Japanese cultural events are now taking place somewhere
in the world almost every month
In recent years, Japanese cultural events have become increasingly visible across many regions of the world.
Events introducing Japanese anime, manga, games, music, voice actors, idols, food, and traditional culture have already been held around the world for many years. However, nowadays they are no longer niche gatherings. They have become established events in many countries and cities, and many of them are becoming larger and more diverse.
In the United States, there is Anime Expo.
In France, there is Japan Expo.
In Germany, there is DoKomi.
Across Southeast Asia, there is Anime Festival Asia.
In Brazil, there is Anime Friends.
Across different countries and cities, large-scale events dedicated to Japanese culture continue to attract huge numbers of fans every year.
And these events are not simply “anime fan gatherings”.
Inside the venues, other than anime panels, voice actor talk sessions, anisong (anime song) artist concerts, cosplay contests, manga artist, and creator autograph sessions, you’ll also find Japanese food and sake booths, traditional performance stages, games, merchandise sales, and much more.
In other words, overseas Japanese cultural events have become important platforms for sharing both Japanese pop culture and Japanese traditional culture with the world.
The growth of these events has been especially noticeable in recent years.
For example, DoKomi in Germany started in 2009 with around 1,800 visitors. By 2025, it had grown into an event attracting more than 215,000 attendees. Japan Expo Paris is also known as one of the largest Japanese culture events in Europe, with visitor numbers on the scale of 250,000.
In Southeast Asia, Anime Festival Asia has been growing since its launch in 2008 as one of the leading events introducing the latest Japanese pop culture to the region.
Clearly, the fan base for Japanese anime, music, and voice actor culture is expanding not only in Europe and North America, but also across Asia, South America and Oceania.
Within this movement, Anime Expo, anime conventions and Japanese cultural events have become major gateways for anisong singers, voice actors, idols, and J-POP artists to meet overseas fans directly.
For anyone thinking:
“I want to perform.”
“I want to introduce a Japanese artist to international audiences.”
“I want to book a voice actor or anisong artist for an overseas event.”
“I want to promote Japanese content efficiently outside Japan.”
The first thing to understand is this:
What kinds of events celebrating Japanese culture already exist around the world?
When are they held?
And where do they take place?
In this article, we’ll be introducing major Anime Expos, anime conventions, and Japanese cultural events being held around the world in a month-by-month calendar format.
In this article, we’ll be introducing major Anime Expos, anime conventions, and Japanese cultural events being held around the world in a month-by-month calendar format.
January
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Animé Los Angeles | Long Beach / USA | A West Coast anime event featuring anime, cosplay, live performances, industry panels, and idol showcases. In 2026, it is scheduled for 8–11 January, and in 2027 for 7–10 January. | More community-driven, with a strong anime fan, cosplay and indie feel. It could be a useful testing ground for new idol acts or artists taking their first steps into overseas markets. |
| Super MAGFest | National Harbor / USA | Not strictly an anime event, but a 24-hour festival centred around video game music, chiptune and gaming culture. It has a strong music-event identity. | A festival that shows just how popular game music has become. Suitable for game music DJs, VGM artists, remix artists, and performers connected to gaming culture. |
February
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Japan Expo Thailand | Bangkok / Thailand | A large “All Japan” style event. It covers not only anime, but also has areas dedicated to music, tourism, food, culture, and B2B. The 2026 edition marks its 11th year. | A strong fit for idols, J-POP, anisong and talent-related appearances. AKB48-related members took part in 2026, making it an important overseas platform for Japanese idol culture. |
March
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| AnimeJapan | Tokyo / Japan | Although held in Japan, AnimeJapan is an important starting point for stakeholders in the international anime business, such as overseas managers, distributors and licensing companies. In 2026, the public days are scheduled for 28–29 March at Tokyo Big Sight, followed by Business Days on 30–31 March. | This is not an overseas event, but it is a key source of business for anime IP, voice actors, anisong, streaming, and licensing. For anyone considering overseas expansion, it is a valuable place to connect with rights holders, labels, and agencies. |
| Anime Boston | Boston / USA | A long-running anime convention on the US East Coast. Japanese guests listed for 2026 include Atsushi Abe, Kujira, and Wakana Maruoka. | The event regularly invites anime voice actors from Japan and features talk sessions, Q&As, and autograph sessions. |
April
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Sakura-Con | Seattle / USA | A major anime convention in the US Pacific Northwest. It has strong connections with Japanese anime studios and is known for deep, carefully curated guest selection. | In 2026, key creators from animation studio Orange are scheduled to appear, bringing new projects such as the highly anticipated TRIGUN STARGAZE. |
May
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Anime Central / ACen | Chicago / USA | A major anime convention in the US Midwest. For 2026, Yuki Kajiura / FictionJunction has been announced as a Musical Guest of Honour. | The event often invites legendary voice actors, major creators, and Japanese guests with strong cultural connections. |
| Anime North | Toronto / Canada | One of Canada’s largest anime events. The 2026 edition is scheduled for 22–24 May, and Japanese voice actor Honoka Inoue has been announced as a guest. | In 2026, Studio MAPPA is scheduled to take to the stage with “Dorohedoro” and the hit series “DAN DA DAN.” |
| MCM London Comic Con | London / UK | A large pop culture event covering film, games, comics, anime, voice actors, and cosplay. It is usually held twice a year in London, in May and October. In 2026, the dates are 22–24 May and 23–25 October. | Rather than a Japan-only anime event, MCM is closer to a place where you can experience the wider Western pop culture scene. It is important for exposing anime and game IP in the UK market and offers strong access to English-language voice actors, gaming audiences, and anime fans. |
July
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Anime Expo | Los Angeles / USA | One of the largest Japanese pop culture events in North America. In 2026, it is scheduled for 2–5 July at the Los Angeles Convention Center. | A key event where voice actors, anisong artists, production companies, distributors, manga artists, and illustrators gather. The 2026 guest line-up includes a wide range of names, from Yuriyan Retriever to anime directors, creators, and producers. |
| Japan Expo Paris | Paris / France | One of Europe’s largest and longest-running Japanese cultural events. In 2026, it is scheduled for 9–12 July at Paris-Nord Villepinte. | In 2026, Anisong Festa is scheduled to take place, with Cö Shu Nie, yama, Shoko Nakagawa, and UPiKO along with Sho Kiryuin from Golden Bomber being listed as guests. |
| SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show | Sydney / Australia | One of Australia’s major anime and manga events. The 2026 edition is scheduled for 11–12 July at ICC Sydney. | The 2026 guest webpage includes Mackenyu and a butler-style unit. Its guest programming reflects a unique approach to introducing Japanese pop culture experiences. |
| HYPER JAPAN Festival | London / UK | The UK’s largest Japanese culture event, held every July. It covers manga, anime, music, food, fashion, traditional culture, games, and more. | An effective gateway for introducing Japanese artists in the UK. It is particularly well suited to combining traditional Japanese culture, live performances, merchandise, food, and corporate promotion. |
August
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Otakuthon | Montreal / Canada | Canada’s largest bilingual festival for Japanese anime, manga, games, and pop culture. | In 2026, Konomi Suzuki’s concert is listed as a main event. The event also invites composers and producers connected to popular anime titles. |
| AnimagiC | Mannheim / Germany | A long-running anime, manga, and Japan convention in Germany, strongly supported by anime fans across Europe. | Strong in voice actors, anime production teams, and title-focused panels. This year, Yuki Kajiura, known for many iconic anime songs and scores, is appearing with the singers of FictionJunction. |
| Animethon | Edmonton / Canada | A long-running Canadian anime event with more than 30 years of history. It began with anime screenings and has expanded to include voice actor guests, music acts, games, and AMV programming. | The main guest base is often English-speaking guests active in North America, but Japanese guests and industry figures are also announced each year. |
| London Anime Con | London / UK | An anime and cosplay event in London. The 2026 edition is scheduled for 28–30 August. | Strongly focused on interaction with local communities, voice actors, creators, and influencers, including meet-and-greet style programming. |
September
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Japan Weekend Madrid | Madrid / Spain | A major Japanese cultural event in Spain, held multiple times a year. It covers voice actors, anisong, cosplay, manga, games, and more. | In September 2026, a live show and fan meeting by the school idol group from Love Live! Superstar!! is scheduled in Madrid. |
▼7月
| イベント名 | 都市・国 | 概要・規模 | メモ |
| Anime Expo | ロサンゼルス／アメリカ | 北米最大級の日本ポップカルチャーイベント。2026年は7月2〜5日、Los Angeles Convention Centerで開催。 | 声優、アニソン、制作会社、配給会社、漫画家、イラストレーターが集まる最重要イベント。2026年ゲストにはゆりやんレトリィバァからアニメ監督・クリエイター・プロデューサーまで |
| Japan Expo Paris | パリ／フランス | 欧州最大級かつ老舗 Japanカルチャーイベント。2026年は7月9〜12日、Paris-Nord Villepinteで開催。 | 2026年はAnisong Festaが開催され、Cö Shu Nie、yama、中川翔子、 UPiKOも鬼龍院翔（ゴールデンボンバー）がゲスト |
| SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show | シドニー／オーストラリア | オーストラリアの主要アニメ・漫画イベント。2026年は7月11〜12日、ICC Sydneyで開催予定。 | 2026年ゲストページでは新田真剣佑（Mackenyu）や、執事ユニット、が紹介されている。日本独自のポップカルチャーを体験できるユニークなゲスト選定が特徴 |
| HYPER JAPAN Festival | ロンドン／イギリス | 毎年7月に開催される英国最大の日本文化イベント。漫画・アニメ、音楽、食、ファッション、伝統文化、ゲームなどを扱う。 | 英国で日本アーティストを紹介する入口として効果的。伝統的な日本文化・ライブ・物販・企業プロモーションを組み合わせやすい。 |
▼8月
| イベント名 | 都市・国 | 概要・規模 | メモ |
| Otakuthon | モントリオール／カナダ | カナダ最大のバイリンガル日本アニメ・漫画・ゲーム・ポップカルチャーフェスティバル。 | 2026年は鈴木このみのコンサートがメインイベントとして掲載されている。 有名アニメの作曲家・プロデューサーも招聘。 |
| AnimagiC | マンハイム／ドイツ | ドイツの老舗アニメ・漫画・Japanコンベンション。ヨーロッパのアニメファンから絶大な支持を得ている。 | 声優、アニメ制作陣、作品パネルに強い。今年は数々のアニメ史に残る名曲を送り出してきた梶浦由記さんが、FictionJunctionの歌姫たちを伴って出演 |
| Animethon | エドモントン／カナダ | 30年以上の歴史を誇るカナダの老舗アニメイベント。アニメ上映から始まり、現在は声優ゲスト、音楽アクト、ゲーム、AMVなどを含むイベントへ拡張。 | 主に北米現地で活躍する英語圏のゲストがメインだが、毎年日本からのゲスト・業界関係者を追加発表している |
| London Anime Con | ロンドン／イギリス | ロンドンのアニメ・コスプレ系イベント。2026年は8月28〜30日開催予定。 | 現地のコミュニティや声優、クリエイター、インフルエンサーとの交流（ミート＆グリート）に非常に重きを置いたイベント |
▼9月
| イベント名 | 都市・国 | 概要・規模 | メモ |
| Japan Weekend Madrid | マドリード／スペイン | 年複数回開催されているスペインの大型Japanカルチャーイベント。声優、アニソン、コスプレ、漫画、ゲームなど幅広い。 | 2026年9月は『ラブライブ！スーパースター!!』のスクールアイドルグループ。マドリードでのライブ＆ファンミーティングが決定。・ |
▼10月
| イベント名 | 都市・国 | 概要・規模 | メモ |
| MCM London Comic Con | ロンドン／イギリス | ロンドンで年2回開催される大型ポップカルチャーイベント。アニメ、ゲーム、映画、コミック、声優、コスプレなどが中心。 | 日本人声優・アニソン専門ではないが、英国市場でアニメIPやゲームIPを露出するには重要。2025年にはDemon Slayer英語吹替キャストの出演情報が確認できる。 |
| Lucca Comics & Games | ルッカ／イタリア | ルッカは街全体が会場になる、サンディエゴ・コミコンをも凌ぐ規模（チケット販売28万枚以上）の世界最高峰のポップカルチャーフェス | 今年は「60周年（1966年マドリードからルッカへ移転して以降）」という記念すべきアニバーサリーイヤー。過去には荒木飛呂彦先生、大友克洋先生、宮崎駿監督、天野喜孝先生などが招待されている。 |
October
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| MCM London Comic Con | London / UK | A large pop culture event held twice a year in London, focusing on anime, games, film, comics, voice actors and cosplay. | It is not specifically focused on Japanese voice actors or anisong artists, but it is important for exposing anime and game IP in the UK market. In 2025, English dub cast members from Demon Slayer were among the anime-related guests. |
| Lucca Comics & Games | Lucca / Italy | A world-class pop culture festival where the entire city of Lucca becomes the venue. It is said to surpass San Diego Comic-Con in scale, selling more than 280,000 tickets. | This year marks the event’s 60th anniversary since moving from Madrid to Lucca in 1966. Past Japanese guests include such heavyweights as Hirohiko Araki, Katsuhiro Otomo, Hayao Miyazaki, and Yoshitaka Amano. |
November
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Anime Festival Asia Singapore / AFA Singapore | Singapore | One of Southeast Asia’s largest Japan pop culture events. Launched in 2008, it has been introducing the latest Japanese pop culture to Southeast Asia for 18 years. | This year also marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Singapore, so the event is expected to be even larger than usual. |
December
| Event | City / Country | Overview and scale | Notes |
| Anime Frontier | Fort Worth / USA | A fast-growing convention in Texas. Its base is strongly connected to English-language voice actors, VTubers, and anime dub casts active in the US market. | A useful point of contact for the Crunchyroll ecosystem and the southern US market, especially for anime title promotion and voice actor-related programming. |
| Jump Festa | Japan | Although held in Japan, Jump Festa has enormous global influence thanks to the worldwide popularity of Shonen Jump titles. It brings together an impressive line-up of voice actors, creators, and production teams, making it an essential event for understanding future overseas trends. | Jump Festa stages are also streamed globally with English subtitles, meaning that fans around the world pay attention to what happens in Makuhari every December. In that sense, its global impact can be comparable to, or even greater than, many overseas anime conventions. |
Japanese culture has already travelled far beyond Japan
Anime Expo and Japanese cultural events around the world are no longer simply fan events.
They are places where people who grew up watching anime, found comfort in manga characters, started learning Japanese through anisong, or became interested in Japanese games, food, fashion, and traditional culture gather together for mutual interaction.
The events introduced in this article are only some of the major examples. There are actually many other events related to Japanese pop culture and Japanese culture taking place across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa all year round.
In recent years, these events have not only become larger. They’re also starting to cover a broader scope of content.
Alongside voice actor appearances, anisong concerts, cosplay, merchandise, and screenings, there are now more opportunities for fans to meet the people who create the works themselves, including manga artists, animators, directors, and producers.
Lines first drawn with pencils and erasers.
Characters born on desks inside animation studios.
Songs once heard through small digital screens.
Today, these content creators are stepping out from behind the screen, crossing oceans, and meeting fans in venues all around the world.
Japanese anime, manga, music, games, and culture are no longer beloved only in Japan.
They are being enjoyed, discussed, sung, worn, danced to, and shared by people across the world.
We hope this article has offered a quick and helpful glimpse into the sheer amount and variety of Japanese cultural events that are now taking place around the globe.