I attended Comike 107 (winter) from December 30 to 31, 2025!

My general goal with this year was to go as early as possible from a distance. I didn't get a hotel room, so I was limited to the first train from where I live. On both days, I arrived on the earliest possible route from 中野区, in other words, without taking a taxi or car, this was the earliest I could arrive while staying at home. The general route involved 新宿 to 大崎 to 国際展示場.

On Day 1, I got to the ticket gate at 6:00 and ended up in 3の4 in 東. The morning weather was a bit cold. I wore my heavy jacket all the way to the line and got quite sweaty. The actual waiting line was normal. I bought 2 kebabs from the kebab vendor and coffee from the drink vendor.

The weather on day 1 and 2 was very favorable with no wind and relatively warm temperatures. I still used foot warmers on both days and hand warmers but generally I was quite comfortable with just a heavy jacket, earmuffs, fingerless gloves, uniqlo heattech pants, and normal shoes with a hoodie underneath.

I took off my heavy jacket and stowed it in my bag with my chair at 10:15. For the duration of the event, I wore a “sleeveless” hoodie from GU and a short-sleeved shirt. I figured I would be moving around a lot and staying warm, which was true.

Day 1 was really successful. I overpacked energy pouches and water. I gave some to my friend in the waiting line.

I left at around 15:00, had dinner with a friend at COCO's, and went to Toyosu Manyo Club onsen for their discount plan for attendees at around 17:00.

Day 2 was very similar to day 1. I reached the ticket gate at 6:01 and ended up in 4の1. Day 2 is definitely harder to get an early spot in line. I made sure to walk faster and take less time than day 1 but still didn't get an earlier spot.

I opted to bring only one water and 2 energy pouches. I still had 2 kebabs and ended up eating lunch at a food truck.

The weather was still favorable. I had learned from the day prior and went straight in my hoodie (sleeveless) with a short sleeve shirt. I only put on my winter clothes once I got to the entry line.

I stayed after close (16:00) and helped with the breakdown again. I ended up bringing new work gloves I got at 7-11 immediately prior, which helped save my hands effort with holding tables and chairs.

Again, I went to Toyosu Manyo Club. This time, I left my purchases at a station and went to the club just with a backpack to optimize the space needed in my onsen locker.

• The weather was exceptionally good, which I would never plan on again. I think it's worth making a decision based on the situation on the ground.
• The PM entry line this year was horrible by all accounts, so you cannot just walk-in by arriving later.
• I saw one person with an Uber Eats delivery bag for purchases. It seems like this is worth exploring, because you can easily put things in, it holds a lot, and can be worn front and back.
• It is definitely the right move to wait until an hour after the event ends and help with breakdown just to avoid the train mess/chaos. By staying later, you can definitely avoid standing still at the station waiting.
• It's usually preferred to get a waiting line spot on the left or the right side to make leaving the line easier.
• I brought a couple paper bags from prior events/artists to carry items. My plan was to buy items and put them in bags, then move them to my backpack when suitable outside when switching between halls. It's still not a perfect strategy as you have to open the bag to put items in. I hope to keep exploring optimization of bags and buying things to minimize storage organization. This year, I only had to open my backpack a couple times to deposit items.

• Onsen after is really luxurious. I will write notes on this later. It's just much more comfortable to go to an onsen after than it is to immediately jump on a train.
• I did end up taking taxis back from the event twice. I don't think I'm happy with getting things home, but I was also trying to make up time for waking up early.
• The weather this year was really unfavorably good. I'm really surprised it was this good, and planning for this kind of warmth in the future seems really silly.
• I think that for all matters of practicality, staying at the onsen overnight would be a good route, or the hotel (as I did before), and taking an early train. But staying in the 23 wards or beyond, first train is probably the only good idea to get an early spot on day 2 especially.
  • There are diminishing returns after arriving after 7am. Plan before 7 or just arrive at 8.
  • The east line closed midway through 9, so don't arrive that late.