Glossary
What is a matsuri, what is a Muttizettel and what happens in the Artist Alley? The most important terms around conventions and HanaCon are explained here.
A
Animated films and series produced in Japan.
An area where artists show and sell their own work.
B
C
The themed café of HanaCon, where maids and butlers serve pastries, drinks and curry.
A cute, exaggerated depiction of a character with a big head and a small body.
A meeting of fans of a topic, here Japanese and Korean pop culture, with stage programme, workshops, vendors, cosplay and much more.
A blend of “costume” and “play”: fans dress up as characters from anime, manga, games or films and act them out.
A contest on stage where cosplayers present their costumes.
A check at the entrance that tests whether your props are allowed. The cosplay rules list which items are banned.
D
Booklets or comics that fans and creators publish themselves, often about their own stories or well-known series.
E
The wristband from the box office or the wristband counter. With it you can leave and re-enter the venue as often as you like during opening hours.
F
Pictures drawn or made by fans of their favourite characters and series.
G
A games area with indie games to try.
Invited guests of HanaCon, for example voice actors or content creators.
H
The mascot of HanaCon.
Our own area for Japanese and Korean fashion.
The HanaCon team for first aid and awareness. Just approach them if you need help.
The non-profit association behind HanaCon.
The largest area of HanaCon, with vendors and exhibitors.
J
Japanese pop music.
K
Korean pop music, often with elaborate dance choreographies.
Singing along to an instrumental version with the lyrics on screen. In 2026 the karaoke team KOE offered more than 30,000 songs in English, German, Japanese and Korean at HanaCon.
Japanese for “cute”.
M
The service staff at Café HanaBon, who serve in matching costumes.
Japanese comics. They are read from right to left.
Japanese for “festival”. At HanaCon, a take on the traditional Japanese folk festival with games and activities.
A hands-on area with creative workshops and signing sessions.
The colloquial German term for the written authorisation by which parents or guardians entrust an adult with supervising their child. At HanaCon, children up to 13 need an authorised adult companion. More under Awareness and safety.
O
HanaCon is organised entirely by volunteers. We call the organising team the “Orga” and the helpers on site the “crew”.
S
Our code phrase for asking for help: “Wo sind die Kirschblüten?” (“Where are the cherry blossoms?”). If you feel uncomfortable, say it to a member of the crew, HanaAid or the info desk. More under Awareness and safety.
A performance on stage, for example dance, singing or a show.
Drawing or painting against the clock, at HanaCon also as a contest.
V
People who lend their voice to animated characters. Some come to conventions as guests of honour.
Still have questions?
- General questions info@hanacon.de
- Press presse@hanacon.de
- Sponsoring & partners sponsoring@hanacon.de
- Crew crew@hanacon.de
Find more answers in the FAQ or write to us via the contact form.
