Ahead of its main event, which will be held on September 19 and 20, 2026 at Miyako Messe, KYOMAF has been carrying out promotional activities in various locations.

This time, KYOMAF traveled beyond Kyoto to Osaka’s Chayamachi area. On June 20 and 21, 2026, it set up a booth at Chayamachi Oshi Festival 2026 (Oshi Fes). Although the weather was unfortunately rainy, many visitors came to experience the KYOMAF booth and various other attractions, expressing their love for their favorite characters, works, and performers.

In this article, I will mainly introduce the traveling KYOMAF booth, while also reporting on the atmosphere of Chayamachi Oshi Festival 2026, an event where visitors can fully enjoy the culture of “oshi-katsu”, or supporting and celebrating one’s favorites.

What Is Chayamachi Oshi Festival 2026?

“Oshi Fes” is a citywide event built around the theme of “oshi,” bringing together a wide range of beloved content, especially from the world of anime.Now in its fourth year, the 2026 festival was held under the concept “Release Your Love.” The event is designed as a participatory festival where visitors can freely express their passion for the characters, works, performers, and content they love.

The festival has continued to grow each year. In 2025, it welcomed a record-breaking 134,000 visitors and featured a wide variety of programs that allowed people to enjoy different forms of oshi culture.

For 2026, the event aimed to offer an even richer lineup of booths, stage programs, and interactive experiences. Rather than being limited to a single venue, Oshi Fes makes use of the entire Chayamachi area, creating a festive atmosphere throughout the city. Visitors can walk from place to place, discover new works and characters, meet other fans, and enjoy the feeling of sharing their love for their “oshi” with the people around them.

Oshi Fes is a participatory event that makes use of the entire Chayamachi area in Umeda, with various programs held in surrounding facilities and on the streets. Visitors were able to enjoy oshi-katsu while walking through the city, encountering voice actor stage events, cosplay, and anime-related booths along the way.

Exploring the Chayamachi Area, Osaka

Part of the roads around the Chayamachi venue area were turned into pedestrian zones, with many booths lining the streets. I visited on Saturday, June 20, when the weather was unfortunately rainy. Even so, many visitors could be seen enjoying the event in their own ways, holding umbrellas in one hand and oshi goods in the other. With Animate having recently relocated to the area, Chayamachi has gradually begun attracting attention as a place for oshi-katsu.

One particularly interesting sight was seeing cosplayers walking through the streets. Oshi Fes was held in conjunction with acosta!, a cosplay event, allowing participants to interact freely within certain areas. Cosplayers with distinctive costumes and makeup added color and energy to the cityscape.

As I walked through the streets, I saw visitors heading toward specific booths, friends taking photos together, and people stopping when they spotted character panels. Rather than entering a conventional event venue, it felt as though the everyday city itself had been transformed into a space for oshi-katsu. Simply walking around brought one new encounter after another.

In front of the MBS headquarters building, mascot characters also appeared, and visitors were able to take photos with them. In addition, although advance reservations were required, there were also voice actor talk shows and anime screenings, giving fans opportunities to meet their “oshi” in person.

Visiting the KYOMAF booth

The KYOMAF booth was located in front of the Umeda Arts Theater building. Since a friend of mine works at Umeda Arts Theater, I have passed through this area many times before, but I was surprised to see how completely the usual scenery had been transformed into an oshi-filled space. This was KYOMAF’s third time exhibiting at Oshi Fes. Since related events were also being held at Umeda Arts Theater, many people passed by the booth.

“This is an event held within the same Kansai region, so we believe many visitors may also be interested in KYOMAF. We hope as many people as possible will discover the appeal of KYOMAF,” said the spokesperson from Kyoto City.

Inside the booth tent, standing panels featuring Kyono Tsukasa and Uzumasa Moe, illustrated by Kosei Memori, were on display. A large monitor also showed videos introducing the appeal of KYOMAF, including scenes from last year’s event. Most visitors who stopped by took photos of the panels, and the beautiful illustrations had a strong presence within the booth.

KYOMAF has been traveling to various locations to raise awareness and share its appeal. Some readers may have visited these events already, but KYOMAF recently exhibited at BitSummit. It also took part in Content Tokyo in June.

What drew visitors to the booth?

Visitors could, of course, take photos with the Kyono Tsukasa and Uzumasa Moe panels, but there was also a special giveaway at the booth. Those who followed KYOMAF’s official X account were able to receive a sticker featuring this year’s main visual.

By early afternoon on the first day, more than 200 people had already visited the booth. Among them were people learning about KYOMAF for the first time, repeat visitors, and even people who had previously supported KYOMAF’s crowdfunding campaign. “We have had the valuable opportunity to hear real voices from KYOMAF fans, including comments like, ‘I’m looking forward to it again this year,’ and ‘Last year I didn’t win the lottery for the stage event at ROHM Theatre, so I hope I can go this year,’” said the spokesperson.

The booth also placed importance on highlighting KYOMAF’s distinctive “Kyoto-ness.” On the monitor, videos showed the KYOMAF Okoshiyasu Ambassadors visiting different places in Kyoto, conveying the event’s unique appeal. The 2026 Okoshiyasu Ambassadors are voice actors Sumire Uesaka and Yuki Kaji. A new video featuring this year’s ambassadors is currently in preparation, so fans can look forward to further updates.

KYOMAF will be held on September 19 and 20, 2026

This year’s KYOMAF will be held with Miyako Messe and ROHM Theatre Kyoto as its main venues, and the Kyoto International Manga Museum as its second venue. To commemorate the event’s 15th edition, 15 special projects are planned. As of June 20, three of them have already been announced. Many fans are likely especially excited about the exhibition of past main visuals.

“KYOMAF will celebrate its memorable 15th edition this year. At this time of growing attention, we are preparing a variety of projects so that visitors can enjoy the event. We hope you will come to KYOMAF,” said the spokesparson. New information will continue to be announced, so be sure to follow the official X account and stay up to date.

Expanding Kansai’s manga and anime culture through Oshi Fes

At Oshi Fes, it was impressive to see visitors expressing their love for their favorite things in their own ways — whether by stopping at the KYOMAF booth, enjoying cosplay, heading to stage events, or taking photos as they walked from booth to booth. Because the event allows visitors to explore the city itself, there were also many moments of unexpected discovery, from new works to unfamiliar characters.

Although KYOMAF is an event that shares the appeal of manga and anime from Kyoto, its appearance in Osaka’s Chayamachi area shows how it is expanding its connections with oshi-katsu culture across the Kansai region. At the booth, there were longtime fans already looking forward to KYOMAF, as well as visitors encountering the name for the first time. In that sense, the booth became a place that raised anticipation for the main event in September.

As KYOMAF celebrates its 15th edition, this year’s event promises not only the manga and anime appeal it has built up over the years, but also even more Kyoto-inspired culture and projects. Whether you first encountered KYOMAF at Chayamachi Oshi Festival 2026 or have been looking forward to it every year, why not visit Kyoto this September and discover your own special “oshi”?

Chayamachi Oshi Festival 2026 Event Overview