COMIC CITY (May) COMIC CITY VEGA (August) TOKYO FES (September/October)
That’s roughly how it goes.
At these events, you can participate with whatever genre or pairing you like… but recently, Akaboo has started hosting ‘pairing-only events.’ And these are really something else.
What’s so special about them? First, Akaboo puts out an announcement like: ‘We’ll be holding a pairing-only event next year. Feel free to apply if you’re interested.’
And this is the actual announcement and recruitment page for one of Akaboo’s pairing-only events.
This is an announcement for holding a ‘pairing-only’ event, but at this stage, which specific pairings will be included hasn’t been decided yet. What Akaboo provides is just the venue and the opportunity—the actual content is up to us.
And this is where our battle begins.
For example, let’s say I want to take part with a ‘Jade × MC’ pairing-only event. In that case, I need to apply to Akaboo saying, ‘I’d like to host a Jade × MC-only event within that pairing-only event.’
But to apply… you need 50 ‘new release cards.’
These ‘new release cards’ are given out by partner printing companies when you place an order of 5,000 yen or more. So, in simple terms, you’d need to produce about 50 books or pieces of merch to qualify for the application.
That’s why we go on Twitter and say things like, ‘We want to hold a Jade × MC-only event at next year’s pairing-only event, so we’re collecting new release cards!’—we gather supporters and collect all 50 cards.
Then a representative submits those 50 cards to Akaboo to apply. If the application is accepted, that pairing-only event gets its own dedicated space within the larger venue.
By the way, these pairing-only events are currently held three times a year.
They’re themed around romantic occasions:
Valentine (February)
Tanabata (June–July)
Dozen Rose (December)
For example, this year there was a Jade × MC-only event at the Valentine FES in February, and there will be a Floyd × MC-only event at the Tanabata FES in June. That’s the result of everyone’s hard work last year…!
At these events, people release new works, collect more new release cards, and secure the right to hold the next pairing-only event.
Recently, it seems that around 400 different pairings are being hosted together at a single pairing-only event.
There’s a list of confirmed pairings further down on that page, so I definitely recommend checking it out—it’s an incredible amount. So that means they collected at least 20,000 new release cards in total… When you think about it, that means around 20,000 different doujinshi or pieces of merch are being created for a single event. It’s honestly incredible.
↑This is the layout map from the last event I attended. Can you see all the tiny numbers packed in there? Each one of those numbers represents a circle (a creator booth). The number of those digits is the number of circles attending. And this is just one hall—there are three more halls’ worth of participants on top of this. It’s insane.
Once the event is decided, you apply to participate. The participation fee is usually around 7,000 yen（just under $50） per space. One space is about half of a long table, roughly 90 cm wide.
For Akaboo events, you’re generally guaranteed a spot if you apply, but if there are too many applicants, it becomes first-come, first-served.
After applying, you start creating your work. Otherwise, you’ll just end up standing there blankly at the venue with nothing to sell. Which is… rough.
The manuscript submission deadline is usually about 7 to 10 days before the event. It depends on the printing company, so you need to check in advance what deadline you have to meet if you want your chosen printer to have it ready in time.
If you add things like foil stamping or other special finishes, the deadline gets even earlier.
There are also different tiers of deadlines. Many printers offer an “early bird” discount if you submit before the standard deadline. On the other hand, if you miss the regular deadline, you enter what’s jokingly called the “yakuza deadline,” where the price goes up.
A manga artist friend of mine submitted their manuscript three days before the event, and I couldn’t help but laugh. And it still made it in time… somehow???
The printing cost varies depending on the number of pages, the type of paper, the kind of finishing, and the number of copies.
For novel books, the cost tends to go up because of the higher page count, but full-color books like art books can also get very expensive. I once made a full-color picture book, and when I saw the printing cost, I almost fainted. I ended up reducing the number of copies. It was terrifying.
Each printing company has pricing tables like this.
Printing company:Eikou For example, 10 copies of a 20-page book cost about 6,900 yen（just under $50）… But for a 300-page book, 10 copies cost 65,920 yen（about $440）…!
If I tried to make a 600+ page book like ‘Your Sea’ with that pricing, I’d go bankrupt. Seriously. So I use a more affordable printing company! Gotta plan your doujin activities wisely…!
Once the books are printed, they can be shipped directly from the printer to the event venue. When you arrive at your booth on the day of the event, a cardboard box with your books will already be there under your table.
Of course, you can also have them sent to your home, or even directly to a mail-order distributor.
If you choose to have them sent home, you’ll have to carry them yourself to the venue on the day of the event, which I really don’t recommend. I tried it once, and it felt like carrying the weight of a small child—I genuinely thought I might die. Unless you have a really good reason, it’s much better to have the printer ship them directly to the venue.
I usually make novels with dust jackets, but one time the printing company told me they wouldn’t be able to wrap the covers in time. So I had the covers and the main books printed separately, shipped them to my house, wrapped each one myself, and brought them to the event.
I thought I was going to die. I really wouldn’t recommend it.
About a month before the event, the booth placements are announced. You’ll get a notice telling you your space number, along with your circle tickets.
Each circle receives three tickets. With these tickets, you can enter the venue for free on the day of the event—so up to three people per circle can get in without paying. If you attend as a general visitor instead, the entrance fee is usually around 1,500 yen（about $10）.
On the day of the event, circle entry typically starts around 8:30 a.m., while general admission begins around 10:00 a.m. It takes me about an hour by train to get to the venue, so I wake up early and make my way there.
I usually meet up with a friend who helps run the booth at the nearest station around 8:30, and we arrive at the venue around 9:00. Then we set up the space—lay out a tablecloth, check the books that were delivered by the printer, arrange them on the table, put out price tags, and greet neighboring circles.
At 10:00, the venue opens and customers start coming in, and we handle sales from there. The event itself usually ends around 3:00 p.m.
That said, doujinshi often sell out quickly, so the real rush is in the morning. Most attendees prepare in advance by making a list of the books they want, checking where each circle is located, and planning the order in which they’ll visit them. The maps people make for this are often called “treasure maps.”
Since about 80% of attendees finish their shopping in the morning, you’ll start seeing “sold out” notices popping up everywhere around noon. Because of that, more and more circles begin packing up and leaving around 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Many people travel to Tokyo from all over Japan for these events, so this is also when meetups happen—getting together in person with others from the same fandom you usually only talk to online, and going out for a meal together.
And that’s pretty much how the event goes. I hope that gives you a general idea of the overall flow!
