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I went to Tokyo Game Show 2014 this past weekend, which was my third time cosplaying in Japan. It was certainly different from cosplaying in the US, and while I can definitely say that I like cosplaying in the US a lot more, I’ve gotten used to some of the customs in Japan as well.
I was asked to give some tips about cosplaying in Japan, so I’ll give some bullet points:
Put makeup on before leaving, get to the venue. Pay about 500 yen or a little more to get a pass or some sort that lets you use the changing room. Change into your costume, pack up unnecessary stuff, and leave it or check it in the cloak room, whichever applies. Go find a spot to sit around if you want your picture taken, or look around and see if there are other cosplayers you’d like to photograph. Be friendly and exchange cards. Try to get back to the changing room a little early (especially if you’re a woman) because it can get pretty crowded at the last minute and you may have to wait in line for a space to open up.
I hope that helps. I’m still a novice at Japanese cosplay customs but I’m getting used to it, and TGS really helped me see how everything works. If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know!
I was asked to give some tips about cosplaying in Japan, so I’ll give some bullet points:
- The number one rule about cosplaying in Japan is that you do NOT show up in costume. This is probably one of my least favorite rules. Needless to say, this is to avoid causing a disturbance in public on your way to the venue. There are changing rooms for cosplayers to use, often at a small fee. This usually includes a cloak room fee as well, where you can store your luggage while you’re out cosplaying. What to do: Bring your costume in a suitcase and any bags you need for transport. It can be a pain, but it’s not so much different from taking your stuff to a con if you’re coming from far away.
- Some events do not allow large props. So that huge gun/sword you wanted to bring? Sorry, it’s gotta stay behind. Tokyo Game Show had a limit of 50cm in length, which doesn’t allow for much at all. This can also make posing options somewhat limited. Why this isn’t allowed: Cosplay areas can be very crowded, so having a large prop can be a pain for yourself as well as for other people around you.
- For me, cosplay makeup can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, from concealer to foundation to powder, to contouring, hiding my real eyebrows to draw new ones, and finally, the eye makeup, which is the most tedious for me. What to do: If you don’t want people on the train to see your blue eyebrows and red contact lenses on your way to the event, wear a hat and sunglasses. Or, just do the basics of your makeup—I typically do regular makeup without extreme face contouring, which leaves eye makeup and eyebrows to be done. I’ve done it enough times that it doesn’t take me as long to do anymore.
- Bring hand sanitizer, makeup cleaning wipes, regular hand wipes, etc. The thing that can be really frustrating about getting your cosplay stuff on is that the changing rooms typically don’t have sinks. In fact, the changing rooms are sometimes hardly rooms at all, but actually spaces with wall barricades put up. if you need to clean your hands, you won’t be able to wash them under a sink until you’re done changing and out of the room. This also means you should put in your contact lenses BEFORE you leave for the event. (I’ve put them in while in the changing room, using plastic tweezers and rinsed my fingers first with contact lens fluid, but this is NOT recommended.)
- Be aware of the atmosphere. This may come as an annoyance to some, but many of the spectators in the cosplay area want to take pictures of sexy and/or elaborate costumes. This means that your “regular” costume may not get any attention. If you don’t care for the attention, then it’s nothing to be concerned about. But if you DO want the attention, unfortunately you’ll have to “compete” with some of the others there. At TGS, the big “winners” were group cosplays (the Kamen Rider one was a pretty big deal), and the cute-type cosplayers from current popular titles like Love Live! Basically, any woman with cleavage and/or exposed waist got a lot of attention, me included (which wasn’t intentional). What to do: If you’re looking to have your picture taken, try to find an empty spot around the edges of the cosplay area, set up camp, and wait and see if anyone asks for your picture. On both days when I wore Zhurong, being asked by just ONE person led to a small line of people who wanted to take my picture. I was in the same spot for a good 30 to 45 minutes as people came up one by one to take a picture. Yes, Japanese people love lines and this is no exception. I have seen lines of at least 20 or more people just to take a picture of a single popular cosplay.
- Try to be aware of any issues you may have with your costume by trying it on before the event. If you end up having a line of people wanting to take your photo, you won’t really get time to adjust or fix things in between. This was really hard for me as I found out I was having issues with Zhurong and couldn’t stop and take enough time to fix things on my costume the way I wanted to. You also may not have a full-length mirror to look at in the room so bring a mirror with you.
- If you want to make contacts and friends, make business cards of some sort. The people in line to take a picture of you may want your contact info, and the quickest way to provide it would be through a business card. Likewise, some photographers may give you their cards as well. Hold onto them and try to contact them to say thanks…or something. Popular sites that Japanese cosplayers use: Twitter, Cure, Cosplayers Archive (in Japanese only), and World Cosplay. Since I cosplay in the US and Japan, I mixed it up and provided Facebook and deviantART as well as WorldCosplay and Cure. A regular e-mail address also works great, for anyone who may not use any of the aforementioned sites.
- Also, if you want to try and make cosplay friends, the best way would probably be to ask them for a picture, and maybe compliment their costume or something. While waiting in line, the Japanese cosplayer in front of me actually broke ice with me by asking to take a selfie with me, lol. She asked if I had Twitter (I swear no matter how many times I’m asked by a Japanese person, I never recognize their pronunciation of “Twitter”) and so I ended up giving her my card. Another cosplayer was cosplaying as a character that I knew very few would recognize, but she was from Star Ocean: The Second Story, which is my favorite RPG of all time. I just went up to her and asked her and her friend for a photo, and said that I recognized her character and that Star Ocean was my favorite RPG. We talked for a little more and then exchanged cards. Japanese people can sometimes be a little shy, so compliments are a great way to break the ice.
Put makeup on before leaving, get to the venue. Pay about 500 yen or a little more to get a pass or some sort that lets you use the changing room. Change into your costume, pack up unnecessary stuff, and leave it or check it in the cloak room, whichever applies. Go find a spot to sit around if you want your picture taken, or look around and see if there are other cosplayers you’d like to photograph. Be friendly and exchange cards. Try to get back to the changing room a little early (especially if you’re a woman) because it can get pretty crowded at the last minute and you may have to wait in line for a space to open up.
I hope that helps. I’m still a novice at Japanese cosplay customs but I’m getting used to it, and TGS really helped me see how everything works. If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know!
29 Days of Black Cosplay 2016
EDIT 1/31/2016: Oops, I just realized that February has 29 days this year! I guess it would be best to use #29DaysofBlackCosplay instead for this year's posts!
Character: Viola (Soul Calibur V)
Cosplayer: Sooyong (SCHIZO-ALIAS)
Photographer: Jim O'Connor
February is near, and that means it’s almost time for not only Black History Month, but also 29 Days of Black Cosplay. Last year the movement had a lot of participants, including myself, and I enjoyed it very much!
The reception was generally very positive, but not without criticism. As I wrote in my blog from last year, some people felt that black cosplayers didn’t need to b
My 10th year (and Anniversary) of Cosplay
With all of the heavy feelings documented and out of the way, now I can focus on the positive experiences from the past year and then some, otherwise known as my 10th year (Summer 2014) and 10th anniversary (Summer 2015) of cosplay.
My first cosplay experience was at Otakon 2005. I had kept this in mind from Otakon 2014 and throughout 2015, and although I had said that I was going to take a break while I made my transition from Japan back to the US, I ended up never taking that rest.
Starting from Otakon 2014, a year which also happened to be the 20th anniversary with my BFF from 1st grade, she and I made an awesome memory together not only
Confessions about Cosplay and Confidence. (Part 3)
(Continued from Part 2: Part 2)
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My anxiety with cosplaying as Kasumi and having been ogled and harrassed is related to my decision to start crossplaying.
A few years ago, I started following Reika, a famous Japanese cosplayer. She had cosplayed as a few Dynasty Warriors characters and her work was impeccable. Not only were her costumes well-made, her makeup technique made her appear to be a very convincing Asian male. If her name wasn't Reika, I wouldn't have known right away that she was a woman. She almost exclusively cosplays male characters, and she has a huge following of female fans who adore her as if
Confessions about Cosplay and Confidence. (Part 2)
(Part 1 of this blog is here: Part 1)
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I don't follow famous cosplayers like Yaya Han and Jessica Nigri because I don't like how they've--inadvertently, perhaps--contributed to the sexualization of cosplay. A few weeks ago I tried to follow Yaya Han's Facebook page because I felt like I could be inspired by her craftsmanship and learn something from her, but I just couldn't look past all of her cleavage-revealing costumes and the flood of comments from gross dudes claiming to like her work but are probably only looking at her body.
I never want to be known for showing skin. This is what plagued me the most ev
© 2014 - 2024 SooYong
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Thks for the tips , since I never cosplay here in Japan , it's gonna be a big help ^___^