Japan Expo, 20 years of fun facts: 14th Impact
We keep going over the festival adventure with a few anecdotes taking you behind the scene and celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Japan Expo. Let’s now focus on the 14th Impact and the unforgettable exhibit dedicated to this year’s Manga Guest of Honor, Tetsuo HARA, the creator of Hokuto no Ken!
On July 4-7, 2013, Japan Expo, attracting the Japanese more and more, welcomed over 100 Japanese companies and cities. The Wabi Sabi corner invited the attendees to a trip to the heart of Japanese culture, with arts and crafts, kabuki, and traditional dances.
Several Guests of Honor attended: Tetsuo HARA, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Hokuto no Ken, Shôji KAWAMORI, famous mecha-designer, the idol group °C-ute and no less than five video game Guests of Honor from the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts licenses, with Shinji HASHIMOTO, Yoshinori KITASE, Tetsuya NOMURA, Motomu TORIYAMA, and Naoki YOSHIDA. The group NIGHTMARE, special guest, ended the festival with a big showcase.
A life-size statue can be cumbersome
For the exhibit dedicated to Tetsuo HARA, the creator of Hokuto no Ken, Japan Expo’s team was offered to exhibit a 3-meter high giant statue, to be brought from Japan, of Rhao on his mythical horse Kokuo. An unexpected logistic adventure was about to happen.
On top of having to find some means of shipping the bulky item, an outrageously big box had to be built to protect the statue. When the sculpture got onsite, an entire afternoon and a fork-lift truck were needed to put together the heavy pieces composing the statue, with no user guide to help.
Japan Expo 14th Impact key figures
4 days · 232,876 attendees · 125,000 sqm · +200 guests · 713 exhibitors · 30th Anniversary of Hokuto no Ken · 18 showcases · 12 Guests of Honor
We’ll be back soon to talk about the 15th Impact and a 5-day festival which remains in our memories: follow our news for more information a few days!
Click the links for a look back over:
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