I landed in Bangkok on February 4… sick. I was sick when I landed in Phuket on January 29 and I could not enjoy that time with my friends — but I will blog about Phuket later. I didn’t go out much for the first two days in Bangkok. On February 8 (a Saturday), I was on my way to the Big C opposite CentralWorld when I noticed a concert happening at CentralWorld mall.
And I can’t believe I missed One or Eight! 🙁 I was listening to their latest single “Tokyo Drift” the last few days and I could have seen them perform it live — for free(!) — had I known about JapanExpo happening! Another act I ended up missing was Sho Kiryuin from Golden Bomber. I kept thinking to myself “where have I heard the name Golden Bomber before?“. Only after returning back to India did I remember their awesome track “Dance My Generation” (funny music video by the way).
It wasn’t the whole group that performed so I don’t know if missing Sho Kiryuin was a big deal or not.
Oh well, I made a note of who all were performing on February 8, the last day of Japan Expo Thailand 2026, and told myself I would try to see more acts. Then I went inside CentralWorld mall.
An idol girl group called Say La were performing on the indoor Taiyo stage
Say La are what in the K-pop world is referred to as a nugu group (meaning: not very popular… yet)
In fact, Japan Expo Thailand featured so many artists — many small — and a few big names, both Thai and Japanese.
Back out on the main stage, another girl group called JOY was performing
Looking them up online, they’re also called Nearly Equal Joy (don’t ask me why)
I wasn’t familiar with JOY’s music but I enjoyed watching the fanboys more!
They even had an elevated stage which was used by fans for their fancams. Gotta love their dedication!
Check out the compilation of video clips I took at JapanExpo Thailand 2026 at the bottom of this post.
Date: February 8, 2026
The next day (it was a Sunday), I made it back to CentralWorld after visit Dusit Central Park earlier (again, I will blog about all that later).
Cosplayers were out in full force and many were taking part in photoshoots
I wish I could have spent more time taking photos of some of the cool cosplay I saw
But there were so many!
There were lots of meet & greets happening with idols on the sidelines
This was a famous Thai celebrity named Gulf Kanawut
But I had to rush inside CentralWorld to catch a glimpse of the first act I wanted to see that day — Avantgardey. The viral Avantgardey is a 20-member all-female Japanese dance team led by choreographer Akane. They are known for their highly synchronized dances and their ‘uniform’ look. They got really popular after appearing on America’s Got Talent where they reached the semifinals.
It got crowded at the stage level so for a better look, I went a floor above
Avantgardey hit the stage and kicked off with a high energy performance
As you can tell, this is not the full lineup
The girls danced to a medley of songs, including the “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” from Neon Genesis Evangelion
They had a brief moment to talk to the audience where they announced Avantgardey would be back in March for a standalone show in Bangkok
Avantgardey even danced to a Thai song before leaving the stage
Behind the Taiyo stage, there were more meet & greets with idol groups — but I was told by a staff member that I can’t really take photos of the girls. I guess guys have to pay for that privilege.
I had to step away from CentralWorld to hop over to BigC when I noticed JapanExpo was having a mascot parade.
But who is that I see?
Chiitan!! If you aren’t familiar with the antics of Chiitan, check out his Instagram
I had to head back to my hotel room for a bit as I had to pack my bags. When I stepped out again, it had rained hard for a bit.
When I returned in the evening, the cosplayers were still seeing milling about
When I reached the main outdoor Kaze stage, a Japanese boyband called Kid Phenomenon was on stage
I looked up Kid Phenomenon and they’re one of the newer sub-groups under the long-running EXILE TRIBE supergroup. Check out their song “Snakebite” — it’s pretty good.
Kid Phenomenon was followed by another EXILE TRIBE group called Lil League
I thought they were pretty good! Especially their song “Lollipop“
Lil League was followed by a girl group called Banzai Japan
As colourful as their stage was… honestly, I found their music ‘meh’
The final and closing act of JapanExpo Thailand 2026 was BNK48
Who are BNK48 you ask? Well, they are the Thai sister group of Japan’s most successful idol girl group, AKB48. The 48 signifies the number of members… which now, in AKB48’s case, has grown to have over 100 members! BNK48 is the third sister group after JKT48 (Indonesia). BNK48’s first generation debuted in 2017.
BNK48 also has sub-units and this unit was the first to perform
This was the second unit
And then they both joined to perform an AKB48 song
And these glamorous girls are the 3rd and current generation of BNK48
It was their first performance of their latest single “Celebration“
In fact, much of BNK48’s stage was devoted to promoting “Celebration”. The girls even sat on stage and watched the whole music video in front of the audience.
Towards the end, every member of BNK48 took to the stage and said their goodbyes.
They didn’t perform because there was no way they could all dance in that limited space
More than the music, I enjoyed the fan chants, and watching the excitement of the fanboys around me was fun.
Check out the video at the bottom for clips of all that
I had to leave as I was leaving Bangkok the following day
Mind you, JapanExpo Thailand was not just about the concerts.
There were stalls and booths for other activities and interests
This was the full line-up of groups who all performed over three days. Click here for a larger version
As much as I enjoyed all the idol groups, I am bitter about not knowing about JapanExpo Thailand 2026 earlier. (I blame my fever). I missed seeing One or Eight, Golden Bomber’s Sho Kiryuin, seeing a few members of AKB48, and the many other smaller groups. Mind you, all of this entertainment was free for three days because JapanExpo Thailand has the backing of Japan’s government agencies and major corporate sponsors like ISUZU Corporation.
I now follow JapanExpo Thailand on Instagram and will keep an eye out for their future events. If you are a J-pop fan in India and wish to see such idol groups, I would highly recommend following JapanExpo and plan a trip to Bangkok around the time the next JapanExpo Thailand happens. I can only imagine it’s going to get bigger!
Last November, I decided just a few weeks earlier to go back to Thailand. The main purpose of this trip was to witness the Loi Krathong (or Loy Krathong) festival, one of Thailand’s most beautiful festivals and one that I always wanted to cover. Although it’s a national festival, Thailand still doesn’t get a public holiday for it.
Usually falling in November, I first booked my flights in October via Cleartrip.com which had a really good offer: a return ticket from Thai Airways (direct flight) + 2,000 hotel voucher + 1,000 worth of credit for a Uniconnect Thailand SIM card + an entry to DreamWorld theme park… all for 16,742 ($375/€262). Awesome deal if you ask me!
But, one week prior departure, I won the chance to go see Linkin Park in Abu Dhabi! So I delayed my departure by a few days, and then again after I read Jay Park was going to be performing in Bangkok. I left for Dubai on a Friday early morning and returned to Bangalore late Sunday night. I then went to office on the following Monday and then left for the airport in the evening for my early morning flight on Tuesday!
The flight wasn’t full, so I had an entire row to myself
The Thai chicken curry meal was yum
Unlike my first visit to Thailand, in which I tried to cover the entire country in 9 days (I did it, but I didn’t quite enjoy the experience), this time around I was only going to focus on North Thailand. Most of my time would be spent in Chiang Mai covering the Yi Ping Festival (as Loi Krathong is called in Chiang Mai), after which I planned to go to Chiang Rai & then a day in Pattaya before heading back to Bangkok.
Arrived in Bangkok at dawn
Hello Suvarnabhumi!
Sigh, the many travelators you have to cross…
… to finally get to the visa-on-arrival section
Once I did get to the Visa-on-arrival counter, I submitted my form, showed them how much currency I was carrying and got my visa-on-arrival without having to pay the usual ฿1000. After that was customs and then collecting my bags. Last year, I took a taxi from the airport into Bangkok city which cost ฿320 but this time, I decided to take a shuttle bus.
The private bus going to Sukhumvit cost ฿150 (Rs. 222/$5/€3.5)
That’s Suvarnabhumi airport
Getting near Sukhumvit took only 20 minutes
But then, Bangkok’s infamous traffic soon began. And my god did it last long! It took the bus nearly an hour just to get into Sukhumvit road.
I finally got dropped at Nana BTS station. I chose to stay at Thai House Inn, a place where I spent two nights at last year — because it’s 30 seconds walk from the metro station (literally) and its not far from all the malls. I needed to stay here because first on the list of things-to-do was to buy some camera equipment, so I had to have quick access to the shopping centers, especially MBK. Those whole followed my Singapore & Malaysia series must have read that I couldn’t pick up a good camera tripod while I was there. So this time, I just couldn’t go to Chiang Mai without it!
But first, I had to get some sleep! After a whirlwind trip to Dubai and then hopping on to another flight to get to Thailand, my body needed some proper rest.
I got up at lunch time, took the BTS SkyTrain and headed straight to MBK Center, one of my favourite malls in Bangkok.
From Nana, the Siam station is only 3 stops away; costs ฿25
MBK houses Fotofile, the store from where I bought my Canon 7D and other accessories last year. Fotofile also manages the official Canon store and two other stores in MBK! List of things to buy included a 70-200 f2.8 lens, another 16GB card, an interval remote, and a good tripod. I went to all of Fotofile’s stores, a BIG Camera branch and jotted down the prices for all that I wanted.
I had lunch from the food court which offers a lot of variety (though mostly Asian cuisine & fast food)
I left MBK and thought I’d check out some other stores.
I never walked on that pedestrian bridge below the Skytrain tracks
The traffic is like this from 8am to 8pm
The skywalk bridge connects to a lot of the malls along the Ratchaprasong area
I didn’t even step into Centralworld last time
I got down from the skywalk
I decided to head to the parallel Petchburi Road where Pantip Plaza is located.
I came to Pantip Plaza because none of the camera stores in MBK (and the Siam malls) sold tripods from the brand Vanguard. I had a particular model in mind but even after stepping into pretty much every Pantip Plaza shop that sold camera equipment, none stocked products from Vanguard.
I left Pantip Plaza disappointed
I wanted to try and buy everything I wanted from one store, so that I didn’t have to swipe my card three or four times and incur additional charges for each transactions.
I decided to head back to Sukhumvit road
It was nearing sunset and my body was telling me 4 hours of sleep wasn’t enough
Ratchathewi station is at the far end of Petchburi road
By the time I stepped out of the train, it was already dark. The sun sets rather quickly out here.
I decided to check one last mall before heading back
Centralworld is actually one of the biggest malls in Thailand
I looked up the store directory and saw that BIG Camera had a bigger branch here but unfortunately, it was in the part of the building which was under renovation.
After checking which ever stores were open, I left CentralWorld.
The one good thing I liked about the area I was in is that it’s actually full of Arab visitors, and therefore plenty of businesses exist catering to tourists from the Middle East and Africa.
Which meant, plenty of Middle Eastern cuisine for me to eat!
Yeah, it’s *that* Gulf-y!
I picked up a beef shawarma (฿50) and a drink from a 7-11 and made my way back to my room. I had kept the air conditioner on for a while to ventilate the room and rid it of the Bangkok ‘stench,’ which takes a little getting used to. (The ‘smell’ of Bangkok city is essentially the smell of fish sauce emanating in the air.)
I needed more sleep and I had to wake up early the next day. I assessed all the camera products and all the prices I made a note of. I had to pick up everything tomorrow itself and then leave early enough to get to Mo Chit bus terminal.
Next day
After waking up and breakfast at Au Bon Pain in MBK, I waited for the Fotofile stores to open.
Walked around the ‘street market’ stores on the 6th floor to pass time
I picked up an additional 16GB card, the interval remote and an extra battery for the Canon 7D from the Foto Thailand store on the 3rd floor
Lots of second hand lenses for sale
The telephoto lens I was keen on picking up was the Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS Mark 1. Unfortunately, that model was recently replaced by the newer Mark 2, which was obscenely expensive and thus made finding the Mark 1 a challenge.
So I ended up picking up a brand new Canon 70-200 f2.8 non-IS lens and using the substantial savings to purchase a good tripod instead. I needed one anyway.
I picked up the lens from the official Canon store managed by Fotofile
None of these are for sale, just on display
The Canon store had a few Manfrotto tripods on sale and I considered the Manfrotto 055x Pro B but it was too pricey. I went down to the BIG Camera store and picked up a Sirui tripod for around 7k baht. The model was very good value for money and complimented my newly acquired 70-200 lens well.
With all my shopping done, I went to one of the two main food courts in MBK.
Fifth Food Avenue is the name of this food court
I was still on my Malaysia high, so I had Nasi Goreng (although they went overboard with the soy sauce) ฿160
After lunch, I still had some time to kill, so I went to Siam Paragon to find out where the Jay Park concert was going to be held.
Siam Discovery, which is the older and slightly more wallet friendly mall
Clever ad 🙂
Siam Paragon mall is the more posh offering
The Royal Paragon Hall was on the top most floor, near the cinemas
Hmm, interesting
After finding out where Royal Paragon Hall was, I made my way out.
Walked past the luxury car showrooms on the second floor
Last year, they had a ‘No Photographs’ sign on the glass
So this time, I went in and got up close to the Lamborghinis. You don’t realize just how big these sexy machines are until you stand next to them. I spoke to the sales girl and I asked her how much the import duties for these cars are and she told me it’s over 100-150%, including the many taxes on these luxuries… making them super-expensive in Thailand. She wouldn’t disclose how many they sell a year but at such prices, I’m guessing not many. I hardly ever saw one on the road in the two trips I’ve made to Thailand.
Once back in my room, I re-packed my bags and checked out. The lady who runs Thai House Inn asked me why I was leaving so early and assured me there would be plenty of buses, but I didn’t want to risk not getting a seat. Going to Chiang Mai early is what I essentially came for.
I took the BTS all the way to till last stop, Mo Chit station, and from there I took a moped taxi (to Mo Chit bus terminal, which caters to North Thailand).
But when I got to the terminal, a lot of the buses to Chiang Mai leaving that night were already full! Especially the luxury buses, and I had to go from one transport company to another to find available seats. Fortunately, I got a ticket in a regular push-back seat bus — it was their last for the night!
Last year I got a seat in a luxury bus which cost me ฿700, for which I just showed up at the station and got my ticket. Of course, the sold-out seats today were due to the Loi Krathong weekend rush. So word of advice, if you want the luxury buses during Loy Krathong weekend, buy the tickets in advance.
Not that the bus I got was bad or anything, it was just one of those regular buses used on overnight long distance journeys, in my case an 8-hour journey.
A seat costs ฿403 (Rs. 597/$13/€9)
The bus made a rest stop for toilet break and for picking up dinner/snacks. In a few hours, I would arrive at Thailand’s second biggest city, and my second trip to Thailand officially begins!
