Youmacon 2021

 It wasn't until relatively recently that we started watching anime in our household. Growing up I absolutely loved Sailor Moon and Pokemon, but really didn't make the connection to the anime community as a whole. With the pandemic and my lengthy recovery, we watched new things. Anime has slowly become my favorite genre of art!

Youmacon is a yearly anime conference in Detroit. It was virtual last year, so this year was the first back in-person. There were a million costumes, some I even recognized. I went with a cottagecore vibe to my outfit, though I was lazy about it because I knew we'd be doing a lot of walking. 

I took a class on furoshiki, which is the Japanese tradition of wrapping gifts and items with cloth. I didn't realize that I'd kept a Burnley and Trowbridge cloth in my bag until I realized that I needed it. It was an hour well-spent, and now I'm definitely considering using this technique for my presents this year. Perhaps even stamping fabric with paint? We'll see what I have time for...

There was so much to do/see/buy, that seven hours later we were still wandering around. I think next year we'll attend later in the day, after at least a few cups of coffee! Of course, I had to buy a few things too, and I'm finding more and more that I like the Kawaii style. Books are always necessary, no matter how many already line/overflow our shelves at home!

It took a whole day of lounging around the house to recover from all of the walking! I'm glad to see events like these make a comeback after the past year we've had. Maybe I'll convince Dom to take me to a conference out of state sometime?

~Kristen