First off, a couple of questions: Do you like Japanese culture and music? Do you enjoy spending time with other people who share the same interests as you do for a couple of days? Do you enjoy buying unique trinkets and items imported directly from Japan that you can’t get anywhere else (except for Japan)? Do you enjoy seeing cosplayers, or dressing up yourself? Finally, do you live within driving/muni distance of San Francisco and want to spend the best weekend of your summer in SF Japantown, hanging with friends both old and new?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any/all of those, especially the last question (that one’s important), then you should get your tail on down to San Francisco Japantown for the J-Pop Summit Festival, happening on July 27th-28th!
The previous years have been chock-full of awesome attractions and displays, such as Danceroid, the AKB48 documentary ‘To be continued…’ premiere, a holographic 3D Hatsune Miku concert, fashion shows, artistic graffiti, outdoor raves, you name it. Well, this year will be the year to beat them all, featuring such attractions as:
- Lovendor – Reina Tanaka’s (formerly of Morning Musume) new J-Rock band
- Daichi – Youtube celebrity beatboxer
- Sweety – A three-piece girl unit made up of voice actresses
- The Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo US premiere
- Sake Tasting Event – It’s 5′oclock somewhere
- J-Pop Idol Contest – You can sing your lungs out to your favorite idol song and attempt to win (prescreen required)
- Vocaloid Dance Contest – This yearly event is back again so you can watch 12 people dance to the same Hatsune Miku song
- Japan Film Festival of SF – Catch various new Japanese films and attend the Q&A with the directors
- Harajuku Kawaii Fashion Show – If you’re a fashion person, this is a hot event
- Taiko Drum Performance – Cal Raijin Taiko will be performing their own original pieces
- Pocky Eating Contest – No, you heard me right. Watch starving Pocky addicts stuff 7 boxes of Pocky down their throats as fast as humanly possible. Swallowing is optional. Winner wins 365 boxes of Pocky.
Now for the main attraction…
- Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will be performing live in Union Square on July 28th to what will most certainly be a sold-out audience.
Come Join Us
I will be attending the festival representing New School Kaidan, wearing a very distinctive NSK logo shirt. If you plan to attend this event, definitely let me know by commenting below or tweeting me at @starlancerpg. Don’t forget to wear your idol gear and flaunt your loyalty to your favorite group, and come join me and everyone else at this year’s J-Pop Summit Festival!
Official event site: J-Pop Summit Festival 2013