Who is Aniwaza?

Aniwaza was founded in 2019 by Aerie and Gin to promote wotagei culture at conventions across North America. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the two members, alongside Pwn, began honing their craft, gaining new members and spreading wotagei however they could in unprecedented times: through online events and social media.

Now a full, multi-generational team, Aniwaza'‘s goals have solidified further: to promote all forms of wotagei and idol culture across the globe, by attending conventions and presenting workshops, performing and collaborating with top content creators.

Events We’ve Done

2025:

  • Anime Los Angeles: Long Beach, California

2024:

  • Anime Night: Anime Matsuri: Carteret, NJ

  • Anime Expo: Los Angeles, CA

  • Otakon: Washington, DC

  • Anime NYC: New York, NY

  • Northwest IdolFest: Seattle, WA

  • Anime USA: Arlington, VA

  • NekoCon: Hampton, VA

  • Anime Weekend Atlanta: Atlanta, GA

2023:

  • Anime Boston: Boston, MA

  • Castle Point Anime Convention: Secaucus, NJ

  • Anime Expo: Los Angeles, CA

  • NekoCon: Hampton, VA

2021:

  • IdolCon Summer: Online event

  • Anime NYC: New York, NY

  • All Systems Go Anime Night: Worcester, MA

2020:

  • IdolCon Fall: Online event

2019:

  • Anime Los Angeles: Ontario, CA

  • Anime Expo: Los Angeles, CA

  • Anime Weekend Atlanta: Atlanta, GA

  • Anime NYC: New York, NY

Testimonials

“Aniwaza was phenomenal to work with for Anime Weekend Atlanta. Before the event they were very communicative to ensure that everything regarding their attendance was sorted. They worked tirelessly through out the convention, running multiple panels and performing in the Starlight Idol Festival; they even attended shows and events they weren't required to and placed themselves in the front of the crowd to cheer for all of the performers. Their energy at every event encouraged others to fully immerse themselves in the audience and enjoy performances, which in turn energized the performers on stage. We've received and seen a lot of feedback about how much people enjoyed the idol programming at AWA, and we fully believe that Aniwaza was a huge component of that. Many performers have dreamt about having a crowd as interactive as ours were, and Aniwaza made that happen - they do an excellent job of spreading the art of wotagei and keeping the environment open, accepting, and beginner-friendly! Many peoples first experience with wotagei is through Aniwaza, and we believe they’re at the front of its' growing popularization in the west. “

  • Neon, Anime Weekend Atlanta Programming

“Attending the Aniwaza panels and workshops are some of the highlights of my convention trips. Waving a penlight is fun, but being able to learn dance moves to cheer your oshi on during a performance is even more awesome. Not to mention being able to meet people that share an interest in wotagei and wota culture!”

  • KB, workshop attendee

“The panel that they gave on wotagei performance was an extremely educational experience. While I personally did not attend the panel myself due to staffing obligations, I had the fortunate opportunity to speak with several attendees who did and they felt that the experience on the whole helped them to appreciate the art more than they did prior. I also got to see more and more people throughout the weekend outside of Aniwaza performing wotagei after this panel, and it was genuinely heartwarming to see the culture expand. This ultimately made the event so much more enriching and was a giant help in fulfilling the IdolFest Foundation's mission of bringing Japanese idol culture to North America and providing educational offerings for our attendees. Aniwaza was a wonderful part of our event, and I personally appreciated every moment of their presence with us!”

  • Tom, Northwest IdolFest Programming

“Aniwaza's presence in the crowd of any idol event brings so much energy and they've truly become the heart of idol and wota culture in America! I always end up learning something new by joining in on their shenanigans when I'm not on stage, and it's always the highlight of an event for me.”

  • ADEN, overseas idol performer and IDOL GATEWAY Founder