10 Secret Tips to Survive Anime North & Comiket

Toronto, Canada

Published on Jul. 19, 2015 by Matt van Vuuren

After almost a decade cosplaying around the world, I selected 10 Secret Tips on How To Survive a Cosplay Convention ranging from pervert alerts to health tips.

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As stated in the video, you can download the cosplay template card from the info section below! You can alter the card with Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, print it and you'll have a cool cosplay business card for your next cosplay convention.

Anime North 2015 motivated me to create this video and share all my tips with the world. My cosplay has ranged from Cloud Strife to Snow to Guile over the years but my favorite one must have been my Vega cosplay which I added as an Easter egg at the end of the video.

maids at anime north 2015

The best thing about conventions is that you meet so many interesting people with interesting stories and often great tips on new Anime shows and mangas I hadn't heard before.

Anime North & Comiket both take place during hot summer days but they should definitely be high on your cosplay bucket list.

lizzy-no-pants at Anime North 2015

To my surprise; we walked into the famous lizzy-no-pants model as well at Anime North, you can check her instagram here.

Best tips for afterwards is to take your friends downtown for karaoke. I recommend Bar+ downtown Toronto.

Gyaru Meetup at DonDon Izakaya in Toronto

Also, checkout DonDon Izakaya in Toronto for an epic Japanese-styled culinary experience in your own private room. We organized our annual Gyaru meetup here as well.

I highly recommend watching the video above for my 10 Secret Cosplay Tips, but if you can't for some reason they're here below as well.

1. Bring Cosplay business cards, so you can exchange cards with me and other cosplayers. These are vital in order to stay in touch with the community. Download your business card from the Tips & Advice box above.
2. To avoid traffic jams at the convention make sure you follow my secret back entrance guide for Anime North which I explain in the detail in the video.
3. Bring lots of water, to stay hydrated and gum in case you want to talk to someone cute :)
4. If you are pale like I am than always bring sun screen, since 90% of the time Anime North is a bright boiling weekend.
5. Don't just bring a charging cable for your phone, bring a battery pack! Like a powerful 12000mha and multiple USB wires for your phone & camera.
6. Stay fresh! Wearing heavy Cosplay can make you stink a lot, so make sure to bring deodorant. Now at Comiket Tokyo you'll find it hard to buy deodorant because it is not a popular item, instead buy Gabsy wet wipes, these wipes are super cold and refreshing and perfect on hot Japanese summer days. Alternatively, bring a hand towel or a Japanese fan.
7. Bring a little backpack or shoulder back for all your stuff. Especially if you consider doing some shopping at the dealer rooms and don't want to carry around a bunch of plastic bags.
8. Bring extra comfy shoes for after the convention, they will give your feet some relieve after a long day posing around the venue.
9. Cosplayers at Comiket Tokyo take cosplay extremely serious when you try to take a photo, Japanese cosplayers require to prepare themselves in detail and you often have to stand in line to grab a snap at designated photo areas.
10. Pervert Alert! I personally haven't heard of any incidents at Anime North but at Comiket Tokyo you have to come prepared, especially at washroom stalls. True story: I had the unfortunate experience of noticing someone recording me with their iPhone while being on the toilet. I ran out, and found myself forcing a 15 year old kid to erase his entire cell phone. Please be aware of your surroundings at Comiket, it is known for attracting many perverts. I should have reported him to the police, but the thought of him being the Tokyo Police chief's son crossed my mind...