{"rewrite":{"id":"r_6179b588f4c6a9fd56a32c47","clusterId":"c_b8256985c371c529ccbd7839","slug":"offkai-expo-gen5-draws-vtuber-fans-to-san-jose-for-three-days-of-japanese-pop-culture","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"OffKai Expo Gen5 Draws VTuber Fans to San Jose for Three Days of Japanese Pop Culture","summary":"OffKai Expo Gen5, billed as the largest VTuber event in North America, ran July 24-26 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. The convention featured corporate booths, a flea market, live music, and panel talks, with an opening ceremony that included wotagei and maid cafe performances. Attendance last year was 6,900, a 130% increase, and this year's estimate nears 9,000.","whyItMatters":"The event's mix of VTubers with cosplay, wotagei, maid cafes, and other Japanese pop culture elements shows it functions as a fan-run, offline meetup rather than a single-company production.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe opening ceremony set the tone: penlight wotagei during program explanations, maids performing dance covers, and no VTubers on stage except the official mascot. The mascot, Sam-Joe, introduced HIMEHINA\u0026#39;s world tour. The main stage held an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOffKai Live!, a main attraction, featured seven VTubers including KAF. The event also included sold-out maid cafes, which surprised the reporter. The genre diversity drew comparisons to Anime Expo in Los Angeles.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"OffKai Expo Gen5 in San Jose mixed VTubers with wotagei, maid cafes, and cosplay. Last year's 6,900 attendance could near 9,000 this year. A fan-run, offline meetup for Japanese pop culture.","twitterPost":"OffKai Expo Gen5 in San Jose: VTubers, wotagei, maid cafes, and more. Last year drew 6,900, up 130%. This year's estimate: nearly 9,000.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"OffKai Expo Gen5, billed as North America's largest VTuber event, wrapped three days in San Jose. The fan-run convention mixed VTubers with wotagei, maid cafes, and cosplay, with last year's attendance of 6,900 potentially growing to nearly 9,000.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"PANORA\",\"url\":\"https://panora.tokyo/archives/150678\",\"title\":\"Report on 'OffKai Expo,' the Largest VTuber Event in North America: Three Days Overflowing with Love for Japanese Pop Culture\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4735,"outputTokens":579,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786467236,"createdAt":"2026-08-11T16:44:06.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-11T16:46:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-11T16:44:06.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b8256985c371c529ccbd7839","canonicalTitle":"北米最大のVTuberイベント「OffKai Expo」レポート　日本発ポップカルチャーへの愛があふれた3日間","representativeArticleId":"a_5d1343c90c7df99d73c63166","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"OffKai Expo Gen5\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"event\",\"domain\":\"vtuber\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-02T09:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-02T09:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-11T16:46:44.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"PANORA","url":"https://panora.tokyo/archives/150678","title":"北米最大のVTuberイベント「OffKai Expo」レポート　日本発ポップカルチャーへの愛があふれた3日間"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["OffKai Expo Gen5"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"event","domain":"vtuber","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}