I'm currently planning for a trip to Japan on 2016 (I know it's early, but the earlier I plan, the easier the planning in later stages will be), but I'm can only select one from these events:

- JAEPO (Arcade Game Expo)
- Anime Japan
- Music Media-Mix Market aka M3 (It's like Comiket, but one day and limited to music)
- COMITIA (It's like Comiket, but only original works)

Which one would you recommend to me? Also, M3 and COMITIA requires entrants to have an event catalog. It is possible to purchase it near the event place early in the morning, but I prefer to buy it earlier. So, what kind of places are likely to stock them? Is it possible to buy them in shops in international airports (Haneda or Narita)? Any feedback is appreciated!

I just want to get a general idea how the trip will go as those events are scheduled for the final day of a 3D3N stay. Once decided which event to attend I can start saving money to collect funds. Let's see the options I mentioned earlier:

JAEPO (February)
Pros - Can sidestep bans on visiting arcades imposed by my elder sister who will come along with me.
Cons - It is located in Chiba, which would be expensive if go from Tokyo. I plan to visit Akihabara and Odaiba as well.

AnimeJapan (March)
Pros - Worthy for staying inside the venue whole day long and I heard that it is not as packed as other events.
Cons - Less interesting compared to other events.

Music Media-Mix Market aka M3 (April)
Pros - Can get through quickly and more spare time to visit somewhere else. Just but a few music CDs and get out.
Cons - If cannot get catalog then cannot enter. Also, too near to Haneda Airport.

COMITIA (May)
Pros - More interesting compared to other events. I plan to buy some music CDs and games from the event.
Cons - If cannot get catalog then cannot enter and got heavy language barrier, even compared to M3. At least some staffs of M3 organizing committee know English.

Still can't decide.

Just to share (after some really confusing searches on the information )in case of anyone want to go for either Music Media-Mix Market or COMITIA. Both events require catalog for entry, which can be bought as early as 9am around the entrance of the event area. If you want to avoid risk of having the catalog sold out there, you can actually find the catalog in stores that stock anime goods.

If you want to locate stores which stock them, the organizers do keep a list of stores ( Here for Music Media-Mix Market and here for COMITIA) which stock them. Keep in mind that the pages are only active when the event is near and the catalogs' official selling date depends on the organizers and it is possible that by the time you have arrived in Japan the catalogs are sold out. Hopefully this tip helps!

This post has been edited by Magnarod: Oct 17 2014, 10:15 PM

Currently still on planning (and fund saving) phase and got some ideas, but now I got some questions before I can plan further:

1. Just how crowded comiket exactly is? I saw photos of the event and there's no space between people at all, but would it be just as crowded if I arrived on afternoon as suggested by preparation committee?

2. Other than some night shopping and viewing night landscape at observatory decks, what are the things to do in Tokyo at night?

3. Is it cheaper to buy stuffs from supermarkets? Any recommendations?

You can always check their latest rates at their website. As for yen, it is displayed lower area of the home page's side bar. I always looked there for their rates.

I plan to buy music CD and side merchandises from doujin circles that I like. I think while they are reasonably popular, I don't think their stuffs would sold out when I come around 12pm as planned. After all, just getting even 1 CD is enough for me, but my shopping budget just for the event alone would be at least 5 CDs.

I plan to change some of my money into Yen at Bank Negara Malaysia, but as far as I know the smallest denomination possible is merely 1000 yen. Is there any way to exchange 500 and 100 Yen coins locally? If not, is there any option in Japan?

From the currency exchange thread:

I'm wondering the same thing too.

Are game IDs (E-amusement, Banapassport etc) purchased locally compatible to the arcade game machines in Japan? If not compatible I'll leave them at home when traveling there. If lost have to pay approximately RM 70 for all of them on top of those unrecoverable game progress.

Based on my observations, the rates will be stable for now. But expect rates from money changers fluctuate around 1000Yen = RM 29, which is approximately RM 1 = 34.4 yen.

I don't have actual plans to do this for the time being, but will Japanese immigration get suspicious if I enter in the morning and I said I will exit by night the same day? Sometimes I feel like if I am going solely for an one-day-event over there there's no point in staying more than that plus waiting time for plane.