I had the honor of attending Kawaii Kon 2026 as a member of the press. This vibrant anime convention, dedicated to Japanese animation and manga, was held at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu from April 24 to 26. The attendance was capped this year at 15,000 to manage capacity constraints imposed by the Hawaii Convention Center’s construction limits. The convention’s first day began at 5 PM as a result of ongoing construction at the convention center.
The convention was full of energy throughout the weekend, offering a wide variety of events and activities. Highlights included a combined Dealer’s Room and Artist Alley, anime premieres, video game tournaments, tabletop gaming, cosplay contests, and a full schedule of panels spread across the weekend. You can check out the official Kawaii Kon schedule here.
As last year, the dealer’s room featured an enclosed 18+ section reserved for adults only. Entry required an ID check, which was a nice touch that ensured only the truly cultured could browse the merchandise.
This year also saw a noticeable increase in trading card merchandise, along with a larger presence of video game-related goods throughout the exhibition.
I’m Jake Caprino, who is more commonly known by the online alias Swaps4. I’m a business owner based in Japan. I enjoy writing about anime, video games, and bits & pieces of Japanese culture.