JmoF - Day 3

Today is the Saturday of JmoF. Saturday is always a bittersweet day at conventions because it's usually around the halfway point where it feels like it only just started but it's also getting closer to ending. However, I don't feel like a single moment was wasted at this JmoF!

We got breakfast at the buffet and was able to get a little down time in the room before attempting to hit up the Dealer's Room. The Dealer's room was at very odd hours in comparison to the American conventions. It ran from 12:30pm-3pm where American conventions would usually have the Dealer's Room running the entire length of the convention from 9ish-5ish. I liked this model a bit better because my friends who were dealers also got to actively participate in the convention! A lot of my American artist or dealer friends complain that the convention is more like work than a convention because they have to sit in the Artist Alley or Dealer's Room for the equivalent of a work shift. This doesn't give them time to enjoy the other events going on at the convention.

We took a quick look at the Dealer's Room and I grabbed a couple books in Japanese that I'm thinking I might attempt to read someday and said hi to a couple of friends that were selling things. My friend Ware was selling a bunch of accessories and my friend/teacher Sekki was selling various shirts he had designed himself. One of those shirts can be seen in a previous post where I was passed out on the ground 🍻😴

I also came accross the booth that was advertising a sort of "Business Card Trading Card Game" called RealTrekker where people could commission their business card as a trading card that has abilities and can be used in the game. I thought this was a super cool idea for a business that both elevates individuals and their creativity while making a game that can produce a profit. I really want to commission a trading card business card one day so I bought a starter deck and gathered some info on how to commission them in the future.

It seemed that some dealers had already packed up and left by the time Atsu and I came down to the Dealer's room. My suspicion was that because the big Fursuit Photo was happening at the same time as the Dealer's room closing that people were leaving so they could be in the picture. We also were about to be late for the picture so we rushed back to the room to suit up and get ready for the big group photo!

We rushed downstairs and ended up being some of the very last people to get into the courtyard for the photo. I feel like we ended up getting some nice spots on the edges though so it's easy to spot us in the large group photo. After the photo, the large group of suiters were funneled outside for the fursuit parade. The parade was much different than what I've experienced in American conventions. First off, it was pleasantly cool and many of the parades I've been part of are in the middle of summer so it was like I was dying of heat exhaustion 🥵 Since JmoF is in January, the weather was very nice for such an event. Everyone walked pretty much in a single file line while American parades are kind of a free for all and people walk in more horizontal rows sometimes. The area was also oddly quiet, which is normal for Japan but I thought strange for a parade. American parades usually have people playing instruments or music. Sometimes that's cool and sometimes it's annoying but only hearing silence was peaceful but oddly eerie at the same time. To me, it felt like something was wrong or out of place 🧐

After the parade, we went around and talked with some people and got some more pictures. I was tired and wanted to get some rest but it seemed like the best time to interact with other suiters since we all were already summoned to the same place at the same time. I got some cool photos with various suiters and Atsu before heading to the room for a small rest. The JmoF Rock Show was starting soon and I wanted to make sure I did not miss it 😊Read more