Manga lovers, mark your calendars—again. For the 2026 edition of the biggest anime convention in the United States, Anime Expo and Kodansha have announced a partnership to bring Kodansha House, the publisher’s wildly popular immersive manga pop-up, to Los Angeles, California, for the first time this summer. Running from July 2, 2026, to July 12, in Little Tokyo, the pop-up’s dates overlap with Anime Expo 2026’s July 2–5 dates at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The West Coast debut marks a major expansion for Kodansha House, which made its highly-anticipated return to New York City, New York, last year at a curated space at 210 Lafayette in SoHo last Fall. According to the official Kodansha House website, fans of manga and otakus can also expect Kodansha House to return to NYC later this year, as well as San Diego. Could this be its first year at SDCC?
In a 2025 interview with Stately Beat Manor, Kodansha USA CEO Alvin Lu described the concept as something deliberately distinct from the convention floor experience—more than a showroom, a curated experience celebrating manga, literature, art, and design all under one stylish roof. He said:
Anyone who’s had a chance to visit Kodansha House—or even seen clips of it online—can see how it’s different from the “big tent” conventions, much as we love those too. I can’t quite put it into words, you kind of have to see it for yourself, but Kodansha House is something we’ve put a lot of thought into as a curated experience tailored toward Kodansha’s identity as a manga publisher and part of the broader Asian pop-culture cosmos at the same time. We wanted to give back something to our biggest fans in the form of an experience, but it’s also a great way for someone who might want to find out more about what manga and anime are all about to have a first-hand encounter with it and live to tell the tale.
Highlights from this year’s upcoming Kodansha House Los Angeles pop-up will include feature guest appearances by three major manga creators: Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, the writer-artist duo behind global soccer phenomenon Blue Lock, and Witch Hat Atelier creator Kamome Shirahama, whose long-running magical fantasy series recently received a highly anticipated anime adaptation. All three will also serve as official Anime Expo guests, with separate panels and signing events at the convention. Additional details on how to attend those appearances will be announced at a later date, with AX badge holders able to unlock specialty events.
Returning as Kodansha’s official retail partner for the event is Kinokuniya USA, with exclusive merchandise available only at Kodansha House and Kinokuniya locations. The pop-up itself will offer a manga gallery, café, lounge, and library, with daily programming including creator appearances, anime screenings, and panel discussions.
Kodansha House has grown considerably since its early iterations. Last year’s event was bigger in terms of size, traffic, social coverage, and retail—every metric, really—than the year before, Lu noted in his interview with The Beat, citing how fans were discovering new ways to use the space for their own needs. Among the newer additions last year was the Kodansha Mochikomi Fresh Ink program, which brought Kodansha editors to the event for one-on-one meetings with established and aspiring artists to discuss their work. Everyone who was there got a very privileged look at how this unique industry works, Lu said.
When asked last year whether more pop-ups were coming, Lu’s answer was simple: yes. And now it’s a reality.
Source: Kodansha Press Release
Anime Expo 2026 credentials are available at anime-expo.org.
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