A three-day festival recreating the bustling vibe of Tokyo's Akihabara opened in Taipei on the first day of the Tomb Sweeping long weekend today, while the four-day Taichung International ACG Festival also drew large crowds of mostly teenage anime fans.
ACF 2026 in Taipei is being held at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park through Sunday, featuring Japanese anime, gaming and pop culture, maid cafe-themed events, and cosplay activities.
Akihabara is widely seen as a hub of Japan's otaku culture — a term referring to fans of anime, manga and gaming — and is a major shopping district for electronics, with themed cafes spread throughout the area.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Organized by Role Digital Entertainment Co, the first edition of ACF 2026 in Taipei was officially licensed by Japan's Akihabara Culture Festival for Taiwan’s capital.
The event aims to re-create Akihabara's streets in Taipei, offering anime fans a platform through which to share their passion, Role Digital Entertainment chairman Ko Yuan-hsin (葛緣信) said in his opening speech.
The event features five zones representing different aspects of Akihabara, including areas for gaming, merchandise and anime.
Obtaining character image rights from Japanese companies, the most challenging part of the festival, was made easier with support from Japanese industry partners and Taiwanese distributors such as Muse Communication Co, Ko said.
To ensure that visitors in Taipei experience the feel of authentic Akihabara streets — complete with large billboards featuring popular anime and manga — organizers discussed and repeatedly refined the smallest details, such as character design elements, he said.
Akihabara, as a symbol of Japanese pop culture, seeks to promote the appeal of anime, manga, maid cafes and cosplay, which are also widely embraced in Taiwan, said Yuki Abe, deputy chief of the Akihabara tourism association.
The festival is expected to deepen cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, while creating new entertainment and business opportunities, Abe added.
Meanwhile, the Taichung International ACG Festival, now in its fifth year, is expected to log about 320,000 visits over the four-day holiday period, the Chinese Animation & Comic Publishers Association (CCPA) said.
This year's event consists of 72 exhibitors displaying a wide variety of anime-related merchandise, including exclusive items, books, collectibles, toys and models, CCPA chairman Su Wei-chuan (蘇偉銓) said.
There would also be book signing sessions and 15 activities, including appearances by renowned Taiwanese and Japanese artists, Japanese voice actors and popular idol groups, he said.
The festival is open daily from 10am to 6pm, with tickets priced at NT$120.
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