Manga Immersion
Every year, thousands of young people celebrate Japanese pop culture at the DoKomi trade fair. Where better to do that than here in Düsseldorf?
Each year in early summer, when the Düsseldorf trade fair halls fill with manga and anime characters, elves, superheroes and comic book heroes, it is not a case of belated carnival revellers, but of creatively dressed visitors to DoKomi, Germany’s biggest Japan convention. In 2009, the event started with 1,800 guests. Over time, however, enthusiasm for Japanese pop culture grew rapidly - especially among the younger age group between 16 and 26. And with it the number of visitors to DoKomi: according to Düsseldorf Congress GmbH, 70,000 fans from all over Europe came to the state capital on the first June weekend in 2022 - a record.
The fans are called cosplayers. Cosplay, coined in Japan, is a term composed of “costume” and “play”. It is a kind of “costume play” that also came to Europe in the 1990s with the manga and anime boom and in which fans imitate characters from a manga, anime, film, video game or other media. At DoKomi they find a platform for this: This year, stage shows, live concerts, competitions, games and food festivals took place in four exhibition halls and the inner courtyard and thus on an area of over 90,000 square metres. Important players who contribute to the atmosphere of DoKomi were and still are the manga illustrators, webcomic artists as well as Japanese dancers and musicians.
Benjamin Schulte brings his own enthusiasm for Japanese pop culture to DoKomi. He and his colleague Andreas Degen are the founders and event managers of DoKomi. “With anime and manga, it’s the unique drawing styles and special storytelling that are so fascinating. Anime and manga can be action-packed and tell deep, emotional character stories, but at the same time include fun elements.” Musically, Japan has also produced many different genres in recent years that were not yet known in Germany in this way - “from Visual Kei to cute pop music”, says Schulte.
DoKomi also confirms Düsseldorf’s importance for Japanese culture: the Japanese community in the state capital is the third largest in Europe after London and Paris. More than 8,000 Japanese live here. It all started with Japanese merchants who came to Düsseldorf as early as the beginning of the 1950s. Mainly because there was a great need for machinery and products in Germany as a result of the Second World War. Düsseldorf turned out to be an ideal location because of its central location in Europe, its airport, its proximity to the Ruhr area and its connection to the overseas ports. More and more Japanese companies settled here, and more and more Japanese cultural institutions and associations have left their mark on the city to this day. Among them, for example, the EKO House or the Japanese Club, both of which are committed to bringing diversity from the Land of the Rising Sun to the Rhine. Most of the Japanese infrastructure - from sushi restaurants and ramen bars to supermarkets and bakeries - is now located in the district around Immermannstraße.
The strength of the relationship with Japan is also demonstrated every year at Japan Day: with hundreds of thousands of guests and a diverse range of music, dance, sports, culinary delights and - as a highlight - the Japanese fireworks, the event has been a permanent fixture in the city’s calendar since 2002.
70,000 fans came to DoKomi in 2022 - a record
So it is only logical that a convention like the DoKomi takes place in Düsseldorf. “Many anime and Japan fans have now moved to Düsseldorf because they appreciate the numerous Japanese shops, restaurants and other offerings,” Benjamin Schulte continues. The Japanese community and organisations like the German-Japanese Society on the Lower Rhine have given DoKomi a lot of support right from the start. Plans for next year are already underway (see box). Benjamin Schulte and his team are already looking forward to the event - which may also be due to the positive atmosphere that the event brings every year. “The entire anime and Japan fan scene is a very friendly scene that is very open to everyone.” •
About DoKomi
DoKomi is the annual meeting place for young fans of Japanese pop culture. For two days, the convention is all about anime, manga, games, cosplay and Japan. The term “DoKomi” is short for “Doitsu Komikku Maketto”, which means “German Comic Market” - based on the “Comiket”, the biggest anime/manga convention in Japan. The next DoKomi is scheduled to take place on 1 and 2 July 2023 at the Düsseldorf exhibition centre. According to the organisers, a third event day is in discussion.
www.dokomi.de
Words Elena Winter
Pictures DoKomi