Cosplay USA

Out of all the places to live, I consider myself lucky to be born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. Sure, it wasn’t much to begin with… a lot of orchards, farms, cows, and a few mountain ranges. And of course there have been times I wished to be elsewhere, preferably other countries, but people have been coming to California for so many reasons as far back as the gold rush. We have a rich heritage with Japantowns and Chinatowns that date back many many years and we were a “free state”. Even Lewis and Clark and the game Oregon Trail end up here.

There are also thousands of dreams of Hollywood and Disneyland. Those are in Southern California which is a bit further from here. People that don’t live here seem to think everything in California is close, but we’re such a long state, the distance can be comprable to many states’ or even a few countries’ distance away.

The San Francisco bay was especially rich in plants, wildlife, and landscapes. You can find beaches, mountains, deserts, marshes, snow, and many types of land all within a few hours’ distance of eachother. This makes for some wonderful photoshooting. Many of these natural environments have given way to industry and increasing population. It feels more and more like Los Angeles each month. Cities like San Jose and San Francisco have about 1 million residents each. There are also great public transportation systems in place, although its arguable how well they are run. Gas is running close to $5/gallon currently, making bicycling, walking, bus, train, and carpooling favorable. We also have some of the worst maintained roads in the country making gas use less efficient. Crime has also risen but I’m unsure what the increase is per capita.

What is it that makes this place so desirable?

I can tell you for a cosplayer, it’s a wonderful place to be if you can secure a good job and reasonable rent. Here’s why:

#1 Fabric Stores - We have at least 15 brand name fabric stores within 20 miles, not to mention the warehouses of fabric in downtown San Francisco. The warehouses are stacked to the ceiling with material and it often has a longer length, good for capes and large mascot costumes. The San Jose Flea Market is also one of the largest flea markets so if you can find what you need there, it’s a great deal.

#2 Public Transit - Forgo hotel prices, parking fees, even gas as there are many local cons and shopping spots.

#3 Shopping - There are many Japanese retailers here like Kinokuniya, Nijiya, and Mitsuwa. You can also find a variety of specialty shops for anime and game figurines. For US Version games, you have your pick of at least 50 retailers. There are also places to rent games and anime locally.

#4 Local Conventions - There are many local conventions! Just to name a few: Fanime, Wonder-Con (same family as Comic-Con), Yaoi-Con, Bay Con, etc.

#5 A Whole New World, a Hop, Skip, and a Jump Away! - Los Angeles is just a 1 hour flight or 6-8 hour drive away. I used to take the night Greyhound down often; you go to sleep at midnight and wake up there in LA. I can’t say I’ll be riding Greyhound much anymore though after that scary thing that happened in Canada… But the flights are reasonable. It’s nice to be able to drive around though. Once in Los Angeles you have your choice of: Theme Parks: Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags (Wallyworld), Universal Studios, etc., Shopping in Hollywood/Melrose/Beverly Hills, beaches, tourist attractions, Hollywood, Star-sighting, MORE cool anime shops: GAMERS, JapanLA, and more.

#6 Jobs - There are lots of opportunities here no matter what you do. For the people who say the job market is tough, well it’s always hard to make a good match no matter what you’re talking about. It takes a lot of trying. What the bay area has to offer is: more modeling jobs, more fashion/seamstress work, more industry jobs, more gaming jobs, etc. Of course most cosplay and anime fan’s biggest dream is to work in games or anime somehow. This is one of the places to make that happen.

#7 Further Education (Schools!) - We have a large amount of creative and academic schools here.

#8 LGBT - More accepting environment and many dating options for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transexual individuals. It’s not safe anywhere, but it’s almost a norm here.

The downside: Population continues to rise. Traffic and pollution are bad. Crime is a factor. Your car or house being broken into isn’t a surprise unfortunately. I’m not saying it’s not shocking or devastating but we try not to have anything too expensive. For christ sakes my dvd player cost $29.99 but I’m sure a thief would take that; you know what they say though thieves aren’t smart. To risk time in jail and fines, I’m sorry a dvd player isn’t worth it. I’d rather someone ask me for a dollar or whatever. I give it when I have it. But some people aren’t presented with that opportunity unfortunately such as armed robberies. Yesterday I saw someone wanted on tv yesterday for exposing his privates to a minor at the mall. Pretty wierd. The other concerns I have is the vanishing amount of natural land and rising housing prices. Housing is so expensive, yet half the places for sale and rent are empty. They’d rather it go to no use than be a little more reasonable in pricing. We also have the highest amount of euthanized pets in California, not to mention most other states. The need for spaying and neutering is crucial and there is plenty of places to help if you love animals.

I will be posting another update shortly with upcoming local conventions. Stay tuned!