Stealing the Spotlight: The Ultra Acosta! Producer Reveals the Magic Behind Japan’s Hottest Cosplay Event

The cosplay event festival “Ultra Acosta!” will be held at Ikebukuro Sunshine City in Tokyo from September 6th to 8th. This is an expanded version of “Acosta!”, which is held in 42 locations around the country, mainly in Ikebukuro, and this third event is expected to be the largest ever. In an interview, Nishizawa Naofumi, the general producer, spoke about the appeal of the event and future prospects. (Cosplay Encyclopedia Reporting Team)

–Thank you for your time today. Now, I would like to ask you about “Ultra Acosta” which will be held from September 6th. How is it different from the regular Acosta?

Nishizawa: “Ultra Acosta is a special edition of Acosta, which has been held regularly since 2014 in Ikebukuro and other locations. The regular Acosta is held almost every month, with around 10,000 participants gathering on weekends. As an expanded version, it is a large-scale annual event centered around Sunshine City, packed with all the fun of cosplay, such as photo shoots and interactions between cosplayers and photographers, stage events and photo shoot services in the fountain plaza, and the Acosta Marche, a cosplayer sales event.”

–It’s quite packed.
Nishizawa: “It’s designed so that everyone can enjoy it, including cosplayers, photographers, people who just want to see cosplay, and parents and children who want to cosplay together.”

–Could you tell us more about the philosophy and purpose of this event?
Nishizawa: “The thing about Acosta is that the participants are the main characters. Unlike events where you just watch celebrities or other performers, the main characters are the cosplayers and photographers who participate. We provide a place where they can shine, and we offer a photographer service to take beautiful photos of cosplayers, as well as holding the dance performance event CDEF at the same time, where cosplayers get on stage and perform dances. We are conscious of making it an event that supports such people, by lowering the barrier to entry, as a place for elementary school students and junior and senior high school students who want to make their cosplay debut.”

-Why did you choose Ikebukuro as the location for the event?
Nishizawa: When the event first started in 2014, most events were held in closed spaces in large venues. Against this backdrop, Ikebukuro was already a town with a rich manga and anime culture, and had established itself as a mecca for female subculture in particular. Otome Road and Animate are symbols of this, and we thought that in a town like this, we could try a new type of cosplay event where people walk around the town in cosplay, so we started Acosta in cooperation with Toshima Ward, Sunshine City, and Animate.

— “Acosta” is held in 42 locations nationwide, and attracts a total of over 200,000 people annually, making it the number one event in the industry. What sets it apart from other cosplay events?

Nishizawa: “A big feature of Acosta is that we have been very conscious of working with the government and shopping districts, and have made arrangements to make it enjoyable for cosplayers and photographers. Rather than simply holding an event, we have made preparations with the cooperation of the local community. Thanks to their support, we are now able to hold the event all over the country, and the name Acosta has come to be trusted by cosplayers and photographers. I think they are now aware that it is an event that is created with their perspective in mind.”

–What challenges or difficulties did you face while running the event?

Nishizawa: “At first, it was hard to gain understanding for cosplay. People knew that cosplay was a hobby, but it had nothing to do with the town. It was quite hard to get the local people to understand. At first, many people felt that cosplay equaled Halloween, which is a problem in many places, and were worried about the chaos and public safety. At first, we were told, ‘Please don’t come to our place.’ We spent a lot of time trying to get people to understand that cosplayers are just enjoying the event while following proper etiquette.”

–How many people attended initially?
Nishizawa: “The first time we had about 200 people. Now, depending on the size of the hall, we have about 10,000 people come to each event.”

–Amidst all of this, Ultra Acosta was held for the second time in April last year, attracting approximately 20,000 visitors over two days. What are the selling points of Ultra Acosta, which will be held for the third time?
Nishizawa: “This year’s Ultra Acosta will be the biggest one ever, covering the entire Sunshine City Hall and Fountain Square, as well as the streets of Ikebukuro and Higashi-Ikebukuro Central Park. It’s an event that can be enjoyed by cosplayers, photographers, and anyone who just wants to watch. If you’re interested in cosplay or want to try it out, come and experience it all here.”

-What do you think of your support system?
Nishizawa: “We started in Ikebukuro and have continued this event with the cooperation of the local community. We want local people to enjoy cosplay, so we have created an environment where parents and children can enjoy it together. Specifically, we have prepared changing rooms for elementary school children, and elementary school students in Toshima Ward can participate for free. We also lend out costumes for elementary school children who are cosplaying for the first time, and hold free workshops where they can make their own weapons and walking sticks. We want local people to come and have fun with their families. Also, since there are quite a lot of photographers who are participating in cosplay events for the first time, we provide guides for them. We also provide guides to communicate with cosplayers and explain the rules of photography. So that people can enjoy themselves even if they participate alone, photographers patrol around and take photos, and famous photographers take beautiful photos on the spot, so it’s a system that anyone can enjoy.”

— Many foreigners visit Ikebukuro. What kind of support do you provide for them?
Nishizawa: “We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people attending from overseas, so the Acosta website can now be switched to English or Chinese. Tickets can also be purchased on overseas websites. All the posters and signs at the event are written in both English and Chinese. Some are even written in Chinese.”

-Finally, please tell us about your future prospects.
Nishizawa: “Firstly, we’re aiming to expand nationwide, so we’re aiming to create an event that cosplayers from all over Japan can easily participate in. There are still some locations in big cities like Sapporo and Hiroshima where we haven’t been able to hold Acosta events, so we’re dreaming of first spreading Acosta across the country, and creating a situation where Acosta is synonymous with Japanese cosplay events. We’re also thinking about holding Acosta events overseas. The culture and rules of cosplay are completely different between Japan and overseas, so it’s a pretty high hurdle, but we would like to take on the challenge eventually in order to spread Japanese cosplay culture to the world.”

-Thank you for today.
Nishizawa: Thank you very much. Ultra Acosta is an event that anyone with an interest in cosplay can enjoy. Please come to the event and enjoy cosplay to your heart’s content.

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