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JMoF (Japan Meeting of Furries) is a kemono convention (furry convention) that happens once a year in Japan with an emphasis on kemono (furries).

“Kemono” is a word that describes animal characters that have human characteristics, such as in “BEASTARS” or “Zootopia”, and is a term used by the community of those who like these human-like animal characters. For more information, please read the “About Kemono (Furry)” section below.

JMoF is categorized as a fan convention. A fan convention is an event run by fans for fans, where fans sharing a specific interest can gather. The participants of the convention can participate in or hold various genres of events, and fans can get to know one another. Multiple events are often running at once, and these conventions frequently spans over multiple days.

About Kemono Conventions (Furry Conventions)

JMoF, a kemono convention (furry convention), provides a space and opportunity for people holding an interest in kemono to gather from all over Japan and even from overseas in order to meet face to face and interact.

There are actually many different ways that someone could interact! There’s the creation, presentation, and selling of goods and art; greeting and taking pictures with fursuiters; participating in art and performance contests, and having fun on-stage with musical recitals and talent contests ─ of course, there’s also talking to and spending time with people you’ve met.

Feel free to do just the things you like and want to do, join some events that sound interesting to you, or even try to host your own event, too. This kind of convention style, where there’s a whole lot of different types of events going on at once and the convention goes on for multiple days, has actually had close to a century of history starting from the the Sci-Fi convention, a festival for Sci-Fi fans.

Whether it be art, fursuits, photography, music, acting, performances, literature, etc., a kemono convention has many different cultures mingling through kemono. One of the goals of a kemono convention is to spread new connections and shared feelings of happiness. Starting with being held mainly in North America and Western Europe, kemono conventions then spread during the 2010s to being held in all of Europe, East and Southeast Asia, Australia, and Central and South America among other places, which shows just how much kemono conventions have become worldwide now.

About JMoF

JMoF was held for the first time in 2013 at Shiga Prefecture’s Hikone City as “Japan’s First Kemono Convention”. After that, the convention venue had moved to Aichi Prefecture’s Toyohashi City, where in 2024 1,949 attendees had gathered from all over Japan and the world.

Also, through charity and collaborations with local entities, JMoF is also contributing to the local community where the convention is held, and creating opportunities for interaction with the local people. In 2024, JMoF donated 3,290,150 yen to the Toyohashi Zoo and Botanical Park (Nonhoi Park).

At the JMoF venue, both humans and kemono alike enjoy sharing a fun-filled time and space. Beyond fursuiting, there’s a wide variety of events lined up, from the the creation, presentation, and selling of art that transcends any limiting definitions of pro/amateur, genre, nationality etc., to the various scintillating talk shows and lectures that’ll spark intellectual curiousity. Please come and explore new interests alongside your existing favorites.

Since JMoF’s inception, we’ve valued the philosophy of “To make people laugh, to cultivate, and establish”. We believe that through laughs and smiles, the present is nurtered, and the kemono culture can be passed from the past to the present, where it can be linked to the future that’s brimming with possibility.

JMoF 2025 will be held from January 10th (Fri.), 2025 to the 12th (Sun.) in Aichi Prefecture, at Toyohashi City’s Loisir Hotel Toyohashi. The theme for this year is “Everything Everywhere All at JMoF” ─ as for how to interpret that, we leave it to the attendees’ imaginations and playfulness. Please make full use of these two qualities to better enjoy JMoF.

Anyone who has an interest in kemono or furry can participate in JMoF. We look forward to welcoming all of you!

About Kemono (Furry)

“Furry” is a word that describes an animal character that displays human characteristics, and is a term used by the international community of those who like these characters. The Japanese community also uses this term, but the term “kemono”, which holds close to the same meaning, is also frequently used.

Even when simply saying “displays human characteristics”, the actual representation of this is varied. For instance, in the worlds of “BEASTARS” and “Zootopia”, both have a culture close to that of humans, but their appearances differ in terms of how closely they resemble humans. Also in the case of “Pokémon” and “My Little Pony”, even if the characters’ appearances resemble animals other than humans, we can see a difference (except in special cases) in whether or not they can utter human speech.

There’s no strict definition of kemono. This openness allows for a wide range of creativity, whether it be the type of animal (even non-existent ones), how human-like their appearance is, or the unique cultures (or behaviors) they embody. These kinds of animal characters have been a part of our human culture across all ages and societies.

The community that’s shaped by those whom like or have an interest in kemono has been growing worldwide nowadays. Japan is no exception, and at the latest by the 1990s, through comic-selling events, the internet, and fursuiting events the community had become visible and spread to become what we know today.

It seems like every other day that the kemono community announces and sells new art, fursuits, photos, music, acts, performances, stories, and other creative endeavors. This kind of thing that the fans partake in could be called a “fandom”, but it could be said that one small difference between a lot of the other fandoms and this one is how often original works are created.

Within the community, some members feel a deep emotional connection to animals, from the empathy felt for the various animals that share our planet, to a connection to the animals found in their culture (such as in myths and folklore). There are many people who devote themselves to visiting areas associated with animals, or to creating nature and animal-themed art.

There are kemono conventions worldwide that are being held to give a space for those who like or have an interest in kemono to meet. For those who haven’t yet entered the world of kemono but have an interest in animal characters, please attend a kemono convention and experience the world of kemono for yourselves!