TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Japanese pop culture festival titled Merah! Merah! Anime Japan!! (MMAJ) 2026 officially opened its series of events at Gandaria City, South Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday, May 30, 2026. The event, which ran until Sunday, May 31, 2026, served as a platform for collaboration and a cultural bridge to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Japan through the creative industry.
The organizers hope that this festival can provide a clear picture of the great potential of utilizing pop culture such as anime, music, cosplay, and fashion. Through these various elements of entertainment, it is expected that emotional connections and creative economic cooperation between the two countries will be further strengthened in the future.
An Event for Anime Enthusiasts
Different from general pop culture festivals, MMAJ 2026 brings a hybrid concept to Jakarta. This festival is deliberately designed to unite two major interests under one roof - to facilitate the business needs of industry players while providing a maximum recreational experience for anime communities.
The Co-Founder of MMAJ, Takayuki Yamanaka, explained that the main essence of this event is inclusivity for all elements involved in the Japanese entertainment ecosystem. The festival not only pleases the eyes of visitors through visual parades, but also opens up market penetration opportunities for local and international creators.
"Merah! Merah! Anime Japan!! is an event for fans, as well as a B2B event for everyone involved in the entertainment industry and business. We combine both because we want to create a new movement," said Takayuki Yamanaka during a press conference at Gandaria City on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
Unite All Industry Players and Cosplay Communities
This concept's success was previously tested in India two years ago. Seeing the massive enthusiasm of the Southeast Asian market, especially in Indonesia, the management finally decided to bring this festival to Jakarta. The active and loyal characteristics of Japanese culture enthusiasts in Indonesia became the main reason for choosing the capital city as the next expansion destination.
Through an inclusive event format, the boundaries between business players and entertainment enthusiasts are deliberately blurred. Visitors can directly see how dynamic interactions occur in the festival area, where media executives, industry representatives, talents, and costume creators (cosplayers) gather and move together in the same public space.
Yamanaka added that the direct view in the festival area today has proven that vision. The presence of thousands of fans standing alongside industry players shows a mature synergy. He expressed his deep appreciation for the warm welcome and extraordinary energy shown by the people of Jakarta since the first day of the festival opening.
"The view in front of me now actually tells everything. All parties from the industry, media, events, talents, to fans and enthusiasts, can all enjoy Japanese entertainment together in one place. This is a great joy for me, and hopefully, everyone present can enjoy the entire series of events," said Yamanaka.
LAODE MUHAMAD ASHEGAF
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