NEWSWORTHY
Kyary ride does its part for 'Cool Japan'
"Cool Japan Heats Up" declares a sign welcoming visitors to an area of Universal Studios Japan (USJ) devoted to the country's hottest pop culture exports. Now in its second year, USJ's "Universal Cool Japan" event features special attractions that run until June 26. It promises ...
Review: Moshi Moshi Nippon Festival at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
The rainy weather last Sunday didn't stop throngs of concertgoers from attending the Moshi Moshi Nippon Festival, a three-day concert produced by talent agency Asobisystem that focuses on pop music and Japanese culture. And like last year, non-Japanese music fans were allowed into the ...
From Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to Emoda, Japanese fashion aims to be accessible
Emoda's student style Commercially strong Emoda from the mid-market Mark Styler stable of brands recently collaborated with the Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, Japan's best-known fashion education institution, by giving students the opportunity to submit sketches of garments that they wished were on sale at ...
Zedd pleases, D'Angelo scores at this year's Summer Sonic
An important moment in the life of any music fan comes when they go to a festival they've been attending for several years and think — "Man, am I old?" For me, at 28, the 2015 edition of Summer Sonic marked this milestone (which came ...
Pop singer and fashion model Kyary Pamyu Pamyu gave a special live performance Saturday as part of a Japan Day event at the food-themed Expo Milano. The singer, an icon of Japan's kawaii (cute) culture, performed "Ninja Re Bang Bang" and "Tsukema Tsukeru," drawing cheers ...
Singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu visits Japan Pavilion at Milan expo
Japanese pop singer and fashion model Kyary Pamyu Pamyu on Friday visited the Japan Pavilion at the Expo Milano, a food-themed international fair, and had a look at high-tech presentations of the country's nature and culinary culture. After a tour guided by Tatsuya Kato, the ...
While Japanese cool hunters might lament the lack of pop cultural exports in recent years — all the more conspicuous when compared to K-Pop's successful forays westward — kawaii (cute) culture has quietly permeated into global consciousness with all the effortless grace of singer ...
Who was music being made for in 2014?
When looking back on the year in music, the big question music fans should be asking themselves is, "Who was music being made for in 2014?" Looking at the broader picture, we can find the answers writ large across the Japanese music scene. Is music ...
Review: Moshi Moshi Nippon at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Offering non-Japanese people free entry to Moshi Moshi Nippon was a risky move on the part of Asobisystem, but it seemed to have paid off. Nearly 15,000 punters showed up for the Sept. 28 event at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, and organizers say that 7,000 of ...
Summer's here — yukata, sales and back-to-school satchels
Mintdesigns' refreshing yukata Mintdesigns is a staple brand of the Japanese fashion scene, with its hot-ticket Tokyo Fashion Week shows featuring acclaimed artisan textiles patterned with whimsical, pop motifs. It's no wonder, then, that it's decided to produce its first yukata (traditional summer clothing) this ...
Forget Cool Japan — cute is this summer's hot global export
Summer is always high season for fans of Japanese pop culture. School's out, weather's amenable and festivals, conventions and expos shift into top gear in Japan and across the globe. Many in the pop-culture business are branding summer 2014 "the summer of kawaii" (Japanese uber-cute), ...
Masuda's mission to take Harajuku art global
New York is not a city one automatically associates with the Japanese concept of kawaii — lovably, irresistibly, dependably cute. But if Sebastian Masuda, the so-called "king of kawaii," has his way, the mean streets of "Goodfellas" may one day emanate a candy-colored glow. Or ...
