What’s Going On?

The J-Pop Summit Festival was held in San Francisco’s Japantown on August 15, 2009. The festival was hosted by a “Lolita/Gothic” clothing store called New People. The festival’s main purpose was to celebrate the store’s grand opening in San Francisco as well as to promote awareness in other areas of Japanese pop culture. The festival took place on Post St. and was two blocks long from Webster St. to Laguna St.

The festival was filled with all sorts of Japanese inspired entertainment. In Peace Plaza there was a Harajuku Makeover Contest, Japan Nite Special Girls Rock Explosion (feat. Red Bacteria Vacuum, noodles, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, and Omodaka), and a Harajuku Kawaii Dance Party. I was able to catch most of the Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re show. They are a three person all girl rock band and they are known for many songs, but what I have come to know them from is from their ending theme song to the ever popular Powerpuff Girls. The song is now performed by a Scottish rock band called Bis, but before Bis sang the song Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re rocked it out with their very first English song.

In front of the New People store on the J-Pop Summit Stage was a Gothic and Lolita fashion show featuring clothing from Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Black Peace Now! Lolita fashion is a Japanese styled wardrobe focused around the Rococo and Victorian era. More information on Lolita fashion can be found here.

Inside the New People store, designer Ms.Kumiko Uehara and model Ms.Misako Aoki showed off their clothing line as well as took part in a meet and greet. Artist Yoshitaka Amano also was present for the grand opening of New People to promote his art gallery as well hold a private autograph session for select individuals. Yoshitaka Amano is a well known artist in Japan and is familiarly notable for character designs for the role playing game Final Fantasy.

On Post St. various Japanese vendors promoted anime/manga, Japanese media, Japanese inspired clothing and gifts, corporate sponsor booths, and food. I had the chance to try some interesting foods, but the most interesting yet delicious snack I had was the rice cake balls covered in a teriyaki styled sauce. In the festival’s information booth artist Yuichi Yokoyama signed autographs for visitors to the festival, if you were special he drew a little piece of art for you as well as his autograph. Yuichi Yokoyama is an artist that designed a lot of the artwork that was present at the festival even the J-Pop Summit Festival poster.

Following the festivities a special premiere feature film called 20th Century Boys (part of a trilogy) was presented in a theater located in the basement of the New People store.