This article is sponsored by ZenMarket

Cosplay is one of the most beloved traditions of the convention scene; the presence of hundreds of fictional characters brought to life really elevates the atmosphere of any con. It’s especially popular among anime fans, so you can guarantee that a large proportion of cosplayers at any con will be decked out as their favourite anime characters. Finding costumes and materials can be tricky though, whether you’re just getting started or an experienced veteran. Thankfully though, our friends at ZenMarket can help you find top-quality anime costumes, accessories, and cosplay materials, right from Japan!

ZenMarket acts like a middleman between you and a whole host of Japanese retailers that don’t ship internationally. You can browse their site for a wide variety of goods from various Japanese stores, place an order, and then ZenMarket will purchase your items and have them delivered to their Japanese warehouse, before shipping them on to you. You can even buy multiple items from multiple stores and have them compiled into a single package. If you’re still having a little trouble getting your head around it all, then don’t worry, ZenMarket has a short and easy-to-follow video tutorial on their website that’ll straighten things out.

Tanjiro

But what does any of this have to do with cosplay? Simple, Japan has one of the biggest cosplay cultures in the world, especially when it comes to anime and manga, so you’re guaranteed to be able to find all sorts of costumes and materials you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.

Let’s say you want to cosplay Tanjiro from Demon Slayer, well, ZenMarket offers you a few options. Following the Demon Slayer link in the Cosplay Showcase section, you’ll see a range of listings for complete or partial costumes from different retailers. You can find a complete costume from Amazon Japan, or you could just buy Tanjiro’s haori and earrings as a set.

Alternatively, if you’re more of a DIY cosplayer, then you could buy some green and black checkered fabric that would be perfect. While you’re there, maybe you’d like to grab Tanjiro’s sword, available from Rakuten, or perhaps you’d rather buy some foam from Amazon Japan and make your own? With ZenMarket, you can grab whatever bits and bobs you want from any eligible Japanese retailer and compile them into one order. And that’s exactly what fans are doing.

Let’s hear what some satisfied ZenMarket fans have to say. Since ZenMarket were generous enough to offer vouchers for their site as prizes for Supanova’s cosplay competitions this year, let’s start with one of our cosplay champions, our Gold Coast winner, @decapitated_delight. They said that they used their voucher to buy “a few things for my family,” as well as, “some merchandise for a few videogames I enjoy.”

Next, we have Australian user, Sara, who posted the following to Trustpilot earlier this year:

“Always a pleasure using ZenMarket, and have been doing so for years to get my packages from Japan to Australia, particularly items from Medicos Online, and more recently, Mercari.

@decapitated_delight

“Their user experience is very smooth, and purchase times on their end are excellent. Shipping and service fees are very competitive, and packages have always arrived safely and in a timely manner.

“I have never had any issues with customs or lost parcels, though this may be attributed to my location. Customer service has always been good at informing me of any issues with orders, namely when things are out of stock.

“All in all, as a long-time and loyal customer, I can highly recommend Zenmarket :)”

A quick search of Trustpilot will reveal even more glowing reviews and recommendations. For instance, American customer Laura Rose used the site to buy “some anime merch that’s only available in Japan,” upon a friend’s recommendation. She states that she was, “SO happy that [she] tried it,” and that she, “found exactly what [she] needed and it was pretty cheap too.”

Finally, if you’re not sure where to start looking for your items, ZenMarket has several helpful articles and blog posts that can point you in the right direction. They list different Japanese websites, such as Animate Online, Movic, Melonbooks and more, where you can find what you’re looking for. Then all you have to do is find what you’re looking for on the site, copy the item’s URL and paste it in ZenMarket’s search bar – it’s that easy!

So, if you want to give your anime cosplay a little extra authenticity, check out ZenMarket – your one-stop shop for all your Japanese cosplay needs. And if you use the promo code SUPANOVA on signup, you’ll get 500 ZenPoints, which is the equivalent of $5 off shipping on your first order.

Lead Image: Cosplay photos taken by Steamkittens, Jennifer Villalobos, and James Presneill (Fotomerchant).