GM, COT❣️ Yuzunoko here.
When you hear "doujinshi market," do you picture fan-made books based on anime and games?
COMITIA is a doujinshi (self-published books) market that only deals in original work. The organizer, the COMITIA Executive Committee, calls its own event an "exhibition and sale of self-produced manga."
Apparently "doujinshi" carries a bit of an insider, just-among-friends feel, so they say "self-produced manga" to show it's meant for readers from anywhere.
The most recent one was COMITIA157, held at Tokyo Big Sight on August 23, 2026, with 4,106 circles (the groups or individuals selling their work). The next, COMITIA158, is scheduled for Sunday, December 13.
No derivative work. It's original only
The COMITIA FAQ says the work you can sell is "limited to original work, and derivative work (parody) is not accepted." As long as it's original, you can sell not just manga but illustrations, novels, criticism, music CDs, games and goods too.
You can't cosplay either. The guide for general attendees says "cosplay is prohibited," and that covers not just anime, manga and game characters, but uniforms like police officers, maids and shrine maidens, and costumes that show a lot of skin.
That might be a bit of a surprise if you read COTPIA, but it's a place for going to read and buy work.
As a Touhou Project fan, I do feel a little sad that fan works can't come along (then again, getting to meet only work you've never seen before is a real luxury).
The FAQ also explains the name. COMITIA comes from the plural of "COMITIUM," the assembly (meeting place) of ancient Rome, and it was named with the idea of "bringing together doujinshi from all over Japan."
Four times a year, at Tokyo Big Sight
According to the official event schedule, COMITIA in Tokyo is held four times a year (spring, summer, fall and winter), basically at Tokyo Big Sight.
On the official site's timeline, the very first one was held on November 18, 1984, at Nerima Industrial Hall, with 55 circles or individuals taking part directly.
The same timeline lists the circle counts for this year's events like this.
- COMITIA155 (February 22): 4,828 circles
- COMITIA156 (June 7): 6,857 circles
- COMITIA157 (August 23): 4,106 circles
Outside Tokyo, there are COMITIA events in Nagoya, Kansai (Osaka and Kyoto), Niigata, Hokkaido, Michinoku (Fukushima, Miyagi and Tochigi) and Fukuoka. According to the FAQ, each one is run by an independent group centered on local volunteers.
In 2024, the COMITIA Executive Committee received the Special Award of the 28th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (a Japanese manga award).
Your ticket in is the catalog, Tia's Magazine
To attend as a general visitor, you buy one copy per person of the catalog, "Tia's Magazine." That works as your entry pass, and kids 12 and under don't need one.
The COMITIA158 issue is listed at 1,400 yen (tax included) in advance at bookstores, and 1,500 yen at the venue on the day.
The catalog has PR cuts (small promo images) from every circle taking part, and a section called "Push&Review" where readers recommend books from the previous event.
The COMITIA157 guide for general attendees said that from 15:00 on, entry was free for everyone.
At the venue, things are basically cash only. The official "Your First COMITIA" page notes that a lot of circles don't have much change ready, so it suggests bringing plenty of 100-yen and 500-yen coins and 1,000-yen bills.
There's also the "traveling manga editorial desk," where you can show your manuscripts directly to editors from publishers.
At COMITIA157, the committee's after-report says they rented South Hall 3 on short notice and made it a hall just for the traveling manga editorial desks.
The sample copy corner and the reading session
What the organizers call "a major feature of COMITIA" is the sample copy corner. Sample copies are doujinshi that circles hand in to COMITIA as samples, and at the venue you can read them freely.
The other one is the Sample Copy Reading Session. About a week after each event, at a public facility or meeting room in Tokyo, you can read the sample copies handed in at the latest event.
It's free, and 172 people reportedly came to the COMITIA157 reading session on August 30, 2026.
Getting to sit down later and read the books you couldn't get to on the day is such a nice setup (a table piled high with sample copies gets me excited just picturing it).
COMITIA158 is on December 13
Here's what the committee has announced for COMITIA158.
- Date: Sunday, December 13, 2026, 11:00–16:00
- Venue: Tokyo Big Sight, East Halls 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8
- Circles: 6,000 spots
- Catalog on sale: November 15
- Sample Copy Reading Session: Sunday, December 20, 11:00–18:00 (venue being arranged)
Circle applications closed on September 11, and participation packs for accepted circles are due to be mailed out around October 27.
Put in order, the schedule so far looks like this.
After that, COMITIA159 has been announced for Sunday, March 14, 2027, in West Halls 1, 2, 3 and 4, and COMITIA160 for Sunday, May 23, in East Halls 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
About this article
I put this article together from the COMITIA Executive Committee's official site (event information, event schedule, FAQ, guide for general attendees, Your First COMITIA, the Sample Copy Reading Session page, catalog sales information, the timeline, and the COMITIA157 after-report).
How entry works, catalog prices, and the reading session venue can change from event to event. Before you go, check the latest information on the official site.
Quotes from Japanese sources are our own translations.
Translated from the Japanese original.
See you next time on COT❣️