1st Impact: a look back

In 2013, Japan Expo 1st Impact brought together 5,534 attendees over a 262,000 sq ft surface area at Santa Clara Convention Center during 3 days. Institutions, companies of Japan content industry, vendors, Young Creators, beginning artists, and programming exhibitors and clubs: in all, 119 exhibitors came to give you an overview of all that Japan has to offer, with both pop and traditional culture.

With 180 hours of programming, the schedule of Japan Expo 1st Impact was full of events, shows, screenings, performances, and plenty to do for all manga, anime, and Japan fans! About 30 guests in all invited you to meet them for autographs all day long, while the music artists – Dempagumi.inc, You KIKKAWA, 1000say, J?Dee’Z, Noriyuki IWADARE (Phoenix Wright) & his band – gave 10 showcases and rocked the main stage.

The anime, manga, video game guests – Yusuke KOZAKI (Manga Guest of Honor, Speed Grapher, No More Heroes), Yoshiyuki SADAMOTO (Anime Guest of Honor, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Summer Wars), Tatsuro IWAMOTO (Phoenix Wright), Masahiko MINAMI (Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist), Felipe SMITH (PEEPO CHOO) and voice actors Ian SINCLAIR and Michael SINTERNIKLAAS – invited the attendees to panels, conferences, and a memorable drawing battle between Yusuke KOZAKI and Felipe SMITH. Let's not forget Oendan, the cheerleading group who cheered the whole festival.

Japan Expo is the perfect place to discover Japanese traditions as showed by the 1st Impact, the Wabi-Sabi arts and crafts exhibit, and its 6 traditional performances – ikebana, music, dance –, among which the Japanese OMATSURI performance, a big show that brought together no less than 150 artists on stage to present Taiko music, Ryukyu Dance, Mochi Pounding and Awa Odori dance. The tatami welcomed martial art experts to show you aikido, judo, karate, and the impressive tameshigiri sword cutting.

There was still more with many screenings in the video room and the JX theater which premiered the anime Blood-C: The Last Dark.

What about cosplay? 11 shows, a dedicated stage, 2 masquerades on the main stage, and of course cosplayers in breathtaking costumes everywhere in the alleys

• Yoshiyuki SADAMOTO, Anime Guest of Honor (Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars)
• Tatsuro IWAMOTO (Phoenix Wright chara-designer)
• Noriyuki IWADARE (Phoenix Wright music composer)
• Yusuke KOZAKI (Kyoko Karasuma, Donyatsu) vs Felipe SMITH (Peepo Choo
• Dempagumi.inc, idols
• You KIKKAWA, special guest and official reporter of the festival
• J*Dee’Z, dancers
• 1000say, electro-pop band
• Gamashura Oendan, cheering up Japan Expo