It's after 2 AM here so I'll be brief. I arrived later than I originally planned, that is, around noon. Comiket starts at 10 AM but there were lots of people anyway. Fact is, Tokyo Big Sight is a huge conference / exhibition center and normally an event there requires one or 2 halls. Considering that Comiket uses all halls and most all other facilities, it is some pretty serious business. It really drives home, like nothing else, just how big a market manga & anime is in Japan. In comparison, the biggest events of this kind in Poland are nothing more than what a local school would be able to organize here. The States don't fare all that much better. If you're a die hard fan of this kinda stuff, be prepared to arrive there on the first train ( around 6 AM ) to get the really most wanted things. Even though it's officially not allowed to wait overnight, some people still do it.
Once you enter the place you'll notice 3 things. It's hot, there are lots of people and lots of cosplayers. Myself I made a mistake and got sucked into a crowd heading for the East Halls ( doujinshi area ). This is pretty much how it looked ( it got way hot and progress was slow ).
Problem with Comiket for a casual fan is that you won't have much of an idea what to buy or what's even avaible. Really, you need a goods catalogue and knowledge of where exactly is the circle ( doujinshi ) or company that's selling what you want. Moreover, popular places have long queues so be prepared to wait. Here are shots of both East Halls and West Halls ( commercial producers ).
You can see some circles' booths.
Producers' area was more "showy" as you can see. Lots of employees cosplayed and there were some events every now and again.
One thing of note is that all halls in either building had all the doors open so it was, kind of, like just 2 very big halls ( one West and one East with the main building in between ). Frankly speaking, myself I was more interested in the cosplay area. It's a shame that it's, more or less, like an average parking lot. With the sun bearing down on everyone it wasn't very comfortable ( especially for the cosplayers ). It was so hot I got minor burns on my knees from kneeling down to take pictures of people.
Before I'll throw in all the photos, there's a kind of ritual regarding taking photos of cosplayers. Basically, as long as there is no huge crowd photographing, you should ask for permission before you start shooting away. Sometimes a simple question, sometimes just holding up your camera is enough. If you want a cosplayer to look your way you should say "onegai shimasu" with a slightly raised voice. This may be necessary in a crowd but doesn't always work as others will be saying this, too. After taking the photos make sure to thank them by bowing and saying "arigatou gozaimasu / shita" ). Quite often they'll bow back to you. If you think a cosplayer is great you may ask for a "business card" called "meishi". Basically, it contains some contact info so that you may send them the photos you took.
Without further preamble, the pictures:
Photographing often looks like this. Sometimes there's quite a crowd.
Comiket is probably the most unique thing you'll ever experience in Japan. This is literally the only place on Earth where you can see this kind of event. It's completely out of this world!
