I went to ComiKet yesterday with a couple of friends. ComiKet, or Comic Market, is an annual convention that gives fledgling doujinshi artists a chance to get their work out to the general public. In the 33 years since it's inception, ComiKet attendance has grown from an estimated 600 people to approximately half-a-million. The rare, one-time-only prints of comics, some from well-known artists, that are offered each year contribute to these growing numbers.

昨日、私は二人の友達とコミケットに行きました。毎年、コミケット、つまりコミックマーケット、は二回に起こります。コミケットでは、作者の乳臭者が他の人に新しい同人誌を売ります。最初の大会から、参加する人は五十万人ぐらいになりました。毎年、稀で売られる同人誌は contribute to these growing numbers.

The trek to the convention center started at 3:15am. After waking up, showering, and eating, I met up with Darrik and Justin at Musashi-Sakai Station to catch the 4:37am train to Shinjuku. From Shinjuku, we took the Yamanote Line to Oosaki Station, and from there the Rinkai Line to Kokusai-Tenjijo Station.

昨日の旅行は3時15分ごろに始まりました。私は起きて、シャワーを浴びて、朝ご飯を食べて、武蔵境駅にデリクとジャスッテンに会いに行きました。4時37分に私たちは最初の中央線の電車に新宿まで乗りました。新宿で、大崎駅に行く山手線の電車に乗り換えました。大崎駅から国際展示所駅まで臨海線の電車に乗りました。

My first taste of the madness that was ComiKet was at Kokusai-Tenjijo Station. The three of us arrived at Kokusai-Tenjijo Station around 6:15 or so and stepped off the train into a writhing mass of people! As hundreds of people tried to squeeze through a few ticket gates, the obvious bottleneck that formed forced everyone close together and to move as one entity; it was impossible to go anywhere but forward with an ever-expanding group of people pushing you from behind!

6時15分に国際展示所駅で、私はコミケットのような可笑しい事を始めて見ました！電車を降りたら、いっぱいように人がいるグループに入りました！五百や六百ぐらい人は少し改札口に通ってみている間、the bottleneckはみなさんを一生に行かせました！私は後ろに行きたくても、本当にできませんでした！

After Kokusai-Tenjijo Station, we ran off to wait at the Tokyo Big Site convention center parking lot. The lot had been converted into a staging area for the massive number of people who showed up early to secure a spot in line. By the time we'd were settled in group B7, sometime around 6:45am or so, 14 other groups of people had already been established (with approximately 150 people per group)! The gates of the convention center didn't open until 10:00am, so Darrik, Justin, and I killed time listening to music or playing games on either a DS or a PSP.

国際展示所駅の後で、私たちは東京ビッグサイトのstaging area待ちに走りました。東京ビッグサイトの駐車場はみんなの参加する人が開く時まで座れるように、staging areaになられました。6時45分ごろに、私たちがＢ７のグループに入った時までに、他のもう来た人はクループを14つもう作ってしまいました！全部のグループは150人くらいがいました。コミケットの門10時に開いたから、デリクとジャスッテンと私はＤＳやＰＳＰのゲームをやりました。

At around 9:30am, everyone was herded into the convention center to await the opening of the first day of ComiKet. At 10:00am, the gates opened, and people made mad dashes off to the various booths to wait in line for limited edition wall scrolls or doujinshi. The three of us casually made our way through the convention center, walking up and down the rows and stopping whenever we saw something interesting.

9時半ごろに、みんなさんは東京ビッグサイトの中に連れて行きました。門が開くようになったら、たくさん人はいろいろな所に限定版の掛け軸や同人誌を買いにmade mad dashes。私たちは3人で見歩きました。

I'm not a huge fan of doujins, but all things considered, it was a lot of fun. I picked up a few...interesting...doujin, though I also scored a step-by-step guide to building a mecha-themed robot out of Legos, some awesome Evangelion stickers, and other assorted baubles. I spent more money than I'd like to admit (around $40), but I did come to Japan to experience the culture, however strange it may look to my gaijin eyes!

私は同人誌が好き嫌いじゃないのに、コミケットの経験は絶対面白かったです！私はたくさん物を買いました。少しエッチのような同人誌が、Ｌｅｇｏのメッカロボットの作り方の本と、エヴァンゲリオンのシールと、色々な物とそれです。私は使いたいお金を以上使ったけけれども、日本の経験するために日本に来ましたよ！たｔよyo,