Kemono Station is a smaller Japanese kemono and fursuit community event held annually at KIITO Hall in Kobe, Hyogo. It is deliberately scoped as a fursuit-interaction "station" rather than a hotel convention or doujinshi fair, with a strong beginner-friendly framing.
The official site lists Kemono Station 5 for May 3-4, 2026 at KIITO Hall (Design and Creative Center Kobe), with a ¥5,980 all-day base ticket and no single-day option. There is no walk-in registration, and all participation is pre-paid and pre-registered through the official site.
The event is closer to a focused community gathering than a hotel convention. Its stated aim is to create a "station" where people who like kemono kigurumi and fursuits can meet, including newcomers who have not attended many character events before. Sponsor tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze) layer on early changing-room booking, advance badge mailing, and, distinctively, earlier permission to actually be in fursuit on the floor.
KIITO sits in Kobe's waterfront area near Sannomiya, the city's main rail hub. From Osaka or Kyoto, take JR, Hankyu, or Hanshin rail service to Sannomiya, then catch the Port Loop bus to the KIITO-mae (KIITO前) stop, which the convention recommends for fursuit attendees because it drops you directly at the venue. From Shin-Kobe (Shinkansen), the same Port Loop bus reaches KIITO directly. From Kobe Airport, take the Port Liner to Sannomiya and transfer to Port Loop. KIITO's own parking is unavailable for the event; nearby coin parking is the alternative for drivers.
Curated stays near KIITO Hall (Design and Creative Center Kobe), Kobe, Japan.
Staying around Sannomiya is the safest default because it offers the widest hotel range, strong rail links, and easy access to restaurants. Kobe's waterfront and Motomachi areas are also close enough for a short taxi or transit ride to KIITO. Note that the sibling event Kemono Stay uses a different venue (Kobe Fruit Flower Park) and operates separately; do not mix the two reservations.
Kemono Station 4 ran two days at KIITO Hall in Kobe on May 4-5, 2025. This was the edition where volunteers were officially renamed from "staff" to CREW (クルー), language that has carried into every edition since. (Earlier records placed KS4 in Hong Kong; that attribution was a mismatch with a separate Hong Kong kemono event and has been corrected.)
Kemono Station 1 launched as a single-day event at KIITO on May 4, 2023, with the theme "Kemono Survival" framed around the fandom's recovery from the COVID-era contraction of events. KS1 was the renamed and rescaled successor to an earlier Kobe meet called Kamimofu (かみもふ), with the same organising community but a larger venue and ambition under a new brand.
Historical data and growth track record
| Year | Dates | Theme | Attendance | Charity Raised | Guest(s) of Honor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2027 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | None Announced |
2026 | May 3-4 | TBA | TBA | TBA | None Announced |
2025 | May 4-5 | TBA | TBA | TBA | None Announced |
2024 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | None Announced |
2023 | May 4-4 | Kemono Survival | TBA | TBA | None Announced |
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3 quirks & policies that don't fit the highlights grid.
Shojuusha: the named beginner-furry badge with volunteer ambassadors
Kemono Station runs a 初獣者 (Shojuusha, "beginner furry") program built around a roughly 10cm wearable badge. First-timers, or anyone who self-identifies as new to kemono events, wear it visibly on the chest, and volunteer 初獣者大使 ("Beginner Furry Ambassadors") roam the floor to help badge-wearers initiate hugs, photos, and conversation with experienced suiters. Experienced attendees are explicitly asked on the official page to look out for badges and approach wearers first. The badge artwork changes every edition, so it doubles as a per-year collectible. This is structurally different from generic "newbie ribbon" cons because the assist role is a named, staffed program rather than a passive icebreaker label.
Gold/Silver/Bronze: a sponsor ladder that stages fursuit-suiting time
Most cons stagger sponsor perks by hall-entry order or perk bundles. Kemono Station stages something more specific: when in the day each tier is allowed to fursuit. Gold Supporters can suit immediately on entry (their participant badge is mailed to them in advance so they skip the check-in queue entirely and walk straight to the changing room). Silver Supporters can suit after check-in but before the opening ceremony. Bronze and general attendees can suit only after the opening ceremony. The ladder also gates changing-room booking order (Gold gets first pick of the popular A-room) and KeMoNo LOUNGE afterparty ticket access.
KIITO plaza: outdoor public-space fursuiting with an attend-escort protocol
The convention has negotiated permission to fursuit at 新港突堤西地区暫定広場, the provisional public plaza directly across from KIITO. The protocol is unusually specific: each suiter requires a designated handler (attend), each attend can escort at most about two suiters, only the one approved walking route between KIITO and the plaza is permitted, no running, and crossings must wait for a fresh green light rather than starting mid-cycle. Only the plaza itself is approved - adjacent parks and convenience stores are explicitly off-limits. This is a rare publicly-permitted outdoor fursuiting area with a documented escort SOP rather than a casual "fursuit-friendly outside" hand-wave.
