Kawaii Kon is an event that helps spread Japanese culture, specifically the otaku culture. The word otaku is used to describe someone with an obsession and it normally has a negative meaning to it. However, as the years went by, the word otaku for us has come to mean someone who loves anime, manga, and other things from Japanese culture. The otaku culture is a culture that focuses on the geekier side of Japanese culture.
Kawaii Kon is a three day event that consists of cafes, video game rooms, concerts, voice actor visits, table-top games, fan-made artwork, and many more other booths and panels. It is located in Hawaii at the convention center. People from all around the world come here to experience a weekend where they can socialize with other people just like them.
For the Kawaii Kon of 2016, I was volunteering at the Cosplay Cafe. This cafe was open for as long as the Kawaii Kon was open. In the cafe we would seat guests and serve snacks and drinks. These consisted of brownies, coffee,tea, and milk. We also had video games and other non-digital games for the guests to play with. If the guests wanted, the servers would join them in playing games or just socializing with them.
My role in the Cosplay Cafe was a server. I took the guests’ orders and delivered the snacks and drinks to their table. I also helped in prepping and cleaning the tables. I had to communicate to a variety of different guests and I spent time playing games with them as well. It was a nice experience and it helped me improve my social communicating skills. I also got to meet a lot of different people from all over the world. I will continue volunteering at this event to improve my skills even more.
You can learn more at the Kawaii Kon Website.