Japan Tours Festival

Ten years of Japanese culture in Tours

Created in 2015, the Japan Tours Festival has become over a decade the largest festival dedicated to Japan and pop culture in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Every year in June, the Parc des Expositions de Tours transforms into a true Japanese district welcoming over 26,000 visitors over three days. The event is organized by the teams who also launched the Korean Tours Festival.

A rich and eclectic program

The Japan Tours Festival covers all aspects of Japanese and geek culture. The Tradition space highlights traditional Japanese arts: calligraphy, origami, ikebana, tea ceremony, martial arts, and Japanese cuisine. The Manga space hosts authors, publishers, and illustrators for signing sessions and conferences. The Cosplay space offers competitions, crafting workshops, and photo shoots. The Gaming and E-sport spaces bring together consoles, arcade machines, tournaments, and competitions.

Prestigious guests

Each edition welcomes prestigious guests from Japan and around the world: mangakas, anime directors, voice actors, musicians, martial artists, and pop culture personalities. Signing sessions, conferences, and masterclasses allow fans to meet their favorite artists in a privileged setting.

The cosplay competition

The cosplay competition is one of the festival's highlights. Dozens of cosplayers from all over France and Europe present their costumes and performances on stage before a jury of experts. Individual and group categories allow all levels to participate. A dedicated space with changing rooms, mirrors, and accessories is available to participants.

Japanese gastronomy and atmosphere

The food court offers a culinary immersion in Japan: ramen, takoyaki, onigiri, gyoza, mochi, taiyaki, and Japanese drinks. Merchant stands offer manga, figurines, clothing, accessories, and merchandise from Japanese pop culture. The atmosphere is festive and colorful, with cosplayers strolling through the aisles and J-pop and J-rock music playing in the background.