Where Stories Connect

Cosplayers in vivid costumes filled EPIX Cinemas in Dana Mall as Japan Anime Fest 2026 kicked off, bringing eight films celebrating Japanese storytelling and imagination to Bahrain.

The opening drew Japanese Ambassador Asako Okai, fellow ambassadors, business leaders and cultural figures. Turnout was so strong that organisers had to distribute seat tickets ahead of the screening of Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters per Second.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Ambassador Okai said anime has become a shared touchstone for young people across Bahrain and the wider Arab world. “The young ones in the Arab world, especially Bahrain, have been brought up on Japanese anime,” she said, calling animation a “universal language” that transcends borders to share emotion and imagination.

The Ambassador said Shinkai’s film opened the festival for its visual style and emotional depth. The lineup also features The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Ride Your Wave, Okko’s Inn, Miyori in the Sacred Forest, Sumikkogurashi: The Movie, Chieri and Cherry, and Crayon Shin-chan: The Adult Empire Strikes Back.

Running under the theme “Where Stories Connect, Hearts Heal, and Magic Unfolds,” the festival continues at EPIX Cinemas through October 5, resumes October 8, and adds Bahrain Polytechnic screenings on October 6 and 7. All screenings are free with advance registration.