JapanFest -- A Nostalgic Visit It really brought back memories of those days in Norcross High School, when my friends and I used to come to JapanFest together. It's been three or four years since I last went. There were classic cultural highlights like Sumo and Kendo, and even hands-on experiences such as archery and sword-cutting demonstrations. Up on the second floor, the Hands-on Experience area featured bonsai, ikebana (flower arrangement), and shodo (Japanese calligraphy) -- all worth visiting and exploring. The biggest highlight this year was definitely the "LINQ" idol group performance -- their sweet voices, energetic choreography, and youthful vibe filled the entire stage. I couldn't help but feel, deep down, "Ah, youth is truly wonderful." Picked up a "To You" CD, grabbed some Japanese street food, and just soaked in the atmosphere. read more

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So overcrowded. I've never bumped into more sweaty basement dwelling discord mods than I have here. They obviously oversold the event with no consideration about the experience, only worried about profit. Don't get me started on the CONCERT INSIDE OF AN ECHOING ARENA BUILDING. Ear splitting and miserable. Extremely overstimulating for my young kids. read more

Not worth the money or the time. Overcrowded, boring, food was not good quality and over-priced. Most importantly not family-oriented. No fun activities, shows, or demonstrations for the kids. Too many odd single men, my daughter was given creepy looks and I was ready to leave. read more

Went to Japan Fest last weekend and I'm still feeling it was not worth the entrance fee of $16 per person (plus fees). Seemed like it was a bunch of kiosks selling their wares (at a premium) and the food was completely overpriced for the small amounts you received, and the food lines were really long. Seriously why get Sweet Hut at Japan Fest when you can go to any of them in town? We went out to eat after leaving Japan Fest, so the experience was completely underwhelming. The cosplay is always fun to see, but that's about it. Will likely not be back for a few years (if at all). read more

Normally I'm into all things JapanFest. But the last couple of years it has seemed almost too hectic and underwhelming. Can something be hectic and underwhelming at the same time? While the event promised a celebration of Japanese culture, I found it fell short in several areas. Firstly, the organization seemed chaotic; there was a lack of clear signage and information booths, making it difficult to navigate the venue and find specific attractions or activities. Secondly, the variety of food options was disappointing. I expected a wider selection of authentic Japanese cuisine, but many stalls offered generic fast food that didn't quite capture the essence of Japanese flavors. Additionally, the prices were quite high for the quality and portion sizes provided. Furthermore, the performances and demonstrations, while decent, lacked the wow factor I was hoping for. read more

Very honest review. Advanced ticket price was $16 but ends up being $23. At the door ticket is suppose to be $20 but ends up being $26. Hidden fees! Plus parking fee. Food is overpriced. Small box of fried rice with egg on top was $16. There are so many things happening at once but you can't experience much of it because I will end up spending most of your time waiting on a line, or waiting to enter. Literally never waited more than an hour on a line just to eat a small boxes of over priced foods. Theaters gets full fast so I need to be on a standby. The shows are not that impressive. The taiko drum was decent but it was too short. Only 15 minutes. I was dumbfounded. I honestly had way better productivity at the Korean festival. I think Japan fest rly needs to work on reducing wait time for things. read more

I grew up going to Japan fest, however since after Covid this festival has been at a slow decline. I will give them props for this year being less of a disappointment than last years. Pro tip 10000% bring cash! Cash is King!! First All the line for food has ALWAYS been ridiculous. This year's was no exception. On top of the long lines, the cost of food went up, and the portions are not even considered meals. They're snacks. They also prefer if you pay cash, so always bring that or you will have to pay an extra fee! It helps if you have friends so you all can go into different lines to get food. I always end up going someplace else to eat after. They really need to have clearer lines for their booths, because I noticed that some people were in one line, but they meant to be in a different booth. Second KIMONO USA I have a bone to pick with you. We got at Japan Fest a little after 11AM, the booth lady says they are sold out for the entire day. The festival just opened at 10AM! She told us to try again for their 2pm slots, there might be some opening. We got there half an hour before 2pm and there was a couple ahead of us. She saw my mom and I come up behind them, and yelled at us to leave because they were full booked since this morning. If they were booked since the morning then why did she only yell at my mom and I? As we walked away from the booth. SHE TOOK PAYMENT FROM THE COUPLE IN FRONT OF US AND GAVE THEM A TICKET TO GET THEIR KIMONOS. Booked since this morning my ass! I helped my mom take some pictures on the backdrop nearby, and also saw her take a couple more payments from some young boys. Extremely upset, especially because they weren't even at the festival last year. In 2019 they also turned her away because they were booked, so we specifically came this year again to get a slot. My mom has kidney failure, and her condition has been unstable. It was honestly a miracle she got out of the hospital in time for Japan Fest. Im not trying to be entitled, because if they were really sold out regardless of my mom's health condition that can't be helped. HOWEVER I SAW HER TAKE 3 MORE PAYMENTS, and let people in for Kimono fitting! Why were we turned away????? This was so unfair, because my mom has been waiting since 2019. On top of raising the prices, they even got rid of the photographer that takes your pictures in the kimono! Third I Japan Fest needs to have clearer signs. They did have a map for us to navigate the place, but the signs for certain booths and events are not clear. This venue is huge, so its like running around in a maze if you do not know where things usually are. Fourth I feel like a lot of the event shows are in the earlier time slots, which is around lunch time. I heard so many people complain they missed sumo demonstration, or a dance because it was at 1pm. I think they should have it a little later since you're basically stuck in the food line for over an hour! Fifth While most of the volunteers and booths were friendly. (Like the food booths talk to you a lot that it holds up the line) I noticed some rank nasty attitude coming from the staff. Cough cough (kimono usa) Apart from them, another one that caught my eye was the children's area. They had some arts and crafts the kids can do, one my friends kid wanted to do was fans. Like I said throughout this festival THERE WAS MINIMAL signs. So, we didn't know where to purchase the things for the craft. We just went up to to a lady to ask her, and again we got nastly yelled at. The lines starts in the back. There was no distinct line, it was more of a blob of parents and children. I only asked where the line was, I did not need her rank attitude! On top of that there was a seprerate table where the paint was so you have to get that before finding a seat, but THEY DONT TELL YOU! Listen, if you don't want to volunteer and you don't wanna work at a festival don't come!! It's supposed to be a fun lively event. I didn't come here for to be yelled at!! Sixth I have a few POSITIVE things to say. Do the fun games at the Fest! They are so cute, and most times you win a little something. Its great for little kids! Do have your camera ready because there will be lots if people in costume, and the place is fairly decorated! Do you dress up? This is a great place to be extra and fun. Just wear something comfortable because it is a lot a lot of walking. Do watch the shows and whatever live demonstrations they have in the event halls. Its a great way to learn about Japanese culture! Final conclusion I need Japan Fest to reach to its former glory again. Post Covid and inflation made last year and this year a money cow. read more

JapanFest - The portions of the "meals" this is from 3 different restaurants! Probably over $100 worth of food! - Festivals Near Me - Duluth, Georgia

Despite 2 pages of food options in the guidebook, there didn't seem to be enough food. Or maybe it was hidden under massive crowds - a minimum of 2 hour wait for most food court items. Then the food trucks started selling out by 2 pm. It did NOT matter the time of day as the guidebook suggests - every single hour, every single food station had a minimum 30 minute wait at all times. I think the food options would need to be DOUBLED before I could recommend anyone wait in those lines with those prices.  I noticed some allergin warnings such as shellfish, but my friend has a severe nut allergy and we didn't see enough allergin information for him to feel safe eating anything. Maybe if the lines weren't so long and chaotic we would've had a chance to ask, but it wasn't ideal with the amount of people they're trying to rush through.  We left hungry and stopped at a drive thru instead of eating at JapanFest.  Not to mention, prices are upcharged, especially the food. One food truck charges $17 for a SMALL bowl of a steak and rice, and $3 for 8 oz. of lemonade (that's half the size of a regular water bottle!) The merchandise was no different - everything is at least 2x the original sale price you can find online or in Japan. I guess it's to be expected that festivals have crazy prices but it's enough to keep me away from next year.  The line to get in was comparable to Disney World lengths! The prepaid ticket line seems to be 5x longer than those just buying the ticket. At least it was always moving, but it was so long that it wrapped around and further beyond the parking garage. We had to wait an hour in line even with our prepaid tickets. I would recommend either getting there an hour early or an early later as the entrance line totally disappeared after morning. Either way, prepare at least 1 hour in your schedule to possibly get stuck in the entrance line. If you want food, prepare another 1 hour or even 2 hours. In reality: prepare your own food and snacks ahead of time!  The highlight was really watching performances and participating in workshops. (I still wish the performances were bigger and more impressive, it doesn't compare at all to actually going to Japan or even just going to Epcot. It seems the performance groups were small.) Although there needs to be a policy about saving seats - we saw DOZENS of empty seats in a packed theater, just because the people said the seats were taken. But nobody ever showed up. Saving seats is not allowed in most theaters for this reason.  Ultimately, JapanFest is a seriously large and impressive festival. So much so, that they've gotten even more popular beyond the founder's expectations and are struggling to keep up with such high demand and large crowds, and finding enough sellers to fill that demand.  In fact, even the venue itself was starting to get especially packed. It was constantly difficult to move around, especially in the market area with tight booths. I think they may need to find an even bigger venue or make more use of the space - like more stuff outside and on 2nd floors. The seller market in particular needs 2x the space for everybody to walk around and stop to look at merchandise. It was always stop-and-go in there.  This was my first time at JapanFest, and I won't be back next year, but maybe I will in a few years if I hear about any improvements or big changes. And definitely NOT if these prices continue increasing. read more

JapanFest - Festivals Near Me - Duluth, Georgia

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kleine hal, weinig Japans aan, weinig kraampjes. het Japan wat ik gezien heb herken ik niet in deze beurs. frituurlucht, veel lawaai (geen leuke vogel- of ander geluidjes, amateuristisch optreden, kermisattractie). Weinig zorg (ook zo niet Japans) in presentatie van spullen. Heel commercieel. Duur entreegeld read more

First time going with my partner and we had a great time. We went the second day and saw many performances, vendor rooms (bought some merchandise and snacks), and found the business and organization tables awesome! Would definitely recommend if you enjoy discovering other cultures, love anime and or cosplay, or are just looking for new experiences! read more

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JapanFest is a big Japanese festival that takes place annually (each September) at Gwinnett Center. The festival has been held in Atlanta for over 20 years. It was previously held at Stone Mountain. Tickets are $8 for one day (Saturday or Sunday). The festival offers a variety of Japan-focused shopping and activities. I went this past Saturday and saw people building kites, watching presentations on touring various regions of Japan, girls trying on kimonos for photo shoots, two bonsai exhibitions, a Japanese archery exhibition, a martial arts exhibition (with impressive wooden board and cement block breaking), a traditional Japanese folk show, an origami workshop, the outdoor Sapporo beer garden with giant inflatable Sapporo beer bottle, a variety of booths and stalls with games and shopping, etc. The festival has a schedule of each day's shows and activities. There is a giant food court where local Japanese restaurants serve food, including Sushi Nami, Umaido, and Shoya Izakaya. There are appearances by a variety of Japanese "celebrities" such as musicians, artists, etc. and for the past two years, NASCAR driver Akinori Ogata, who brings his car along with him. Many local and national Japanese businesses have booths setup much like a trade convention with information and freebies to give away. The festival has been drawing upwards of 18,000 people in recent years. If you like Japanese culture (mainly traditional), you should definitely check out JapanFest. read more

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The festival was interesting. For $8, it was somewhat worth it. I don't understand why free tickets were given out at the actual event though. Smh. The event was pretty massive. It seems like at every nook and cranny there was something going on. The upstairs, downstairs, and stage areas were all utilized. There was a kids zone, food court, volunteer area (mini yard sale of knick knacks), and various booths doing promotions or selling something. There was probably a really large showing of some sort at the stage areas, but my group missed that particular time's showing so we didn't bother waiting around nor asked what it was about. Now, the food court area had a neat food demonstration. You know how Asian folks like cute little edible things? Well, the demonstration was precisely this. It was how to make adorably shaped food pieces (i.e. a panda bear or little person) from rice and various other foods. There was also another area with antiques car that you can browse, touch, and take pictures. Parking was plentiful (and free like always), but for this particular event, the parking lots were segregated off so it made things more challenging and confusing. read more

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Wow, I wasn't expecting this many people at JapanFest. I came here on Saturday around 2pm and there were two huge lines out the door (one to purchase tickets and one for people with their tickets). You will get into the convention center so much quicker if you have pre-purchase tickets (look for Groupon deals for cheaper admission!). The even is pretty well organized. There are activities from cultural education, anime exhibition, food/merchandise vendors, and Japanese business demonstrations and more. My friends really wanted to try on kimonos for a photo shoot, but I guess due to the popularity of this activity, they are completed booked out and finishing up their last shoots when we arrived. If this is an activity you're interested in... Come early and reserve your spot! You can score some freebies at the business vendor booths. Some of them ask you to complete a quick quiz, activity/game, or simply just a spin-the-wheel thing. There are also a lot of food vendors and merchandise for purchase. Overall I think this is a neat event for folks who are not familiar with the Japanese culture (also a cool people watching event). read more

JapanFest - Festivals Near Me - Duluth, Georgia

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So 3 years later, I come again. Let's see if I enjoyed it as much as the first time. Yes! Ticket price has gone up to $12/day. The number of people attending has increased. Parking lot in front is under construction. You oqrk father but there is a shuttle bus that comes around. Parking is still free and so is shuttle bus. Basically it's almost the same as before. A few vendors moved to a different part of the venue. Nakato and Bento Bus along with a few others were outside selling food. It was called th3 Beer Garden in that area. This area had fresh food to give while at the food court is mostly prepackaged food. What I didn't notice the last time I cane was anime village. Like what? We saw a lot of weeaboos. My daughter finally found hee Snorlax for cheaper than online have. The longest part is wearing Japanese. Although we had an appointm3nt, it was still long and hectic but not crazy. Still a fun time! 81/2018 read more

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It's always fun to experience another culture Japan Fest is held at The Infinite Energy Center in Gwinnett. I haven't been to Japan Fest in 2yrs and remembered how much fun I had and decided to experience it again. I was thrown off by all the construction going on when did they get all the parking decks? Any hoo there was a line around the building to buy tickets tip buy your tickets online in advance. Tickets holders were able to walk right in The line did move quickly and once we made it in the building the experience began! There was Japanese music, food, shows, and anime! There was a huge food court with live performances which I enjoyed. There was a huge area like a flea market there you could purchase all sorts of Japanese attire or trinkets. My kids really enjoyed Anime Village they were in Dragonball Z and Pokémon paradise. It was still confusing I don't remember it being in the same building so we definitely had to follow the map Overall I would definitely go again next year read more

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Compared to Japanese Festivals I've been to in Los Angeles CA, this one was a little lacking in my opinion. I am half Japanese, was born in Japan and have visited Japan many times. At the Fest there are many food vendors to choose from. We ate from 2 of them. Both were not good at all. We walked around and visited other vendors (kimonos, jewelry, origami, Boba, toys, paintings, dishes, utensils, electronics, etc), bought a few items then left. I was a little disappointed but as a new GA resident I was glad that I got to attend this event. I won't have to go again next year because once you've eaten and walked around ... the event is done! read more

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highlight: For 10$ you can't really complain about what's you're going to get here. This is a smaller version of comic con with some traditional true culture tucked deep inside the venue. Most of it is kind of touristy, manga take over, and gaudy Japanese gifts int the front venue. For those who truly want to appreciate Japanese art, culture- the back of the venue is specialized for truly unique origami, pottery, and artwork. The front of it is mostly Kawaii, cutesy, manga, cosplay, touristy, Americanized attractions. I've never seen so many people dressed up in Sailor Moon, fake kimonos, and cosplay manga outfits before- made you wonder if this was a comic con teaser or truly a Japanese festival. I gave this a 3.5/5 because I thought the cultural appropriation felt a little too much and overwhelming at points. The sushi wearing outfits, fortune telling, toys, stereotypical clothing and games were a little much for me. I did enjoy the more artistic pottery, origami, and true artwork at the end of the exhibit, but such is the nature of a large festival that has become more touristy. food options- a lot of it is Japanese american fusion- think Kani House and a bunch of cheap sushi options with some Katsu and miso soup. Sweet Hut and other asian places are there- but I felt the food scene was more junk food, fast food, and Americanized rather than truly good Japanese food. But if you're into American Japanese fusion- this is your scene. Manga/public culture- if you're into high schoolers in cosplay and mildly Halloween like seen with people in high pitch voices, online shopped clothing, sailor moon outfits, then this is your scene. For 10$ you and your friends can jump into the dress up scene without much judgement on quality cuz chances are, everyone but their sushi or ninja outfits from some gift shop around town. Lots of booths selling stuffed animals, manga toys, memoralia- I would even argue 2/3 of the whole display was taken up with these games, fortune telling, gift shopping, etc. Art scene- I thought the very few booths that did promote true Japanese art did a good job and showing the more subtle beauty of true Japanese art- much stereotypical things are usually too loud in color and style, when in truth Japanese art and colors are usually more earthy and soothing to the eyes. The pottery, origami, the lights, and the paintings really showed the subtlety and fineness of Asian art without the garish touch that many chinese restaurants and buffets have stereotyped. I appreciate Japanfest's attempt to at least preserve some cultural relativity. read more

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1st time at the Japan fest and it this event is a winner You have plenty of demo from traditionnel archery to aikido and artist ! My fav was the samurai show the master and the young man was very entertaining, people can participate, we had a really good time watching them ! You have a lot of goodies we did not buy any I thought it was quite expensive. The food court was great very clean and a lot of choices. I will go back next year ! read more

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Awesome Experience!!!! Both classical japenese art and culture as well as anime and dolly fashions. Zen archery, karate demonstrations, fashion show, concerts. Great food. The evening concert starring mostly Georgia Tech students was a fusion of pop and classic japanese music. I enjoyed the experience immensely! Check it out tomorrow or next year. Whenever you can, you will not be disappointed! read more

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What a fun time at JapanFest! I'd always wanted to go, but it wasn't until this year that friends and I pulled the trigger and explored everything Japan had to offer, via Georgia. A weekend event, Japanfest is $10 each day for passes, but if you buy a weekend pass you can get access both days for $18. I missed Saturday's showing, so I only purchased a one day pass. Japanfest is true to their name and purpose, because they try to give you a little taste of literally everything to offer, from the mega popular manga and anime, to martial arts or archery displays or something as simple as having your name written in Kanji (personal favorite moment of mine). It's a lot to take in, and really, you almost shouldn't be able to in just a day...I definitely didn't. This wouldn't be a yelp review without food, and Japanfest had multiple food selections to choose from. They also had non-Japanese options, such as Sweet Hut, Boba mocha, and yep, even the concession stand was serving snacks. The Japanese restaurant lines were VERY long though, easily taking 30 minutes to wait in line for your order. I tried the restaurant, Sutadon, whose signature dish was the Gyoza bowl ($8), which is cooked pork marinated in their garlic sauce, and served over a bed of white rice. The Pork was nice and tender, juicy and had lots of really good flavor. Almost too salty, but the white rice evened it out. I also got a Mango soft drink ($1.50), which was simply okay. Japanfest has been held at the Infinite Energy Center off of Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, and while i've been to The Infinite Energy center several times, for hockey games and even graduations, I never appreciated the size of the arena until coming for Japanfest. Each room contained another Japanese experience, and I liked that the rooms were compartmentalized, containing their own little corner of Japan. Continuing with The Infinite Energy Center, parking and access is not a problem here, as you'll get a parking spot....you just may have to walk a few minutes to get in the center. Customer service is fast though, and tries to speed things along by splitting the lines to two different areas (one for ticket purchases, and another for those who have tickets). One big glaring thing that I do have to Ding Japanfest for is there seemed to be a lack of a booth set up that gave non-Japanese speakers information or books to purchase for learning Japanese. Perhaps there was a booth available on Saturday and I missed it, but I'd definitely like to try learning functional Japanese for a future trip, and it was a real shame that there wasn't a booth/display/stage that catered to an interest in learning Japanese. I was given advice on places to go to get access to Japanese lessons on the cheap, so there is that. At the end of the day, Japanfest is a huge event that has something for you if you know everything about Japan, if you know nothing about Japan, if your interests are broad or laser focused on one topic. If you missed it this year, don't worry because it'll be back next September. I hope you can go visit! TL:DR: Japanfest is as fun as it is a learning experience, and you should go! read more

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Tons of fun for the family!!! Pros: several events in different theaters, many food options, vendors are friendly. Food was delicious. Performances were extremely entertaining. My ten and five year old had a great time. Cons: space seems to be way tooooo small several presentations were standing room only. Also, many vendors, especially food vendors didn't accept apply pay or debit cards. I understand the need for cash to make lines move quickly but it would have been a nice thing to add to notes for people to bring, as we have to wait in a 30 minute line for ATM to then wait in a 30 minute line for food. read more

The performances and workshops were well done and designed to please a wide variety of tastes and interests. From sake drinking and kimono wrapping to Poke'mon and Sailor Moon, this festival had a little something for everyone. Overall, I highly recommend Japan Fest for those who love or want to learn about Japan, its culture, or its animated characters and collectibles. The facility did feel a bit crowded at times due to the layout of the building and the locations of events. There were places where lines bottlenecked no matter the time of day. For those who do not walk easily, the valet parking cost an extra $25 dollars. Since it was a nice day, walking was not a problem from the furthest regions of the Infinite Energy Center parking. By far, the most popular events were the drum and musical performances. For the best seats, plan to stake-out seats a minimum of twenty minutes before the event. In 2017 the Festival followed with a Hibiki performance on Saturday. This left a little downtime for those who had traveled between the Fest and the Hibiki musical performance. If planned correctly, there was enough time to head to Tin Lizzy's nearby or simply enjoy a picnic by the pond. Whether you are looking to dress as Sailor Moon, buy Pikachu, or enjoy traditional Japanese culture; there is something at Japan Fest for you. read more

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I took the word of a few friends and went to Japanfest this year. I'm glad that I did. There were different food vendors, businesses, and live demonstrations. There wasn't a boring moment in the 4 hours that we were there. Japanfest gets four stars for the little bit of confusion. The parking attendants were clearly unsure about where we could legally park. We rode up the hill to the restaurant per the attendant, but there were signs that state non patrons would be towed. I didn't want to take any chances. Luckily, they let us in the main lot and we found a spot in no time. There were two ticket lines, one was for pre-purchased tickets and the other was if you needed to buy them. The pre-purchased line moved a lot faster. Maybe a push for people to purchase the tickets on their phones or online can cut down on the wait next year. I enjoyed myself, and I will definitely make this a yearly event! read more

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This is really fun and unique experience. There are so many cultural activities, workshops, educational and industry booths. The performances are fascinating and unique as well. I also think it has room for improvement too, layout improvement is something to consider . Either way , the atmosphere was welcoming and it was wonderful seeing mix families of all kinds enjoying this event. It was me and my husband first time experiencing this event . Thank you for your hard work and most especially for the youth that performed on this event. I love the anime village! read more

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My bf and I have been going to this festival for 3 years so far. It's held every year for one September weekend (Saturday and Sunday). It starts at 10am and ends at 6pm. You can buy the tickets online or at the door, which cost around $10. But you will have to pay to do some activities. There's plenty of free parking at the Infinite Energy Center (formerly called the Gwinnett Convention Center). But plan to get there before 9:30am as the line to get into the parking lot gets hectic, and there's also a line to get inside the building. There's a line for people who bought tickets ahead of time and another one for people without one so make sure you are on the right one. People of all ages and races go to this event and it gets very crowded after awhile. We saw people still in line getting in even at 1pm. You will see cosplayers, but this isn't an anime convention (but there is an anime section). People will see more traditional sides of Japan such as ikebana, bonsai, martial arts demos as well as performances of taiko drums, samurais, sumos, and tea ceremony. You can look at the event itinerary ahead of time on their website or their facebook page. Their events do not change much, but the arrangement/set up has improved over time. We have become used to what to expect already but we still go to enjoy the japanese culture. We enjoy watching performances by the Matsuriza Taiko Drum group, Hakata Koma (acrobatic top spinning group), and a puppet show that I forgot the name of. Some performances have seating while other performances are standing only. We really like seeing the Ikebana exhibit; great for people who enjoy flower arrangements. We also like to get our picture taken at the NHK World booth. There are many vendors selling toys, travel packages, clothing, tea leaves, packaged sweets, and other merchandises. We also enjoy the food at the food court and garden area; oiishii! Cash only, but there's an atm inside the building. There are both savory and sweet offerings. Sapporo is also there to sell their beer, but at a steep steep price. There are more vendors in the food court area too. And it's to be expected that everything there is overpriced. Overall, I think JapanFest is a great event for people who are unfamiliar with Japanese culture, but may not be so much for those already familiar. read more

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This was my first time going. I'm glad we got tickets in advance... the lines were pretty crazy during the morning. The food was good, but not anything amazing. My wife and I ended up going to Sushi House Hayakawa, since we were craving better quality food. That being said, the usual candies and sweets you'd expect to find at JapanFest did not disappoint. All very tasty. There were a lot of good demonstrations and workshops. I could've done with less of the Karate and Sumo stuff and more of the cultural arts and music.... but overall I got to see plenty of interesting things. read more

This is the third year that my daughter and I went to JapanFest and as usual we enjoyed ourselves. She went in a traditional summer yukata this year and received many compliments, most from the Japanese. They don't endorse very lightly, so my daughter was very happy. I had two issues with it this year: One, the venue seemed smaller. I don't know if it was because the displays were in other areas that we didn't see, but we didn't get to see the sumo wrestlers. They always put on a great show. I didn't see the koi ponds either; perhaps it was in another section. I wasn't sure. Second, the food is getting progressively worse. It's mass produced and either had no flavor, seasoning, too oily or just awful. We didn't see the Bento Bus until after lunch and had we seen it, we would have eaten there. Other than that, JapanFest was really awesome. read more

This place was fun! I got some cool stuff, saw some cool things, and even learned a bit. I always wanted to go to Japan and learn about Japanese culture so, this was a nice little taste. It was a bit americanized. I wanted to actually get an ideal instead of seeing them kind of be like "look how a like we are! look how we make french fries and recreate other american foods!". Despite that, I was able to try some new dishes. My step dad learned a bit about archery, I watched a Japanese movie, explored anime village, saw the cool cosplay wigs, and got some cool candy. They even had information about travel agencies and language schools. Also, I was there the last day so all the stands products were half out, but what was left was half off. I got a lot of gifts for myself and mother. I will definitely come again. read more

I had a great time as always. I am trying to find one of the vendors who I believe was in the far right side in the main hall where they were selling large paper / parchment scenes of Japan - does anyone know that vendor name / info? read more

JapanFest took a different meaning because I actually participated in it this year. Either way its always been a favorite of all the festivities to attend in the fall. It seemed a bit different this year because there were less food stands compared to previous years. Top favorite performances was the tap dancing by Kazunori Kumyai and the taiko group from Epcot. The most adorable thing was seeing so many little girls dressed in their kimonos. What was even cuter was at the closing of the festival. At the end, about 20 or so little girls in their kimonos danced around the stand (I'm guessing bon odori). Sooo adorable. Like the other reviews, I enjoyed the festival and right after went out for Japanese. Actually it was Korean. Anyway, I'll be back. read more

Found out about the JapanFest last-minute, so I'm glad I didn't miss it! Went Sunday Sept. 17th, and there was already a 10-minute wait in line for advanced tickets. This was in the morning before they opened, too, so for future reference, if you can, go before they open! You'll find a good parking spot, too. Definitely a favorite event of mine. I enjoyed the Japanese food they had ( (curry, dango, yakitori, yakisoba, bento box bus, etc.), and they had vegan/vegetarian options. The vendors had cool products. One woman was selling origami Christmas trees, a vendor was selling K-pop fan goods (BTS!!!), some vendors in the Anime Village had anime-related collectibles and goods, and, of course, there were several people selling kimonos and yukata! They even had Tomato Japanese Grocery store come and sell some food, too. So many vendors at JapanFest! It was fun to see what they were offering. Tip for dangos: For mitarashi dango (soy sauce + sugar sauce-covered Japanese dumplings), if they feel too firm to chew, then microwave them for a few seconds. One food stand that sold mitarashi dango actually had a microwave to heat up the dango, which was nice to have! For the adults, there were beer and sake available, though they bring this out around 12pm-1pm. It was fun to walk around and see what JapanFest had to offer. I enjoyed the shows, too, like the Kyudo (Japanese archery), karate/martial arts/ninja arts, and taiko (powerful Japanese drum playing). I wasn't too infatuated with the products they were selling, so I got to really observe and explore JapanFest and enjoy my time there. Make sure you do the same! One downside for me: There were showings in the same room, and it wasn't the best set-up the JapanFest team came up with. This could be due to the limitations of the venue, though. For instance, they had a tea ceremony demo in the same room as the karate/martial arts showings. People were cheering and being loud, so it was hard to concentrate on the tea ceremony. I would definitely suggest JapanFest try to organize their showings a bit better, if possible, in their future venues. Other than that... I want to go again! Had a great time! read more

Other than missing Japanese cultural touchstones of samurai, ninjas, horror movies, harajuku, and sushi...nice cultural gathering of vendors and performances that is Japanfest. Bonsai, teriyaki, ramen, anime, kimonos, origami, archery, and shaved ice are things I found at Japanfest this year...all in all, it was a fun afternoon, though I did find myself heading out to a Japanese restaurant in Duluth afterward to experience my own Japanfest. Gwinnett Center (the convention center part) was a great venue, with plenty of free parking. read more

JapanFest was well organized and filled with lots of Things to see and experience. I would recommend this event to all age groups as there is something for everyone. Logistics - parking is plenty but it's a bit of a walk if you park near the entrance (across from Kroger). Try to get here early and park near the event entrance. Pre-purchase the ticket to bypass the crowd at the main entrance. Most of the activities are indoors and AC keeps some of the areas cold. Pack a light jacket if you plan to sit and watch performances. Events - you can spend all day watching all the performances. Check the schedule and plan to take in as much as you can. If you come for two days, there are plenty things to soak in for both days. There are engaging games and activities for little children to elementary schoolers. Anime village was mostly shops with overpriced merchandise. Food - most of the good stuff runs out during lunch so get there quick if you want to try all different foods. Lines are way too long and water was tough to find. It's a festival food so the quality is lacking but there are enough varieties to keep it interesting. read more

To be honest, this festival wasn't too cultural. The little shops they had were a bunch of related stuffed animals and Americanized snack foods. There were a few cool Bento box demonstrations, swords, and kimono try-ons but nothing out of the ordinary. You have to pay for everything after you get in with the ticket. The kimono try-ons were around $5-$10 dollars... Food came from nearby restaurants so there wasn't anything noteworthy. read more