SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

RocketNews24 Japanese

Featured

The Running of the Nerds in Tokyo, Summer 2013

2y5tu Okay, so there isn’t an official event called “The Running of the Nerds” in Japan, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, but what else would you call this biannual spectacle of Japanese otaku frantically clamoring off a crowded train, sprinting up the platform stairs, rocketing past the turnstiles, and…patiently waiting in line for five hours? What has these nerds all in a frenzy is Comic Market, Comiket for short, the world’s largest dojinshi (self-published manga, anime, and novel) convention. Every year before the opening day of the summer and winter Comiket, the first train of the day bound for Kokusai-tenjijo Station is packed with otaku hoping to be one of the first in line at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center. The GIF above is from a YouTube video that was taken on August 10, the first day of the summer 2013 Comiket. It looks more like a track meet than the opening day of a comic convention.

So why are these guys (and some gals) sprinting to the exhibition center five hours before the event opens? Well, since Comic Market is the place to find self-published titles, quantities are limited and you have to be quick if you want to snatch up your favorite indie manga or anime. Once they’re sold out, you’ll have to try your luck online and purchase these ultra rare works on auctions sites like Yahoo! Japan. People who aren’t even interested in comics wake up early and wait at Kokusai-tenjijo Station.

Notice the crowd of people on either side of the turnstiles, cameras held high in the air? Much like the annual Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain, these people are here to watch the crowds of nerds galloping towards their beloved Comic Market! After all that running in the early morning summer heat and hours of waiting in line, let’s hope these otaku take a bath. But with all the excitement, who has time?
[ Read in Japanese ]

Like this:

Like Loading…

Related Stories

Trackbacks

  1. There are no trackbacks yet.
  2. Trackback URL

Trending Today

  1. How to watch Studio Ghibli’s new anime in Japan, with a special after-dark outdoor screening for Halloween
  2. Two American women attempt to smuggle US$1 million worth of cannabis into Tokyo for a free trip to Japan
  3. New Shinkansen platform vending machine sells local-flavor treats from 127-year-old snack maker
  4. Roaming rubbish bin robot at Shinjuku Station solves the problem of where to put your trash
  5. Ghibli’s Toshio Suzuki not impressed by generative AI images, Hayao Miyazaki thinks even less of them
  6. Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  7. Japan’s Suica Penguin character is “graduating”, and you can choose its successor
  8. Eel sauce is our new favorite cooking hack for making any dish sweet and savory with zero hassle
  9. Japanese restaurant chain offering free food for a year if you beat massive meat bowl challenge
  10. Anime magical girls grow to gigantic size with new Madoka Magica plushies [Photos]

© SoraNews24 —Japan News— / SOCIO CORPORATION

Powered by WordPress VIP

%d