Next edition — Mar 27–28, 2027 (CONFIRMED)
Crowd size — 156,000+ (estimate) · AnimeJapan 2026, Tokyo
AnimeJapan is the anime business's spring showcase, where companies fill exhibition halls with booths, stage events and official goods. After 13 editions in Tokyo it moves to Intex Osaka for 2027 and 2028; the public days are 27-28 March 2027. It suits fans who follow current TV anime. The nearest hotels are on the waterfront; central Osaka is 15-25 minutes away by Metro, plus a walk.
How the date is set — A late-March weekend: 28-29 March in 2026, 27-28 March in 2027. The organiser announced the 2027 dates on 15 July 2026; for the 2026 edition, advance tickets went on sale in mid-January.
How often it runs — Annual. Thirteen editions in Tokyo; the organiser has confirmed Osaka for 2027 and 2028.
Goes first — Friday 26 and Saturday 27 March near Intex: the eve of the first public day and the night between the two, when visitors for the business days are in town as well.
Act by — Hold a cancellable room now and settle the trip when ticket sales open; for the 2026 edition they opened on 16 January.
The 2026 English ticket page dated the first advance sale 16 January 2026, ten weeks before the public days. Tickets for 2027 have not been announced.
AnimeJapan Organization — “AnimeJapan 2026 tickets (English)” — https://anime-japan.jp/2026/en/tickets/ (read 2026-11-03)
A sold-out listing may reopen after a cancellation or an additional room release. 空きウォッチ Aki checks Rakuten Travel for new openings, so you can act when one appears.
Watch the rooms — free, no account
AnimeJapan spent its first thirteen editions in Tokyo. The last of them, in March 2026, closed with an estimated 156,000-plus visitors, the most yet, more than 130 booths and 50 events on four stages. For 2027 and 2028 the organiser has moved it to Osaka, with the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau as a supporter.
The public days fill Intex Osaka's Halls 2-6 with company booths, the AJ Stage, the organiser's own projects and official goods. Hall 1 hosts the business days, so on the Saturday the trade and the fans share one island.
Intex Osaka, on Sakishima in Suminoe-ku, is the largest exhibition venue in western Japan: a centre building and six halls set around two plazas, with about 70,000 square metres of exhibition space. It hosts international trade fairs, exhibitions, conferences and seminars.
The organiser says AnimeJapan draws visitors from about 100 countries and regions. 2027 is the first year its halls, stages and queues must fit this building, so read the access page the organiser publishes before the event.
The public days, 27-28 March in Halls 2-6, run 9:00-17:00, with last entry at 16:30. Ticket types and prices for 2027 have not been announced. In 2026 each public day needed its own ticket, ¥2,500 in advance or ¥2,800 on the day, and children under 12 entered free. The business days in Hall 1 are for trade visitors.
AnimeJapan Organization — “AnimeJapan 2027 event outline” — https://anime-japan.jp/en/about/ (read 2026-11-03)
Watching for free — In 2026 no part of the public days was free for adults; the 2027 terms are not yet published.
How hard it actually is — The hotels closest to Intex Osaka are on the Sakishima and Nanko waterfront; central Osaka has far more rooms, 15-25 minutes away by Metro plus a walk. 空きウォッチ Aki checks five waterfront hotels on Rakuten Travel. The same five also cover Comic Treasure 49 at Intex on 17 January 2027, so the next night we check is 16 January; the AnimeJapan nights of 26 and 27 March follow.
What a night costs — Osaka Prefecture charges accommodation tax per person per night on the room-only rate: nothing under ¥5,000, ¥200 from ¥5,000, ¥400 from ¥15,000 and ¥500 from ¥20,000. Compare a waterfront room with a central one plus two Metro fares a day.
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