2.5 Jigen Kamimatsuri: Anime/Subculture Event
A Powerful Local Subculture Event
Video coverage by Subtokyo:
http://youtu.be/LMFhlqb9Jbw
I've been to many Anime or Subculture related events during my past 5 years in Japan and even before that when I was back in America. While the most exciting of events usually happen at giant convention centers like Tokyo Big Sight and Makuhari Messe in Chiba, a big turn off for them is usually the impossible crowds of people attending and the strictly business view people have when attending them.
2.5 Jigen Kamimatsuri was a smaller yet very exciting local event in the heart of Yokohama, near Nihon-Oodori Station. The center of the excitement was a trailer stage with many people performing from dancers of YouTube and Nico Nico Douga, to idol groups and celebrities. The turn out was nice, many people came but it was not an overwhelming turn out. After many performances people were able to interact with their favorite internet performers and entertainers. The interaction among the people was warm and had a very homely feel, very similar to many anime conventions that I've attended in the U.S.
A Small Event Packed with Exciting Activities
Along with the performances there were many other attractions like cosplayers, anime decorated itasha cars, a creators market which was very similar to an artists alley, and a live real time detective game played in teams to solve the mystery.
A big focus of this event was to promote Kanagawa as an attractive prefecture for Anime and Subculture. Along the halls were information boards with different anime set in Kanagawa. If you follow these maps, you can go to the very location your favorite anime took place in! Tsuritama fans head to Enoshima! Evangelion fans go to Hakone!!
Back to the stage shows, it really was an interesting variety of performances. The morning started with Youtube and Nico Nico Douga dancers, followed by some smaller idol groups. In the afternoon there was a free dance session where people and children of all ages danced to music of their choice from anime songs to hip hop. The biggest and best spotlight must have been the giant collaboration between the Yurukyara, the dancers, celebrities, and the giant audience dancing to the Yokai Watch dance in unison. It definitely drew the largest crowd, and despite doing 2 practice sessions, all three dances had everyone dancing perfectly in sync! It was truely the most exciting moment of the day.
Let's do it again!
This was the first 2.5 Jigen Matsuri I've attended, I don't know if its an annual event or not. All I know is I thoroughly enjoyed the event and it was very nice to have a Subculture event like this very close to my local area.
If I had to compare this to another event I've been to, it would be Nico Nico Chokaigi, a Subculture/Video Creators event very similar to this event held annually in Makuhari Messe, Chiba. That even is gigantic and attracts a huge amount of people, but it is like a bigger version of this event.
That event of course is all the way out in Chiba and costs a normal fee to get in. 2.5 Jigen Kamiatsuri was a free close knit event enjoyable to a wide range of audiences and definitely should be held again next year. Great work Kanagawa!
2.5 Jigen Kamimatsuri Home Page: http://www.cucuri.co.jp/gaiyo.html
As usual, most of the videos shared on this post are from my Video Vlog Subtokyo! So please Subscribe to Subtokyo on Youtube for regular updates on Tokyo Subculture!
Alex Kobayashi /Subtokyo
United States
