Japan Brickfest (2023)
Japan Brickfest (JBF) has got to be one of the most fun LEGO fan events that I’ve been to in a long time… Despite being the beginning of the Japanese rainy season, the weather was super nice — especially for those of us coming from hot, humid Florida. The location was a few blocks away from the hotel and a block or so away from a train station. The school is idyllic, with two gyms big enough for LEGO fans to display their artwork in. The food trucks trucked in some of your Japanese favorites. And I can’t say enough about how friendly and nice everyone was.
I had been following the event online for a few years prior — it looked fun with the live band and the traditional Japanese drum performers. The MOCs have been so amazing/creative, that I started following a few builders on FB from what I’ve seen displayed at JBF.
We arrived in Kobe on Friday. Checked into hotel, grabbed a quick lunch at the local McDonalds, then walked to the event. We checked in, paid for our table, then started to set-up… My display fit inside a carry-on case & a the baseplates were in small shoulder bag. We were stationed near an open window of the gym — we had a nice breeze and the MOC really picked up the natural light that filtered into the gym from the window — almost glowed.
The MOC didn’t take long to set up. We walked around to see what people had brought. We ended up meeting a few people, but everyone was busy with set up. We decided to go grab dinner near the hotel at a izakaya. The food was good. There was a party of people there from JBF.
Here’s a few photos from the event…
