Tokyo Big Sight

Tokyo Big Sight is Japan's largest exhibition center, located in Ariake, in Tokyo's bayside area. Its official name is the Tokyo International Exhibition Center. It opened in April 1996 and marked its 30th anniversary in April 2026. From international trade fairs to corporate exhibitions and doujinshi conventions, events large and small are held here throughout the year.

Among anime and manga fans, it is known as the venue for Comic Market. Commonly shortened to Comiket, it is a doujinshi convention. Doujinshi are self-published books made by fans and individual creators. Each time it is held, large crowds of participants come from Japan and abroad.

What Is Tokyo Big Sight?

Tokyo Big Sight is Japan's largest exhibition center, with 16 exhibition halls and 24 conference rooms. There are three exhibition buildings, East, West, and South, with 8 halls in the East and 4 each in the West and South. Together they add up to a total exhibition area of 115,420 square meters. In fiscal 2024, 328 events were held here, drawing roughly 12.78 million visitors.

The roof of Tokyo Big Sight seen from the inside

The building that catches the eye even from a distance is the Conference Tower, which looks like a row of inverted pyramids. Standing 58 meters tall and clad in titanium panels, it has become the symbol of Big Sight.

The plaza, made memorable by the giant saw that appears out of nowhere (left of the photo)

In the plaza at its base stands a giant saw sculpture, its blade thrust into the ground. Measuring more than 15 meters in length, this work, Saw, Sawing, was installed in 1996, the same year the center opened. It is the work of the sculptor Claes Oldenburg.

Major Events at Tokyo Big Sight

The best known of these is Comic Market, held in August and December. Design Festa, an art event held twice a year, and COMITIA, a doujinshi convention limited to original works, also regularly use this venue.

In the autumn of 2025, the Japan Mobility Show, formerly the Tokyo Motor Show, was held here. In some years it also serves as the venue for AnimeJapan, a major anime event. In 2026, its days open to the public were March 28 and 29. In 2027, however, the event is scheduled to take place in Osaka, so it is not held here every year.

Only people attending an event in progress may enter the exhibition halls. On days when no event is on, a visititors can take in the exterior and the outdoor sculptures. The building also houses restaurants and a convenience store. You can check the schedule of events in advance on the event calendar on the official website.

How to Get to Tokyo Big Sight

The nearest station is Tokyo Big Sight Station on the Yurikamome automated transit line, about a 3-minute walk away. This station was renamed from Kokusai-Tenjijō-Seimon in March 2019, so older maps and guidebooks may still show the old name.

If you take the Rinkai Line, it is about a 7-minute walk from Kokusai-Tenjijō Station. From Tokyo Station, a Toei bus takes about 40 minutes. From Haneda Airport, an airport limousine bus takes about 25 minutes. If you board a water bus at Hinode Pier in central Tokyo, the trip takes about 30 minutes. Service, however, is irregular.

Comiket at Tokyo Big Sight

Image of Comiket

Comiket is held twice a year, in mid-August in summer and at the end of December in winter. The organizers describe it as Japan's largest doujinshi convention. Each event is called by a serial number, and C106 in August 2025 drew 250,000 visitors over two days. That figure includes participants from 71 countries and regions abroad. C107 in December of the same year drew a combined total of 300,000 over two days. The number of days varies by event, and C109 in December 2026 is scheduled to run for three days.

How the venue is used also changes from one event to the next. Most of the exhibition halls are taken up by spaces where individuals and creator circles sell the books they have made themselves. While some halls are lined with corporate booths, cosplay areas are also set up outdoors and on the rooftop. On the rooftop, participants dressed as characters from anime and games strike poses in front of the cameras.

Comiket Tickets and How to Attend

Admission is by advance ticket only, and you cannot enter free of charge.

The tickets are wristbands. Advance prices are 1,210 yen for morning admission and 440 yen for afternoon admission from 12:30 p.m.

On the event day, the only ticket you can buy at the venue is afternoon admission for 1,000 yen. The early-entry ticket, a lottery ticket that lets you in a little sooner, was 5,000 yen, but applications for C108 have already closed. Note that one child of junior high school age or younger accompanied by a guardian may enter without a ticket.

For C108, morning and afternoon admission can be bought from abroad as electronic tickets through the ticket site eplus. Because the format and prices are reviewed each time, please check the latest information on the Comic Market website (for overseas visitors).

Watch Out for Heatstroke in the Summer Lines

At the summer event, the outdoor waiting lines run long. At C104 in the summer of 2024, more than 90 percent of the people taken to the first-aid room were suffering from heatstroke. You need to take in fluids and salt frequently and come prepared with a hat to keep off the sun. Coming to wait near the venue from the day before is prohibited.

Photographing Cosplayers Requires Their Permission

You may photograph cosplayers only after obtaining their permission in the designated photo area. Cosplayers have the right to refuse. If you take part in cosplay yourself, you must register at a paid dedicated changing room. Changing clothes in the restrooms is not allowed.