The OC Japan Fair returns to the OC Fair & Event Center next weekend for its 19th annual run, bringing over 250 vendors, live taiko drumming, and a cosplay competition to the fairgrounds. The three-day festival runs from Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18, with hours stretching from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on opening night, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Ahead of the event, CBS News Los Angeles featured a segment about what to expect at the fair. The segment offered a glimpse of the cultural programming that has made the festival a staple on the Orange County calendar since it first launched in 2009.
That first edition was a single-day gathering organized by Huntington Beach event coordinator Masataka Taguchi, according to the Los Angeles Times. It has since grown into a multi-day, twice-yearly event organized by Adentope, Inc., built around showcasing Japanese cuisine, cultural traditions, music, and technology to Southern California audiences.
A Festival Built for Crowds Who Aren’t Japanese
A report from Japan Product Promotion says roughly 90% of attendees identify as non-Japanese residents coming to experience the culture firsthand. The prior April event welcomed about 46,000 visitors, while more than 50,000 were expected at the 2025 event…