San Japan is an annual three-day

anime convention An anime and manga convention (often called just anime convention) is a fan convention with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Anime conventions are commonly multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college cam ...

held during August/September at the

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, San Antonio Grand Hyatt Hotel, and San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. The convention is held over

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

weekend.

Programming

The convention typically offers an arcade, Artist's Alley, car show, charity auction, concerts, cosplay chess, cosplay dating game, dealers room, electronic dances, a formal masquerade, grand cosplay show, Idol Festival, Lolita fashion show, panels, Maid Cafe, tabletop gaming, video games, and workshops. The tabletop gaming space is open 24 hours a day during the convention. The 2014 convention had a blood drive and the charity auction benefited the San Antonio Battered Women and Children's Center. The 2015 convention had a blood drive and some charity funds were donated to San Antonio Pets Alive. San Japan held a blood drive, food drive, and the Charity Auction would benefit disABILITYsa in 2017. The 2018 charity auction benefited disABILITYsa and UTSA East Asia Institute. In 2018, San Japan brought $3.6 million to the local economy. San Antonio Food Bank benefited from the conventions charity fundraisers in 2020. The 2023 charity fundraisers benefited Elf Louise.

History

Due to venue issues, the first three day San Japan in July 2007 couldn't occur as planned. The first San Japan instead was held in various locations on the campus of

Our Lady of the Lake University Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), known locally as the Lake, is a private Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of Divine Providence, a religious institute originating in Lorraine, ...

in 2007, benefiting the OLLU Anime Club and the

Congregation of Divine Providence The Congregation of Divine Providence (or Sisters of Divine Providence) is the name of several Roman Catholic religious institutes of women which have developed from the work of Jean-Martin Moye (1730-1793), a French Catholic priest. They are ...

. San Japan moved to El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel (El Tropicano Holiday Inn) and

San Antonio Municipal Auditorium The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium was a building located at 100 Auditorium Circle, San Antonio, Texas. It was built as a memorial to American soldiers killed in World War I. The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium was also used as a concert venu ...

in 2008, along with expanding to three days. The convention moved to the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter in 2010, would leave after 2011, and move to the

. The San Antonio Grand Hyatt Hotel changed its elevator policy prior to the 2015 convention and began to limit access via a wristband system. San Japan used additional space in the expanded Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, having 100,000 square feet for vendors and 40,000 for gaming in 2016. They also clarified convention policy that no firearms are allowed at the event despite the passage of Texas law HB 910 allowing open carry. San Japan in 2017 was held only a few days after

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

affected Texas. The convention in 2019 announced it would be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center until at least 2026. In June 2020, the convention's chairman apologized and later resigned due to comments made about

people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

. San Japan 2020 was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. A virtual event was held in its place during the month of September, in a Minecraft recreation of the convention center that was built by the San Antonio Phantoms. The 2021 event had a attendance cap of 10,000, with mask and vaccination or heath assessment requirements.

Event history

References

External links

* {{coord, 29, 25, 15, N, 98, 29, 5, W, region:US-TX_type:event, display=title Anime conventions in the United States Recurring events established in 2007 2007 establishments in Texas Annual events in Texas Conventions in Texas Japanese-American culture in Texas Culture of San Antonio Festivals in San Antonio Tourist attractions in San Antonio