OC Japan Fair

I came across many sub-par reviews about the OC Japan Fair that led me to be very hesitant about attending the event. Afterall, I hated the idea of spending money (admission and parking) if I wouldn’t be having at least a good time. In the end, I decided to just go upon realizing that I might be able to avoid others’ sub-par experiences and even enjoy a new addition to the OC Japan Fair.

I have to say that I’m glad I decided to give the OC Japan Fair the benefit of the doubt because I had a good time, overall. Most of the sub-par reviews revolved around food expenses, food wait time, food quality and crowds. What I was able to make from that is that the main issue would revolve around food matters. My advice, if you’re a foodie and have the means to splurge is to get your food and drinks first thing after entering the fair because the lines and wait time for your food/drink will only get more obnoxious as the day ages. The same can honestly be said for browsing vendors to shop from as well.

When I first entered, there were a good amount of people. (It was a nice amount of people.) Fast forward to a couple of hours later, though and all I can say is that I was super baffled at how crowded the fair had become. And I think this is why you’ll encounter reviewers saying that they oversell tickets. I don’t know if they truly oversell but I can see that happening if they just continue to sell tickets on-site near the entrance. (At this point, I didn’t even bother to check out all of the available outdoor booths because I was not going to tackle that crowd. I also didn’t have any intention of buying unnecessary merchandise and I stood my ground; I DID NOT buy any merchandise!)

For those of us on a budget, an admission ticket and parking fee can already be too much for us, so expenses for merchandise and food might be out of the question. A way to alleviate fair food costs is to actually have your lunch before attending the OC Japan Fair. Of course, if that doesn’t work for you OR if you end up hungry again while at the fair, you’ll have to figure it out. (Example: If you’re attending the OC Japan Fair with someone else, split your tasks. One person gets the drinks from one vendor and the other gets food from one vendor. Obviously, this won’t work out if you MUST consume from multiple vendors, but this option is the best option as it’ll reduce the wait time to some extent.)

Anyway, enough talk on the food drama that exists at this fair. LOL

I think the OC Japan Fair does a good job of catering to people of different interests. If you’re into anime, they have a specific day for cosplay and anime merchandise is available for purchase from various vendors, as well. (Not exactly anime, but I caught sight of a vendor that was selling a decent amount of Love and Deep Space merchandise and was in awe. LOL Of course, as mentioned earlier, I didn’t purchase anything. I just looked at Xavier. And Raph. And Caleb. And so on and so on. LOL)

I enjoyed the cultural and traditional side of the OC Japan Fair. Seeing a Ryukyuan lion dance. A kimono show. And more.

I wanted to check out the oiran procession but ended up missing out on it since I was watching Genki Iwahashi perform.

Music was another component of the OC Japan Fair and was probably one of the highlights for me but I’ll write about that in another post.

I left the OC Japan Fair satisfied. Although I was satisfied overall, it doesn’t mean that others were. I overheard one couple complaining about the horrible food wait time (over an hour?) and all I can think in my mind is that I already knew it was that ridiculous but I’m sure it’s something appalling and practically a deal breaker for those that are foodies or are hungry and want food asap.

If you want more visuals of the OC Japan Fair, you can check out my youtube channel where you’ll see the kimono show and more.