G1 company, Inc. brought KATARIBE, an AI tourism guide engine that turns interviews with local guides into location-linked guidance data, to the Travel Solution Exhibition 2026 inside Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight on September 24 and 25. About 200 visitors came to the booth over two days. A demonstration with the Shin-Kamigoto Town Tourism and Products Association has run since April 2026.
Shibuya Ward elementary and junior high schools are again paired with companies for an environmental culture festival. The event runs October 15 and 16, 2026, at the Shibuya Station East Exit Underground Plaza. Each school works with one company or local government across three outreach classes on themes like resource circulation and biodiversity, presenting the results through panels, quizzes, and games. Junior high schools join for the first time, bringing the total to eight teams.
Cosplay Mania 2026 ran October 2 to 4 in Manila with more guest VTubers than the previous year. Féileacán Cú of the independent scene appeared before Philippines fans, most of HOLOSTARS English was invited, and Ayunda Risu and Momosuzu Nene performed at the JAM Concert in their 3D models. Indie VTubers met fans through the 6-Seven and Releum booths.
STARZ 2026 will be held on December 29, 2026 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, with doors at 13:00 and a 14:00 start. The event combines a hip-hop live show with the RAPSTAR 2026 FINALS, the deciding stage of ABEMA's rapper audition. The fastest advance ticket lottery runs October 10 to 19 on Lawson Ticket.
Gohgo, who writes, composes, and directs the total stage production for the virtual artist duo HIMEHINA at Studio LaRa, told PANORA in an interview that he handled Nico Nico Cho Party stage direction from 2012 to 2016. He said viewers of HIMEHINA's October 4 grand finale compared its glass-break staging to a 2015 Cho Party moment he made with an MMD team.
Brasil Game Show 2026 opened on October 9 at Distrito Anhembi in Sao Paulo and runs four days through the 12th. Nintendo brought Switch 2 demo stations for Mario Kart World, Pokemon Pokopia, and corners for Super Mario Galaxy and Star Fox. Sega built a gothic stonework booth with corners for Alien: Isolation 2, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, Persona 4 Revival, and Stranger Than Heaven.
Kashitaro Ito's solo concert "Live Classics 2026 〜re:verse〜" is set for Saturday, December 5, 2026 at Ebisu The Garden Hall, with doors at 16:00 and a 17:00 start. Official advance applications opened October 8 at 18:00 on e+. All seats are reserved at 9,800 yen, plus a separate drink fee, and preschool children are not admitted.
YTE will sell Detective Conan goods built on a newly drawn "Blue Butterfly Forest" visual early at Anime Japan Girls Festival 2026, held November 7 and 8 at Ikebukuro Sunshine City. The lineup includes a clear file with Conan, Haibara, Amuro, and Kid, an aurora acrylic stand, trading foil-embossed cards, can badges, and a hard card case. Deformed pop-up book style goods of Ran, Shinichi, Akai, and Chihaya follow.
TIFFCOM 2026, running October 28 to 30 alongside the Tokyo International Film Festival, will hold pitch sessions for Tokyo IP Market and Tokyo Gap-Financing Market. Eight companies with Japan-originated IP present on October 28, among them Shochiku's Otoko wa Tsurai yo series and Takara Tomy's BEYBLADE. TGFM's open pitch covers 10 of 24 selected projects, including two Japan-originated animation projects and international co-productions.
SIGNING Inc. will stage Window of Tomorrow at Roppongi Hills Rose Garden and 66 Plaza during Roppongi Art Night 2026, running from Saturday, October 31 to Sunday, November 1, 2026. The immersive performance and spatial installation uses the night sky as its set. Aoi Tsuki performs in Moon at the date change, and ATSUSHI performs in Sun at sunrise. Architect Naoyuki Kunikiyo handles architecture and Nao'ymt handles music.
The roundup lists 11 corporate-booth cosplayers from Tokyo Game Show 2026, held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, with four of them credited to South Korean teams. It names Jomi as Demiurge and Yona as Midsummer Police Delta, both from Outerplane, Leeloo Reel as Maid and Hangah Han-a as Black Mage from RED STONE, and Nene as Nao and Ichihashi as Morley from Mabinogi Mobile.
At Anime Expo 2026, the Tokyo Revengers panel brought out Yuki Shin (Takemichi), Yuu Hayashi (Mikey), and Masaya Fukunishi (Draken) in Tokyo Manji Gang jackets. The three discussed how their characters evolved across the series. Hayashi said the next season shows a darker Mikey without hesitation, and Shin said Takemichi would find true strength in the upcoming season.
The first Japan Oshikatsu Awards ceremony was held on October 7, 2026, at Tokyo Big Sight South Exhibition Hall, alongside the sixth Oshikatsu EXPO [Autumn]. Six recipients were recognized: Kento Nakajima (Male Idol), AKB48 (Female Idol), Shoko Nakagawa (Talent), Kizuna AI (VTuber), Pompompurin (Character), and Kimi Onoda (Politics). Winners were chosen by a survey of people in the oshikatsu industry. Organizer RX Japan says the market has grown beyond 4 trillion yen.
The XG Mobile Promotion Forum, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and ARIB, will hold an international workshop on October 14 and 15, 2026 under the theme "The Future Society Created by 6G x AI." Eight sessions run across the two days, covering communication growth in the AI era, AI-Native 6G networks, NTN connectivity, autonomous driving mobility, Generation Z perspectives, and oshi-katsu at live venues. Entry is free with advance online registration.
Sunny Side Up will release Happy Kuji "DISNEY Christmas Ornament Kuji 2026" at FamilyMart stores starting at 10:00 on November 7, 2026. Each draw costs 880 yen including tax. The theme for the 2026 edition is "Christmas Dress Up," and the lineup centers on Mickey and Friends in party outfits, red dresses and tuxedos, drawn for the project. Characters from film titles join them. The set has four prize tiers plus a Last Prize. A new Year Ornament Prize debuts, with one type showing Mickey Mouse beside a tree carrying the year 2026. The Figure Ornament Prize covers 25 characters, the most for the tier. All figure ornaments include a base, so they work as room figures besides tree decorations. The Special Complete BOX Prize has six types grouped by series. The Acrylic Ornament Prize returns with 10 types, glitter included. The Last Prize is a BIG! Standing Plush of Mickey Mouse in a newly drawn outfit, about 65 cm tall. Availability varies by store, so the Happy Kuji official website carries the details.
Metamars ran TikTok Shop live streams with game creators at TikTok for Gaming GG Festival 2026, held August 11 at Tokyo Big Sight West Hall 3. The company drew on the creator network of its MetaGalaxy brand, which has more than 250 game creators and streamers registered, and combined creator posts, live streaming, short video production, and e-commerce operations. The event recorded roughly 405 million total exposure, about 1.1 million cumulative official live viewership, and about 2,100 visitors.
The Digital Media Association will hold AMD Symposium 2026 on November 10, 2026, a hybrid event on the overseas expansion of Japan-originated content. Speakers include Megumi Onouchi of Human Media, Mari Tanaka of JETRO, and Akihiko Iwasaki of PwC Consulting. A second-half panel, moderated by Takeshi Natsuno, adds JETRO's Yoshiharu Nakazawa. Venue seats are limited to members; the online stream is free with advance registration.
Reiwa AI Inc. will exhibit at Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026, held at Makuhari Messe over four days from October 13 to 16, 2026. The company develops AI solution businesses including automatic generation of ladder diagrams using generative AI. At the booth, in ZONE3, it will present a Ladder Diagram Generation AI developed jointly with OGN Inc. Admission registration is shared with CEATEC 2026.
The itasha festival Odaiba Itasha Tengoku 2026 Autumn will be held on November 8, 2026, at the Odaiba outdoor special venue, the Aomi temporary parking lot, from 9:30 to 16:00. About 1,000 itasha cars from across Japan are expected, along with cosplayers. Advance tickets are 1,500 yen, same-day tickets 1,800 yen, with a 500 yen cosplay registration fee and a 1,000 yen photographer fee.
Anique will run a booth at the 2026 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A11 Japan Exhibition at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Taipei Xinyi Place A11 6F in Taiwan from October 15 to November 3, 2026. The booth carries eight IPs and sells goods on site, including a Blue Lock KINOKOS self-standing plush figure line themed on a waitress cafe and omurice. Blue Lock products sell until October 23.
A collaboration between the music special program Best Hit Kayosai 2026 and the TV anime Detective Conan has been announced, and voting has begun for Everyone's Choice: Detective Conan Best Hit OP & ED. Fans pick from all 138 opening and ending songs produced over the 30 years since the anime began airing, and the ranking will be announced during the Best Hit Kayosai 2026 broadcast. Broadcast date, performing artists, and songs will be announced later.
Touken Ranbu ONLINE will collaborate with Special Edition Oshiro EXPO in Kumamoto 2026, held October 3 and 4 at Kumamoto Castle Hall. A third-floor corner features six Touken Danshi linked to Kumamoto and Kumamoto Castle, among them Kasen Kanesada, Hotarumaru, and Doudanuki Masakuni. Okkii Konnosuke appears at an October 3 stage event from 14:45 to 15:15. Two collaboration goods sell for 770 yen each.
Nishikawa announced its "Snoopy 2026 Autumn Campaign" on September 26, 2026. The collection, called "PEANUTS I LIKE...," includes a Snoopy-print Keeps Cushion for beauty, a Blanket That Becomes a Cover in ivory and gray, and wool blankets and lap blankets inspired by Linus's security blanket. It goes on sale October 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the official nishikawa online shop, Amazon, and authorized retailers. Buyers spending 5,500 yen or more receive a Snoopy tote bag while supplies last.
The Osaka Culture Expo Osaka Fringe 2026 runs for 32 days from October 8 to November 8 at more than 50 venues across Osaka City and other locations in the prefecture. The Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau announced details at a September 30 press conference. Chairman Mizuhata Hiroshi cited Edinburgh and Adelaide as reference points, and the program is styled on fringe festivals, where performances happen outside the official art festival circuit.
Jamf Japan will hold Jamf Nation Live Tokyo 2026 on Friday, October 30, 2026 at Otemachi Place Hall & Conference in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The event targets IT administrators who manage Apple devices at companies, schools and public institutions. Jamf Japan Country Manager Manabu Oka and Jamf APAC Senior Sales Engineer Marcus Ransom headline a keynote on AI governance for Mac. Sessions, demo booths, consultations and networking follow.
Toyota announced on October 6, 2026 that it will exhibit a special vehicle, the Crown Crossover x Touken Danshi Mikazuki Munechika, at the second Kyoto Station Building Art Festival, Geijutsu no Eki 2026. The Crown carries blue and gold lines and a large Mikazuki Munechika emblem on the hood. The exhibition runs October 17 to November 3, 13:00 to 20:00 daily on the first floor Station Front Plaza. More collaboration plans are to be announced.
TIFFCOM 2026 runs from October 28 to October 30 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho Hall. The organizer announced the third round of conference programs, including a JETRO session on October 29 looking back at Japan's role as Country of Honor at the Marche du Film. The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market selected 24 live-action and animation projects, including eight from Japan, and the Tokyo IP Market will pitch Japanese film and remake rights to overseas buyers.
JEITA opened advance visitor registration on October 1 for Inter BEE 2026, a three-day media event running from November 18 to November 20 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City. Admission is free but all visitors must register. The 62nd edition centers on AI, IP conversion of production environments, and sustainability, with the AI special project themed "AI Stepping into the 'Real World.'"
Tokyo Game Show 2026 ran September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture. The 1,138 exhibitors from 53 countries and regions were the most ever, and the four days drew more than 250,000 visitors. The 21st was canceled because of an approaching typhoon. A photo report collects nine cosplayers dressed as characters from Chinese games, including Blue Archive, Wuthering Waves, Goddess of Victory: Nikke, and Genshin Impact.
Sunny Side Up will release Happy Kuji "Disney Halloween 2026" on October 2, 2026, with a Sweets Party theme. The lineup spans 10 prize tiers plus a Last Prize, from a big Stitch Halloween Plush to eco bags and smartphone straps. Draws cost 850 yen with tax and go on sale at Lawson, bookstores, hobby shops, and elsewhere.
At Logitech G's G PLAY TOKYO 2026 presentation, the company announced new products including the PRO X3 SUPERSTRIKE mouse, an 8KHz keyboard, and an AI microphone. Logitech Co. President and CEO Kenji Kasahara opened the event, saying Logitech G had won the number one market share in gaming mice, gaming keyboards, and gaming headsets based on BCN rankings from January to December 2025. The theme is PLAY FOR THE BREAKTHROUGH.
Square Enix announced the stage lineup for Fan Festival 2026 in Tokyo, the Final Fantasy XIV fan event running October 31 to November 1, 2026. Producer and director Naoki Yoshida gives the keynote on day one and is expected to bring news on the expansion The White Silver Wanderer. Day one also includes the Crystalline Conflict Regional Championship 2026 Japan final, a rapid-fire Q&A, and a paid-stream piano concert with Keiko and guest Amanda Achen. Day two adds a development panel on BGM production with Takafumi Imamura, Daiki Ishikawa and Masayoshi Soken, a LIVE Q&A, the Glamour Collection fashion show, and Naoki's Room with guests including Tatsuomi Hamada, k4sen, SHAKA and Karubi Akami. THE PRIMALS close the event with a paid special live. Most programs outside the music stages stream free, and live viewings of the keynote and THE PRIMALS concert go to Aeon Cinema locations.
The DX Expo Executive Committee will hold DX Expo 2026 Autumn Tokyo from November 4 to 6, 2026 at Makuhari Messe, co-held with Business Innovation Japan and AI World 2026 Autumn Tokyo. The free AI Practical Workshop returns, with sessions on November 4 and 5 and a November 6 seminar with SHIFT AI still under adjustment. Bizcrew Festival networking runs November 4 and 5.
Palabra, the accessibility consulting firm behind the UDCast platform and its UDCast MOVIE app, will take part in the Cabinet Office's Tomotomo Festa 2026 at Tokyo Station's Marunouchi side on October 9 and 10. The company hosts a talk on October 9 with director Koji Fukada, University of Tokyo researcher Naoyuki Okochi, and Palabra president Shoko Yamagami, plus a booth offering subtitle, audio guide, and SABERA smart glasses trials.
Zebras and Company and Tokyo Zebras Unite will hold ZEBRAHOOD 2026 on Friday, November 27, 2026, at HOME/WORK VILLAGE in Setagaya, Tokyo. The third edition's theme is "What Is a Company?" German Lorenzo of MONDRAGON Corporation is confirmed as a keynote speaker, and a research book supervised by management scholar Takashi Nawa goes to ticket purchasers.
Taiki Yamazaki's solo music project Nemuru made tsukiatte has announced nemtsuki LIVE 2026-2027 'Aizuchi,' running at four venues across three cities. The run opens December 22, 2026 at Shibuya CHELSEA HOTEL and ends January 17, 2027 at Shibuya Star lounge, with stops in Nagoya and Saitama. Fan club advance lottery applications run October 3 to October 12, 2026.
Third Wave Systems Japan will exhibit at JIMTOF 2026, the 33rd Japan International Machine Tool Fair, at Tokyo Big Sight from October 26 to October 31. At Booth E1064 in East Hall 1, the company will present AdvantEdge, Production Module, and Distorti-sigma, covering cutting analysis, NC tool path optimization, and distortion prediction. An exhibitor workshop is set for October 28, 11:00 to 12:00 in Meeting Room 608.
Whiskey&Co. will release two Little K whiskies on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Little K 2026 2nd is the longest-aged release in the series at 23 months, a vatting of nine barrels, at 61 percent alcohol by volume and limited to 4,300 bottles. Little K mellowship is a bourbon-style whisky that uses wheat instead of rye, at 54 percent and limited to 2,200 bottles. Both are 375 ml and 4,950 yen including tax.
Linkhola will hold the VOLUNTARY CARBON CREDIT SUMMIT 2026 on November 20, 2026, at Shibuya PARCO DG Building in Tokyo, with capacity for 200 people by invitation only. Priority invitation applications are now open ahead of a detailed program announcement. The event runs from 15:00 to 18:00 and combines seminars, exhibitions, business meetings, and networking for credit creators, buyers, and supporting organizations.
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced on October 1 that the PlayStation Game Music Awards 2026 will run through October 31 at 23:59 Japan time. Twenty nominated soundtracks, including Battlefield 6, Elden Ring Nightreign, and Ghost of Yotei, compete on Spotify play counts and user comments. A Spotify playlist with one track per album is live, and results arrive in early December.
TEAC Store will run a one-day pop up at CASSETTE WEEK MARKET 2026 on October 12 at WPU SHINJUKU in Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo, from 12:00 to 19:00. Cassette decks, headphones and other gear normally sold only through the online store will be on hand to try, including a new cassette deck, with a visitor gift.
THINKR, the company behind KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO, opened applications for "THINKR AUDITION 2026" on Monday, October 5. The application period runs until Tuesday, December 8 at 23:59. The audition is the company's first across its studios and accepts entries in two categories: the Virtual Artist Category and the Real Artist Category. The Virtual Artist Category is led by KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO, which has held auditions three times so far, and this round is the fourth. The Real Artist Category is run jointly by ALLT STUDIO, the newly established KYOKAI STUDIO, and UNKNOWN LAB. There are no age, gender, or nationality limits as long as the applicant lives in Japan. Applicants must not hold an exclusive contract with a production company or record label, and minors need parental consent. KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO General Producer PIEDPIPER and members from all four areas join the judging panel. Outstanding applicants receive proposals and support for activity plans, including song production and lessons toward a debut.
A GASA survey of 1,200 people aged 18 and over in Japan, run from March 16 to April 13, 2026, found 22% encountered suspicious solicitations or contacts in the past 12 months, down from 38% a year earlier. Concern about being scammed rose to 45% from 42%. Of those who encountered a scam, 53% responded in some way, such as reading a message.
The Battery Association for Supply Chain will host its largest booth at CEATEC 2026, held at Makuhari Messe from October 13 to October 16. Fifty-eight storage battery supply chain companies will take part, covering resources, refining, components, manufacturing, installation, reuse, recycling, and data linkage. Three stage events are planned, including talks on industry cooperation and lithium-ion battery technology.
Mega Hobby EXPO 2026 ran September 26 at AKIBA SQUARE in Akihabara UDX, hosted by MegaHouse with 13 companies taking part under the theme F-DASH. MegaHouse showed ten items, including a Chō Kaguya-hime! Lookup Tsukimi Yachiyo for late May 2027, a Nami Portrait.Of.Pirates for 2027, and a 08th MS Team B-Style Aina Sahalin. Krenel showed Uma Musume and Madoka Magica pieces. Many are release date TBD.
Epi Group, a live-streamer agency based in Osaka, judged the live streaming category at the MISS UNIVERSITY 2026 Japan Finals and awarded a special prize to Tokyo representative Uta ko Kumamaru, who placed first in that category. The ranking event ran on TikTok LIVE from September 7 to September 13, 2026. Kumamaru also took the competition's Grand Prix.
Nikon Imaging Japan will host a sponsored session at VIDEOGRAPHERS TOKYO ONLINE 2026, an online event run by Vook Inc. from October 6 to October 9. On October 7, video director AKIYA and photographer Koji Ueda will walk through RAW shooting on the Nikon ZR using R3D NE, covering data management, color grading and export, plus firmware Ver.2.00.
viviON will bring its Garumani label to Animeite Girls Festival 2026 on November 7 and 8 at Ikebukuro Sunshine City. The booth holds a display for the new voice drama Yotsuyanagi Seitetsu Kohositsu and the first public reveal of the Amaneku Amaku Ma Volume 3 cover. Ten merchandise items go on sale, two of them limited to the AGF venue.
The first Kyushu International New Generation Art Fair, KINGAF 2026, runs from Friday, October 2 to Monday, October 5, 2026 at ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. in Tenjin, Fukuoka. Twenty-four emerging Taiwanese artists will participate, working in painting, ink painting, mixed media, and illustration. Five of them will visit Fukuoka during the fair and meet visitors: Lin Wei (Ivy), Huang Yu-Shan, Jeffrey, Maggie, and Tsai Mi-Tzu (Mitsuko).
Virtual artist unit HIMEHINA will hold a solo concert at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Tuesday, July 13, 2027, the unit and its studio Studio LaRa announced on October 4, 2026, at the finale of the HIMEHINA WORLD Tour 2026 "LIFETIME is BUBBLIN" at SGC HALL ARIAKE. Doors open at 16:30 and the show starts at 17:30. General reserved seats cost 11,000 yen including tax, and all seats are reserved. The fastest advance lottery for fan club members and the general public opened on Sunday, October 4 at 21:00 and runs through Sunday, October 18 at 23:59, with results on Friday, October 23. Applications allow up to four tickets, with no age restriction and tickets required for ages 6 and up. Upgrade tickets for reserved-seat buyers will be announced later in fan club and general versions. The unit set the Budokan goal in August 2023.