Tokyo Anime Dispatch

On June 26, 2026, Animate reopened its Beijing store in the Wangfujing district, moving the branch into one of the city's busiest commercial and tourist corridors. The press release makes clear that this is more than a simple address change: the new shop adds a books section, expands the mix of goods on the floor, and will later introduce Gratte food-and-drink service. What Was Announced According to Animate Holdings, Animate Beijing relaunched at Wangfujing Joy City B2F, 301 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, with business hours from 10:00 to 22:00. The store now sells character goods alongside comics, art books, and magazines, giving the branch a broader fan-retail profile than a standard merchandise shop. The release also highlights Animate Print, the in-store card-printing service that lets visitors create a card with a chosen design in about one minute. To mark the reopening, the store sold several kinds of lucky bags on day one, and the company said...

BLT2026 Preview Report Highlights a Massive BL Event in Ikebukuro On June 27, 2026, a PR TIMES report from Animate Holdings put a spotlight on Boys Love Tokyo 2026 , better known as BLT2026 , a two-day BL event in Ikebukuro's Sunshine City. The report reads less like a simple event notice and more like a snapshot of how far BL fandom spaces in Japan have evolved: they now combine exhibitions, stage programs, creator participation, photo-friendly installations, and limited-time goods into a single, carefully staged experience. The event runs on June 27 and 28, 2026, in Sunshine City Exhibition Halls A and B. According to the official site and the press release, BLT2026 brings together more than 50 BL creators, with a line-up built around original artwork, curated displays, and fan-facing spaces that are designed to be explored rather than merely browsed. The press release also points to 81 characters featured across the event's illustrated materials, which gives the s...

What Was Announced On June 27, 2026, Kodansha framed the summer as an easy entry point for manga readers with its Starter Pack Digital Sale. The official Kodansha page highlights beginner-friendly series and prices volume 1s at $0.99, with the sale ending Monday, July 6, 2026. The sale focuses on approachable titles such as WIND BREAKER , Nina the Starry Bride , Parasyte , and Ajin: Demi-Human . The message is simple: instead of asking new readers to jump into a long back catalog at full price, Kodansha is packaging a set of low-risk starting points that can be sampled quickly and cheaply. That framing matters. The sale page is not just a discount grid; it is a curated recommendation list. By labeling the promotion as a starter pack, Kodansha is telling readers that these books are designed to be first steps, not just random markdowns. That is a useful distinction in a market where the hardest part is often choosing where to begin. Why It Matters For international f...

On June 28, 2026, Sanrio announced Sanrio Kawaii Me Live! , the first smartphone title under the company’s Sanrio Games brand. The new rhythm-and-dance game is planned for a 2027 release on iOS and Android , and Sanrio says the project will launch in both domestic and overseas markets. The same day, the official site and a Japan-only closed beta signup page went live. What Was Announced Sanrio describes the project as a music-focused game built around its characters, stage styling, and outfit coordination. The official site highlights two play modes: Performance Mode , which is designed to be easy to pick up, and Technical Mode , which is meant for players who want a more traditional challenge. The site also teases stage customization and a growing song list. Among the tracks Sanrio has already shown are KAWAII FESTIVAL (game remix), Welcome to this World of Dream (game remix), Greedy Greedy , and Pompom Beat☆ . The company says more songs will be revealed over time, so the la...

On June 27, 2026, San-X opened its first overseas large-scale commemorative exhibition for the company’s 90th anniversary at Breeze MEGA Studio in Taipei’s Breeze Center. The latest official update, published on June 18, adds venue details, exhibition zones, Taiwan-exclusive art, and limited goods. For readers outside Japan, this is a neat example of how a character brand can work as both entertainment property and cultural archive. What Was Announced The exhibition runs from June 27, 2026 through August 30, 2026 at Breeze MEGA Studio 8F and 9F in Taipei. San-X and the event organizer describe it as the company’s first overseas large commemorative exhibition. The show brings together more than 1,000 characters from San-X’s history, with Rilakkuma, Sumikko Gurashi, and Tarepanda among the best-known names at the center of the display. According to the official materials, visitors can expect original reference art, reproductions, archival materials, and video content that explain h...

What Was Announced On June 25, 2026, PARCO announced that it will make its first appearance at Japan Expo Paris 2026, which runs from July 9 to July 12, 2026, at Parc des Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte in Paris. The company says its booth will be in Hall 5, booth E586, and that it will present products across publishing, games, film, and exhibitions. The release names merchandise tied to KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS / DEATH STRANDING , Angel's Egg , Ghost in the Shell exhibition goods, and PARCO Publishing. PARCO also says it will offer a special ONLINE PARCO page for overseas shoppers and booth novelties for visitors. Why It Matters Japan Expo Paris is not a niche trade fair. PARCO cites the event as one of Europe's largest Japan-culture gatherings, and the official Japan Expo site says the Paris edition returns in 2026 for its 25th year. The release also says the 2025 Paris event drew about 250,000 visitors. For a Japanese retailer-culture company, that is a large internat...

On June 10, 2026, Tokyo Skytree Town announced a two-day pop-up called Japanese Incense Experience that will run on June 27 and June 28, 2026, from 13:00 to 20:00 at the fifth-floor exit area in front of SKYTREE SHOP. The event is organized with Baieido, the long-established incense maker from Sakai, and it is designed as both a retail stop and a compact introduction to Japanese scent culture. The timing makes the event especially easy to read for visitors already in Tokyo for the weekend. It is short, local, and tightly focused: Baieido is bringing its products into one of the city’s busiest landmarks, and the release makes clear that the display is meant to be something people can browse while moving through the Skytree complex. That combination of accessibility and specificity is what makes the announcement worth noting today. What Was Announced The release says the pop-up will feature a mix of everyday incense goods, decorative incense holders, and a special display...

On June 27, 2026, Animate launched animate BL腐ェス 2026 , a BL fair running through July 26, 2026 across Animate stores and Animate Online Shop. The campaign combines a replica signed mini shikishi bonus, a BL Fes 2026 trading clear-card line, a special exhibition at Animate Ikebukuro Main Store on June 27-28 , and a two-day tie-in with Boys Love Tokyo 2026 . What Was Announced According to the release, customers who buy eligible BL titles or related items during the fair period can receive a replica signed mini shikishi . The bonus is divided by publisher or label group, and the design cannot be chosen, so the exact item depends on what you buy. Animate also says it will sell "BL Fes 2026" trading clear cards . The exhibition is the most visible in-store part of the plan. At Animate Ikebukuro Main Store, the 9F animate hall WHITE will host a special display on June 27-28 with reproductions, cover art, and story information. The release also notes that shoppers who show...

On June 25, 2026, San-X announced a collaboration between Sumikko Gurashi and the British Museum Japanese Art Collection exhibition that will open at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum on July 25, 2026. The collaboration centers on exhibition-only merchandise and a special ticket bundle, and the release says the British Museum has approved the items. What Was Announced The release says the collaboration will appear in the venue shop and in a bundled ticket offer. The merchandise line is broad: tenori plushes, hanging plushes, stationery, keychains, tote bags, mini towels, masking tape, pouches, acrylic charms, and stickers. The main visual shows the Sumikko cast imitating scenes from the exhibition artwork, which makes the museum theme feel playful without losing the link to the original art. One of the main practical details is the complete set ticket. It combines ten plush items with one general admission ticket and goes on sale from June 25 to July 24 at 23:59 JST for ...

AruaruCity Pre-Opens Its First Oita Branch Today Oita got a new pop-culture address on June 26, 2026. AruaruCity Oita branch began its pre-opening at 11:00 JST inside the TKP Oita Building, a short walk from JR Oita Station. The official site presents it as a place where anime and manga fans can gather, browse character goods, and spend time around related shops rather than treating the building as a single-purpose retail stop. What Was Announced The official Oita branch page and the TKP press release say this is AruaruCity’s first branch outside its home base. The initial lineup includes ufotable Cafe POP-UP in Oita on the first floor, the Cospa Official Store, and Card Labo Oita. The building is listed as operating from 11:00 to 20:00 and is planned as a year-round destination, so this is not a short-lived event booth but a regular place fans can return to. The launch materials also point to a follow-up event. On July 20, 2026, the branch is scheduled to host a special talk sho...

KYOMAF 2026 Crowdfunding Starts July 9 On June 26, 2026, Kyoto City and the Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair Executive Committee announced that crowdfunding for KYOMAF 2026 will begin at 8:00 p.m. JST on Thursday, July 9. The same release also adds new details for the fair's 15th-anniversary program and shares an initial batch of exhibitor information. What Was Announced This is the fifth crowdfunding campaign tied to KYOMAF. The city says the project is meant to support young creators and help sustain the fair over the long term. The release says the funding will support creator-focused programming, including the exhibition of award-winning works from a creators' contest run with pixiv. Three anniversary updates stand out. Kyoto's official mascots, Kyono Tsukasa and Uzumasa Moe, will receive newly drawn mini-character art that will later be used for exclusive goods. KYOMAF will also collaborate with the original TV anime Kaze o Tsugu Mono , which is scheduled t...

What Was Announced On June 23, 2026, Takara Tomy Arts announced that it will bring its Gacha brand to Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles. The booth will be at West Hall, WH-900, inside the Los Angeles Convention Center, and it is scheduled for July 2-5, 2026. The company is presenting the space as Gacha Galaxy , an immersive booth built around the idea that capsule toys are not just products but a kind of participatory experience. The official materials describe more than 170 capsule-machine boxes and a giant interactive setup called Gacha Reactor . Visitors who take part can receive a Gacha Pouch, while the booth also highlights a lineup that includes Gacha, PERIHAPI!, Licca, CHOKKORI-SAN, and Gacha Backpack. The official site adds a broader framing: the booth is meant to feel like a cosmic playground from Japan, with more than 80 characters from anime and beyond woven into the experience. Some items are display-only, such as KIMONO Licca , while others are tied to hands-on p...