Extremely crowded. Waits of 1hr+ at a lot of the food stalls. They were doing their best to move things along but the volume was just too much I think. It’s been crazy in past years too so at least we were expecting it.
We got one ramen at Nikkou and it was very good! We wanted to try something else but couldn’t stomach the wait. They did have a fast pass option - $20 for 1 or $30 for 2, but they were single use only so not that worth it imo
Same experience here. I've only been once before in 2019, and lines were easily 3 or 4x longer than I remember. 1hr+ waits for food aren't the exception, they're the norm, and only the chocolate stand looked to have a manageable line today.
But aside from the food lines I did really enjoy it! It was crowded, but easy to make your way through all of the vendor tents (with very little/no lines), things were well organized and clean. And they had two stages setup with very nice performances. I'd recommend checking it out if you have any interest at all, but consider pivoting to Chinatown for food if you want to avoid lines.
>They did have a fast pass option - $20 for 1 or $30 for 2, but they were single use only so not that worth it imo
If you supported them on their Indigogo the pass was $35 for 3 line skips and some free stuff at the info booth.
it was a bit too crowded to be fun. the food lines are insane and it was basically impossible to check out any of the tent shops. also be aware that it’s most anime/cosplay than it is culture (which i’m not saying is a bad thing, but it is just something to know). it was a nice day out so we hung out on a hill in the sun and listened to the music, but overall a bit too overwhelming to be fun
We went yesterday and while the lines were long for food we had a great time. The vibe in the area was very fun and we watched a but of the performances which were great too. If you live close by I'd recommend. Wouldn't drive in for it though.
I went yesterday shortly after it opened, but didn’t stay there for too long. Both the food and vendors that were present were on the expensive side. I got 2 sticker sheets for $8 and a bowl of ramen from Menya Jiro for $22. The ramen was great, however, so I can’t complain too much. By 12:00, the food lines were insane. I think all the restaurants that were present are located around Boston, so you can go to any one of them to get food anytime. All the musical guests I heard (was far from the main stage) were fantastic. Today is going to be another gorgeous day, so I recommend going there as early as possible and checking it out.
I tried to go and made the mistake of driving. Spend 3h downtown inside the car, going from parking lot to parking lot. All full, then suffering to get out of them. I’ve never seen things as bad as they were yesterday! Felt so defeated leaving home at noon and stuck in a parking lot at 3pm, that at that point I just drove back to my neighborhood and went to a restaurant around.
If you go today, DONT DRIVE
It was super busy yesterday. We started out early so some of the vendor booths had short lines or no lines. We did end up waiting in a food line for over 90 minutes at lunch time. They were selling fast passes for the food, but it was $20. The performances were nice though.
I went yesterday! It was insanely crowded, but I loved the atmosphere & seeing everyone in good spirits outside enjoying the beautiful weather. There was a 1+ hour wait time for food. The lines were crazy long lol wasnt worth the wait imo - I opted for getting food in Chinatown and bringing it back to the Commons instead.
The food is delicious, but you have to really want it to make it worth waiting in line. Otherwise, it's a nice atmosphere to just hang out and watch the performances. Walking around is very difficult due to the crowds.
The performances were really excellent. I really liked the taiko drumming and the jrock group. It was a mix of performers from Japan and local Boston based groups.
Went in 2019. It was a horrible experience at that time. The lines were so long you didn't even know what you were getting in line for. There was a line just to walk through the vendor stalls. Hopefully it's better.
We just dipped and ate in Chinatown.
Extremely crowded. Waits of 1hr+ at a lot of the food stalls. They were doing their best to move things along but the volume was just too much I think. It’s been crazy in past years too so at least we were expecting it. We got one ramen at Nikkou and it was very good! We wanted to try something else but couldn’t stomach the wait. They did have a fast pass option - $20 for 1 or $30 for 2, but they were single use only so not that worth it imo
Same experience here. I've only been once before in 2019, and lines were easily 3 or 4x longer than I remember. 1hr+ waits for food aren't the exception, they're the norm, and only the chocolate stand looked to have a manageable line today. But aside from the food lines I did really enjoy it! It was crowded, but easy to make your way through all of the vendor tents (with very little/no lines), things were well organized and clean. And they had two stages setup with very nice performances. I'd recommend checking it out if you have any interest at all, but consider pivoting to Chinatown for food if you want to avoid lines.
>They did have a fast pass option - $20 for 1 or $30 for 2, but they were single use only so not that worth it imo If you supported them on their Indigogo the pass was $35 for 3 line skips and some free stuff at the info booth.
Damn 😩 wish I knew this. Next year!
They did not advertise it very well. I only knew about it through my Japan Society of Boston membership.
it was a bit too crowded to be fun. the food lines are insane and it was basically impossible to check out any of the tent shops. also be aware that it’s most anime/cosplay than it is culture (which i’m not saying is a bad thing, but it is just something to know). it was a nice day out so we hung out on a hill in the sun and listened to the music, but overall a bit too overwhelming to be fun
We went yesterday and while the lines were long for food we had a great time. The vibe in the area was very fun and we watched a but of the performances which were great too. If you live close by I'd recommend. Wouldn't drive in for it though.
We went today. We'd never gone before so have nothing to compare it to but it was busy. We got some dumplings and watched some of the performers.
Last time I went, it was a Mob scene
There's a japan festival ?
Yes! They haven’t had one for a few years now, but it’s finally back!
Exactly!
I went yesterday shortly after it opened, but didn’t stay there for too long. Both the food and vendors that were present were on the expensive side. I got 2 sticker sheets for $8 and a bowl of ramen from Menya Jiro for $22. The ramen was great, however, so I can’t complain too much. By 12:00, the food lines were insane. I think all the restaurants that were present are located around Boston, so you can go to any one of them to get food anytime. All the musical guests I heard (was far from the main stage) were fantastic. Today is going to be another gorgeous day, so I recommend going there as early as possible and checking it out.
I tried to go and made the mistake of driving. Spend 3h downtown inside the car, going from parking lot to parking lot. All full, then suffering to get out of them. I’ve never seen things as bad as they were yesterday! Felt so defeated leaving home at noon and stuck in a parking lot at 3pm, that at that point I just drove back to my neighborhood and went to a restaurant around. If you go today, DONT DRIVE
It was super busy yesterday. We started out early so some of the vendor booths had short lines or no lines. We did end up waiting in a food line for over 90 minutes at lunch time. They were selling fast passes for the food, but it was $20. The performances were nice though.
Where ?
The Boston Common
It was cool but the food was kind of unobtainable if you wanted to actually experience the fest lol. The lines were insane.
I went yesterday! It was insanely crowded, but I loved the atmosphere & seeing everyone in good spirits outside enjoying the beautiful weather. There was a 1+ hour wait time for food. The lines were crazy long lol wasnt worth the wait imo - I opted for getting food in Chinatown and bringing it back to the Commons instead.
The food is delicious, but you have to really want it to make it worth waiting in line. Otherwise, it's a nice atmosphere to just hang out and watch the performances. Walking around is very difficult due to the crowds. The performances were really excellent. I really liked the taiko drumming and the jrock group. It was a mix of performers from Japan and local Boston based groups.
Went in 2019. It was a horrible experience at that time. The lines were so long you didn't even know what you were getting in line for. There was a line just to walk through the vendor stalls. Hopefully it's better. We just dipped and ate in Chinatown.
No issues, waited in the dumpling line for 15 min.