Being an anime fan in the Bay Area of California is great for a lot of reasons, but one of the main pulls is the fact that we have so many outlets for Japanese pop culture. For example, this past August saw the latest iteration of the J-Pop Summit Festival, a fun street fair conglomeration of all things related to J-Pop. Since it was based in San Francisco's very own Japantown, traveling was easy and the setting was familiar to all attendees. Even if you're not big into J-Pop, the whole thing is like a miniature version of the Cherry Blossom Festival which means food stands and vendors in the street, plenty of cosplay, and an all around good time. If you weren't in Japantown in San Francisco on August 27th or 28th, sit tight and I'll fill you in on what you missed.

 As far as booths went, there were definitely not nearly as many as the Cherry Blossom Festival but this was mostly made up in quality; the food was well priced and tasty and there was a good smattering of vendors. There were a few good artists selling prints, more than one clothing shop, and a whole lot of miscellaneous stuff including a fortune teller and a booth where you could create your own anime character.

For those not in the know, Japantown hosts the New People building, a tower of Japanese goodness owned by Viz Media. In the basement you can find the Viz Cinema theater which shows anime movies like the Evangelion remakes as well as live action Japanese movies like Gantz. On the second floor you can find one of the hottest clothing stores for otaku: Baby the Stars Shine Bright. Now, it would be wonderful if this was a cosplay depot, but it's one hundred percent dedicated to Lolita fashion. Unless you enjoy traipsing about in neo-Victorian frills and what not, this isn't for you.

Baby the Stars Shine Bright hosted a costume contest during the festival, so everyone got to see a slew of talented Lolita aficionados strut their cutesy stuff on stage. The only guideline they were given was to dress in a circus theme, and this translated into more than one top hat and whip combo. (and a stuffed animal or two to boot). Most anime conventions hold some type of cosplay competition, so the whole experience wasn't altogether unique, but at the same time it was great to see Lolita fashion receive a good chunk of stage time all to itself.

Another attraction featured at the Summit was a live show by the English voice actresses for K-ON! who sang their hearts out. We didn't catch the main event, but we saw them open for the K-ON! volume three premier. Firstly, those girls rocked and I have no idea how they made their voices sound so perfectly anime-esque, but watching them joyously throttle unplugged guitars and bang the one inch space above their drums was a tad disconcerting. Don't get me wrong, if I could make my vocal chords do anything remotely close to what they pulled off I'd start voice-act-busking on the streets, and they definitely put effort into bringing energy to the situation, but it may have been better to forgo the pretend instruments altogether. Either way, considering the event was free and it was fairly lively, it was a special treat that definitely helped make the whole summit more fun.

Arguably the biggest attraction at the summit, Itakutora and Aikawa Kozue from the Danceroid crew took front and center in the plaza in flurry of upbeat dancing. Danceroid is a Japanese idol group that focuses solely on dancing and lip-syncing to Vocaloid songs. Yes, Vocaloid has become an industry in its own right such that idols can earn a living through its songs, but that's a topic for another time. The dance show itself was very entertaining and definitely gave me new insight into the idol culture. The two girls even helped judge a dance contest for Vocaloid songs, and they provided great feedback to all the contestants. Say what you will about idols, but they make smiling, cuteness, and positivity an art to master.

One of the most unique moves the J-Pop Summit Festival made was hosting a VIP party that happened on Saturday night. If you paid twenty dollars, you gained access to the first floor of the New People building which hosted live DJs as well as Lolita fashion maven, h. Naoto. Also, you could get your mitts on Project Diva, Vocaloid's very own rhythm game. Danceroid made a special appearance late in the night, danced to a couple of songs, and the event managers surprised one of the members, Itokutora, with an early birthday cake. After a cheery and failed "Happy Birthday" tribute (it seems only a few people actually knew the idols name), there was a mellow hoorah and the festivities continued once again. There were a few platters of food and a woman providing free chocolate samples to quell our appetites, so the whole first floor was a pretty decent party-like experience for anyone willing to shell out the cash. And of course, no party is complete without booze for those who are of age.

But, if you paid $100 you gained access to the top story of the New People building where you could rub elbows with industry professionals, eat stacks of dim sum from the famous Chinese restaurant, Yank Sing, and groove to J-Pop (although no one actually partook in the grooving). Now in theory, paying the extra eighty dollars is a great deal if it meant getting face time in a party atmosphere with the Danceroid girls and the other guests, but there were a few kinks in this plan. The fact that there were no official translators on the floor was our biggest complaint. The few fans who did talk with the guests greeted them awkwardly before quickly turning away at the language barrier. It was great to see the girls, it was great to enjoy the atmosphere, but dim sum, sushi, and mood lighting were not worth the price tag. However I must stress that the actual party was really fun. It certainly helped that a young woman attempted to douse a group of candles with, unknown to her, vodka.

All in all the J-Pop Summit was fun. Given a few more years to evolve and expand, it will be fantastic, but considering this is essentially a focused street fair with a few special treats, the organizers are doing a great job. Besides the minor complaint about the price tag for the VIP party, the only real quip I had was the lack of diversity in J-Pop. Most of the music playing was Vocaloid, the only J-Pop stars, minus the DJ and fashion designer, were Vocaloid dancers, and the VIP party showed off a Vocaloid rhythm game. If you're a Vocaloid fan, this might as well be a mini-Mecca, but I was really hoping to glean a lot more about the J-Pop scene instead of being bombarded with Hatsune Miku and her ilk. Hopefully, in the years to come, the Summit will indeed evolve and expand and I will eventually get my wish. Until then, you can bet on me and the T-ONO crew heading out again next year!

Don't forget to check out all our photos, from the Danceroid girls dancing on stage, to the K-ON! girls performing, click here!

Photos taken by Roger Lee, article edited by Theodore Mak.