Cobalt Cosplay Takes On Hyper Japan!

Hey everyone, Cobalt Cosplay here and I got to attend two of three days (Saturday and Sunday) of Hyper Japan Summer Market 2017. It started off with a very quick sign up for both myself and all ticket holders for the first session of Saturday. It was already rather full of fellow con-goers and cosplayers alike, the smell of Wagyu beef and chicken katsu flooding my nostrils as I began to look around.

CULTURE

Sake Tasting decor

To start with, one word to describe my food and drink experience at HJ, SAKE, AND WHISKEY. Since the con was rather warm (for us Londoners, anyway!) Kakigōri was a popular purchase of mine throughout the weekend. A big bonus was that it was opposite a free sake tasting bar, of which I took full advantage of! (Disclaimer: I am legally old enough to drink and they were ID’ing at the make-shift bar). The food, in general, consisted of four inside stalls on the lower area, varying a degree with chicken/ pork katsu, Takoyaki, Yakisoba, Wagyu burgers, and bubble waffles. The presentation on all of this food was very traditional, and I even got speaking to a woman that had recently visited japan and said that this food was prepared a lot nicer for the eye!

HYPER LIVE

Moso Calibration

Another epic detail about Hyper Japan is “Hyper Live”, which showcases various J-Pop and Japanese artists that have released exclusive content specifically for HJ. Moso Calibration was one band that performed on a Sunday, which showed songs such as “Bang Bang Number 01” and “Unbalance Umbrella”. The heavy bass and pop style put me in a perfect weeb mood for the rest on con, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

ANIME & GAMES

Nintendo’s Chill Area

Splatoon 2

The anime and games section was located separately upstairs, Nintendo showcasing the Switch’s new releases as well as new releases and old classics for the 3DS! Pokken Tournament was there as well as several competitions throughout the two days, with Super Bomber Man R, Pokken Tournament and Splatoon 2 being two popular with fans.

Sadly, I missed the Cosplay shows due to various food queuing, but from what I heard all of the talent was phenomenal, as shown below!

(Disclaimer: Despite not knowing any of the cosplayers/ fashion names, all of them were asked permission to have their photo taken and told that their photos would be published here)

This time HJ was organised well, with food stalls taking the right lower floor along with some fashion themed stalls and the left section dedicated to various loli stalls as well as an amazing anime VR experience that cost extra.

Hello Kitty at Artbox

Death Note VR Experience

Overall, I think my only major downside to this convention is that on the Saturday there are two sessions, and for press and dual ticket holders (like myself and many others) we were not told upon entry what to do when the half an hour break took place, besides being told to queue up by the theatre. I saw everyone with press badges hanging around near the VIP/ Press entrance up stairs, so I decided to stick with them for half an hour, after which I found out that not even the staff there knew where we meant to go.

Next time, a heads up of where to go/ being allowed to stay outside in the communal area would be lovely!

Crowds on Sunday

Another mini one (just because I am a massive foodie) is that maybe have a few more food stalls for the next convention. Even though there were about 8 stalls in total, with the entirety of the ticket holders having food from the inside of HJ (there isn’t really much around the Tobacco docks convention area!), a 30 minute wait for both ordering and collecting food was a bit mad.

To conclude, I have to say, Hyper Japan (HJ) Summer 2017 was an amazing con. Other than the heat, the general chilled attitude that everyone in the con community likes was present.

Thank you to all the cosplayers and fashion goers that let me take photos of them, and I hope to return at Christmas for another go at the Christmas Market in November!

What did you think of Hyper Japan’s Summer Market? Do you agree?

Psst! Whilst you are here, check out the photos I took whilst at Hyper Japan!

Hyper Japan Summer Market 2017

7.2

Cosplay/ Fashion

7.4/10

Events & Guests

9.3/10

Layout

6.4/10

Food

7.4/10

Staff

5.7/10

Pros

• Ticket Price- Good for Money!
• Culture Rich Food Choices
• Entry very quick
• Not typically a cosplay convention, but fashion & Cosplay was big this time!
• Plenty on offer for entertainment!

Cons

• Saturday dual session confusion
• Small Venue
• Confusing Layout
• Food Queues