—by Ivevei Upatkoon

For the first time visitor, Comic Market—held bi-annually at Tokyo Big Site and boasting 400,000 attendees a day—seems little more than a chaotic blend of fans, tables, doujinshi and cosplayers. If you are from out of the country, then chances are you went with a friend and waited around outside until opening time, or perhaps you managed to contact the International Department and were given directions on how to get into Comiket safely.
It might be a wonderful experience for most people but the actual running of Comiket is all work. For the past couple Comikets, the staff have had to deal with bomb threats along with the regular responsibility of organizing 23,000 circles—the groups of doujinshi publishers that attend Comiket.
Comiket's motto is "Freedom of Expression," which goes for both comics and cosplay. Unlike the USA, almost all manga and anime companies turn a blind eye to the blatant copyright infringements posed by these fan productions. The only major exception is Konami, which has clamped down on pornographic TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL doujinshi. While you won't find any cosplay contests on the grounds, there are plenty of cosplayers abound. The purpose of cosplay has been defined as self-expression, not competition, and Comiket's staff does its best to uphold that atmosphere.
Unfortunately, things at Comiket have not been so ideal. In addition to bomb threats, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people using bizarre gimmicks with the sole objective of peeking up girls' skirts, or worse. "Watch out for hidden cameras" reads a sign in the ladies room. Staffers also advise women to refrain from wearing skirts or similar loose clothing, just in case there are people with microcameras affixed to their shoes, and will turn away cosplayers that bare too much for their own safety. Since Japan has no laws that give subjects the rights of photos taken of them (i.e. they cannot demand that a photographer hand over the film if they are dissatisfied with the outcome), it becomes extremely difficult to protect cosplayers who inadvertently become victims of overzealous fanboys.
Comiket lasts six hours, from 10am to 4pm, but doujinshi circles are allowed in to set up several hours before opening time. Not everyone who wants to exhibit at Comiket can. Applicants are selected through a random process (which actually highly favors major established circles) and will come from all over Japan to take part for that one special day.
What is the lure of Comiket? For successful circles, the monetary return is incredible. Some aspiring artists are scouted by manga companies and turn pro. Others want nothing to do with being bound by contracts and deadlines, and take part in Comiket because it gives them complete freedom of expression to draw whatever they wish. Most circles, however, do not really expect to make money and do it just because they love to draw. It is also a forum for fans of the same works or people to meet up, hang out and have fun. It is actually quite touching to see friends from different parts of Japan, people who would usually never see each other, get together for this special occasion. Even after Comiket is over and everything is packed up, there is always time for a group dinner and karaoke at Shinjuku or any of the other hot spots in Tokyo.
However, probably the most organized people at Comiket are the bands of professional doujinshi hunters. Cell phones can go haywire, so these groups of 5 to 10 people sit down beforehand and designate doujinshi tables for each person. Since the most popular circles have massive lines and sell out within the hour, a great deal of tactical deployment is necessary to secure copies. Those that take things really seriously have walkie-talkies and will enter using circle tickets to study the locations of the tables before the public is allowed to enter. Those that go solo are no less impressive in their competence; they actually map out the most efficient route on their floor guide and practice running between tables while waiting for the 10am signal of Comiket's official opening.
Summer Comiket is months and months away but everyone is already getting ready for it. Letters to friends pleading for submissions, plans to get together and hammer out the details of the next production, gathering the materials for a new costume - for those who thrive on self-expression, Comiket lives all-year-round in their blood.