San Japan 2026 Highlights: Cosplay, Events and More

San Japan recently held its annual anime and gaming convention in San Antonio, Texas, on September 4-6, 2026. Anime Atelier was a member of the media and got to visit this three-day event involving the anime industry, screenings, panels, cosplay, music, dance, autographs, J-fashion, merchandise, and more.

An organization run by fans, San Japan is well-known as the largest anime and gaming convention in South Texas that takes place over Labor Day weekend. This year, it attracted more than 37,000 attendees because of its exciting headliners and attractions. And so, without further ado, here are our favorite event highlights and photos from San Japan 2026.

The Cosplay Scene

Every convention has the hottest fandoms represented, from the recent anime seasons to older ones. As one of the remaining fan-run conventions in Texas, San Japan 2026 was no exception to this. The cosplay scene was very fun, creative, and an enjoyable part of the overall convention experience. You can check out our cosplay highlights below.

Our San Japan 2026 Itinerary and Highlights

The convention had plenty of fandom activities, but the highlight of our weekend was no doubt the shows: from the Yoko Takahashi Concert on Friday night, the Fashion Show and the San Japan Idol Festival on Saturday afternoon, to the Cosplay Show on Saturday night.

Experiencing Yoko Takahashi's Electrifying Concert

Yoko Takahashi, the Japanese singer best known for performing Neon Genesis Evangelion's opening theme "Cruel Angel's Thesis," was one of the memorable parts of San Japan 2026. Fans waited in a very long line that extended to several floors of the Grand Hyatt, all to see the much-anticipated concert in the Texas Ballroom.

Takahashi performed her songs for over an hour, kicking off with "Fly Me to the Moon," "What If, " and finishing the night with "Cruel Angel's Thesis." Her backup dancers also performed some very cool jazz-inspired moves to match her songs. Although no photos or videos were allowed, over a thousand people were enjoying the show. We only wished that Takahashi could have had a better stage, especially since the low platform made it difficult for shorter fans to see in the standing room.

Appreciating Styles at the Japanese Fashion Show

Another highlight of our San Japan 2026 weekend was the Fashion Show, introducing looks inspired by Japan's artistic expression and culture. There were a variety of brands that were present, including Pukupon, Forest Girl Clothing, Emily Temple Cute, Hoshibako Works, and Atelier Pierrot. Each of them debuted new looks inspired by J-fashion substyles.

Seeing the Vibrant Performances at the Idol Festival

Meanwhile, the Idol Festival featured performances that encompassed singing, dancing, J-Pop and K-Pop, and dazzling costume productions. The team only caught the performances near the end, but this 2-hour Saturday afternoon event drew a packed audience!

A Celebration of Anime and Cosplay

The Cosplay Show at San Japan 2026 featured many creative cosplays, from novice to master levels. There was also a Risa Mei halftime concert with songs from Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, later joined by A-Wake Idols. Congratulations to the winners of the Hall Cosplay Contest and Cosplay Show!

More Concerts, Guest Panels, Exhibits, Arcades, and Other Cool Places

San Japan 2026 was jam-packed throughout the entire weekend. There were so many events, and although we couldn't make it to all of them, we had a lot of fun roaming around. Here are some of our favorite ones:

• Ironmouse Karaoke Concert
• EDM Dances: Electric Dusk (Friday night) / Electric Dawn (Saturday night)
• 18+ Night Market on Friday & Saturday
• Nakano Den-Nou Concert
• Kinema Citrus Presents “Goodbye, Lara” with Guest Q&A Live Drawing Session
• Bang Zoom! Presents: Script to Screen (Anime Localization Panel)
• Voice Actors Revisit Ghost in the Shell 1995: Mimi Woods, Richard Epcar, & Michael Sorich
• Bitforce Jamspace
• AMV Contest
• Maid Cafe

Of course, the exhibit hall was one of San Japan's main attractions. There were plenty of convention staples inside the Vendor Hall and Artist Alley, not to mention big-name booths like sponsors Gamer Supps, Yostar, and HobbyTown. There were also Guest Autographs, VTuber Meet & Greets, a Fashion Alley, Tattoo Alley, Itasha Wonderland, San Japan Merch, Blood Drive, and more.

San Japan's Artist Alley actually opened a few hours before the Vendor Hall, so a lot of con-goers started their shopping early on Friday and Saturday morning.

Another highlight of the exhibit hall featured the gaming corner, including arcades, tabletop games, and video games. The arcade set-up was large, with various gaming cabinets, Japanese import games, dance cabinets, and more.

Meanwhile, the video gaming hall had an indie gaming area with booths promoting local creators and their latest games. There was also a pachinko area with popular anime-themed pachinko, and a gigantic tabletop gaming hall that hosted tournaments, open games, and mahjong. The newest addition to this year's lineup was the Beyblade Room on the 2nd floor of the convention center.

We were also able to visit the Otaku Cafe, Manga Library, Bits To Bytes Museum, J-Pop Vinyl Lounge, and Cosplay Photoshoot Room. These were other cool and smaller places that we found, perfect for chilling and taking photos. You can see our full gallery in the next section.

Exhibit Hall Gallery

San Japan 2026 - Pros, Cons, and Overall Thoughts

There were a lot of events throughout the weekend, and the convention was actually quite organized. For instance, registration was smooth because of generous queuing areas and early badge pick-ups, so no one was left standing in the heat outside. The line control was also well managed for popular events with big turnouts, like the artist alley and vendor hall. Then, the venues were spacious enough to accommodate the large crowds and even provide lots of air conditioning to keep attendees cool. The San Japan app is also worth mentioning since it was very easy to use as a Guidebook app.

However, a busy and large event like this does come with a few cons. There was a lack of food trucks nearby, and although there were several food vendors in the main lobby and convention center, it's still somewhat of a distance to walk to the shops over at Rivercenter and restaurants at Riverwalk. There were also several delays and technical issues in the programs at the Grand Hyatt, and the queue at the Night Market was incredibly long, so some attendees were not able to get inside. The days also required a lot of walking, not to mention the commuters who go to and from the parking lot at the end of the day, especially when the Alamodome also has a big event.

Overall, we had a wonderful time at San Japan 2026! There were a lot of memorable official and fan programs throughout the three days, from the incredible cosplay scene and energizing concerts to the various exhibits. Thank you, San Japan, for a fantastic event, and we hope to visit again next year!

Photos by Kim Pham

Anime Atelier was a member of the media at San Japan 2026