kick-off in Paris between manga fans, derivative product stands and the first Nintendo pop-up store

In addition to celebrating manga, the four days of Japan Expo celebrate all of Japanese culture, from cuisine to cinema to martial arts. We were there for the opening.

The 23rd edition of one of the most important Japanese pop culture events in Europe, Japan Expo, opened its doors on Thursday, July 11. at the Villepinte Exhibition Center. From the latest manga releases to meetings between different cosplay enthusiasts, this is the place to be for fans of Japanese culture, with more than 900 exhibitors present until Sunday, July 14.

Japan Expo received, at its previous edition, a little over 200,000 visitors, according to its co-founder, Thomas Sirdey, who defines this large-scale event as being “a gateway to Japanese culture” for the most passionate, as well as for those who are curious to discover it.

Mario chatting with Princess Zelda, or Naruto taking a selfie with Boba Fett: this is not an upcoming crossover movie event, but a common image of Japan Expo with its hundreds of fans all dressed up as their favorite pop culture characters.

“Thishas I’ve been coming to this convention for 18 years, this year I’ll be dressed as Princess Jasmine“, tells us Nadia, cosplayer [personne jouant le rôle d’un personnage fictif en imitant son costume, ses cheveux] a regular at this annual meeting. In her arms, three large bags. In one of them is her turquoise blue costume embroidered with pearls, identical to the one worn by the Princess ofAladdin. “I made it myself“, she proudly announces, “I even planned a huge black wig, to reproduce the character’s exact hair.”

During the convention, you could come across more than a hundred people wearing the straw hat of Luffy, the hero of the manga One Piece but also a hundred people wearing the black and green checked jacket of Tanjiro, the protagonist of the manga Demon Slayer.

For these cosplay fans, Japan Expo represents “a kind of carnival” Or “Every year people can express their creativity by making costumes of their favorite characters.“, explains Camille, 22, who came dressed as Sakura, one of the main characters in the manga Naruto.

A packed programme, packed aisles, almost 100,000 m2 of spaces to visit… It can be difficult to find your way around this event which combines both a cultural convention and a giant flea market. The gigantic exhibition centre was, for this occasion, divided into several districts connected by carpets of different colours to indicate the way to visitors. Among them, the Cosplay Village for all costumed fans.

Another emblematic district of the convention, the Manga District. In this alley where crowds jostle, Japanese comics are king, from stands dedicated to new releases to those offering Pokémon derivative products, with giant Pikachu or Bulbasaur plush toys..

A little further on, other creators were able to set up their stands, such as Gastronogeek – Thibaud Villanova by his real name – a content creator known for recreating recipes from series and films on TikTok and Instagram.Japan Expo is also an opportunity to meet the public and other creators” he said.

Among the pop-up stores that attracted the most attention, Nintendo’s took the prize. Young and old alike were there to discover the new products of the Switchbut not only.

Nintendo’s promise: to allow visitors to purchase products, some of which are exclusive to the video game giant’s Japanese stores. Of course, this creates a long queue, especially since the pop-up store is far from being a large area. But that’s not enough to dampen the morale of the fans, who sometimes wait for nearly thirty minutes, like Julie, 19, from the south of Paris, dressed as Sasha from Pokemon : “This is the first time I’ve seen this at Japan Expo, it’s great to discover this.“

For other fans, it is also a way to access objects that are usually inaccessible in France and in Europe more generally. Théo, 25, explains that “Nintendo does not have any stores in France, as in Europe.“Fans who want to find a product must either”go through unofficial dealers, or wait for a possible trip to Japan.”

The success of this pop-up store has created hope among fans that at the next edition of Japan Expo, Nintendo will think bigger, or even open a real store in France and Europe by then.