Comiket Line

It’s Golden week and that mean’s that it’s almost Comiket 98. Unfortunately C98 has been cancelled in light of the Corona Virus cases happening all over the world. Safety after all is paramount in any event and is just as important as the contents of it.

Kind of a pity really since we were planning to go because Comiket 98 was already rescheduled from summer to spring because of the upcoming Olympics (which alas was cancelled). A pity really because i wanted to experience a Comiket in the goldilocks temperature zone, not too hot and not too cold.

Entry will really be to show you guys what the LINE is, Yes’ the line to comiket. A lot of fellow enthusiast always dream of being in the hall and all that, but what everyone keeps forgetting about is the line… that and i honestly refuse to take pics of the artists as a large number of them wants to keep their personal identity a secret given how some of the content there arent exactly child friendly ^^

Line inside the ‘Kokusai Tenjijo’ station is packed and I have to say if it wasnt for the fact that the con goers weren’t so organized, it would’ve been dangerous getting off the platform already given how narrow and packed it was.

Getting out of the station took 30 minutes alone =\

What originally was supposed to be a 7-10minute walk from the station to the Tokyo Big Sight turned into a good 30-40 minute walk because of how congested the pedestrian walk ways were. Pedestrian lights were also strictly followed by everyone and there were staff people herding the crowd to ensure no one gets out and walks on the streets. After all, walking along car streets are a problem in case of accidents and a problem really for the organizers since it can be considered a potential hazard.

Did i forget to mention it was a blazing August summer with a good 35C temperature outside? Doesn’t help that during July of the same year, there were several people in Japan who also died from heat stroke. Why we decided to go during opening just to ‘experience it’ is beyond us (my fault btw :P)

So close to the ocean side… Just for everyone’s information, this was i think 6ish and convention will open at 10am (as far as i remember) so we’ll be barbequed and sunburnt (which did happen) after 4 hours.

Some people in the far right side decided to come in (or camp) during midnight while some decided to get lodgings near the area and just walk instead of taking the first train. I kind of understand now why people try to line early and sometimes go in groups. Usually groups would split up tasks between members as to who goes to a certain booth or circle to get books (usually limited to 2-3 per person) since the lines from the popular circles can be REALLY LONG.

Other side of the photo were people are being herded to their lines. The people wont stop coming in to be honest.

Right side facing the convention area is just full of people being barbequed. To those who plan to go during summer, please bring an umbrella, sun screen and A LOT OF WATER.

Left side area upon arrival in the waiting area wasn’t packed yet but you can imagine that area being filled up later on in four hours.

Heat stroke like i said is a thing, and Comiket always have staff in case of these events. It was a shame that some con goers had to raise the white flag just as the lines were moving, but it was for their own safety too.

Floor plan. The first thing we had to do was get our bearings and find out were the bathroom was. All that water we drank has to go out somewhere at some point ^^

We did our homework on what to get, what we didn’t expect is how long the lines are to these popular circles so most of the stuff we got were from the smaller groups and artists.

Line going out was packed too. To be honest, we were a bit lost trying to find our way back. By the way, the lines GOING BACK are terribly long as well. The lines going inside the train station are almost just as long as the lines going inside the convention. Thankfully, we found buslines that dropped us at Akihabara area near the station. The price was a bit heftier than your usual train ride, but we were all losing stamina especially during a really hot humid summer =___=

Took the usual iconic Tokyo Big Sight pic. Will I come back again? Maybe during spring or winter. I’d rather wait under the cold weather where i can just layer up instead of the  hot humid summer. A real shame they cancelledC98 this May but it was for safety measures during the covid pandemic after all so it’s all good. We did go back on sunday at around 2pm to buy some stuff and luckily we didn’t have to go through the entrance line as the convention grounds were already fully opened.

Funny thing, a day after Comiket was over, there was a bazaar for goods from circles that still had stocks from well known groups in Akihabara (and in an air conditioned setting). Though not everything was available here I was still able to buy some of the stuff i missed here.

Maybe next time I’ll make a guide on ‘how to prepare for Comiket’ or something like that, but for now if anyone is planning to attend summer Comiket, always keep in mind your hydration and that you are in good physical condition.