Friday, November 22, 2024

Music News

Music

Kenshi Yonezu Announces First-Ever Tour Across Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu has announced his first-ever U.S., Asia, and European tour dates. His world tour kicks off with two performances in Shanghai on March 8 and 9, 2025...

Theodore Mak - 09-10-2024

Music

NCT DREAM US Tour Starts this Month

South Korean boy group NCT DREAM, formed by SM Entertainment, will be kicking off the first leg of their US tour this month in Los Angeles, California on September 12...

Theodore Mak - 05-09-2024

Music

Lovebites US Tour Begins Soon

We are almost to the beginning of Lovebites' US tour. This is a long-awaited series of performances, and in a way, it's surprising that it took this long. One of...

Brian Lee - 03-09-2024

Music

SiM PLAYDEAD World Tour in America Begins Soon

SiM, who we last saw live at Crunchyroll Expo in 2022, is embarking on a world tour in support of their latest album, the PLAYDEAD World Tour.  They'll be spanning...

Brian Lee - 10-04-2024

Anime News

Anime News

BEYBLADE X at San Diego Padres Games

BEYBLADE X is going to San Diego, offering fans an opportunity to battle at Petco Park during two San Diego Padres home games. The event will take place on August...

Theodore Mak - 18-08-2024

Anime News

Shion Wakayama AVIOT Talk Show @ Anime Expo 2024

Anime Expo 2024 was brimming with excitement, and one of the standout moments was the talk session at the audio company AVIOT’s booth in the Entertainment Hall featuring the talented...

Administrator - 18-07-2024

Anime News

Warner Bros Anime Expo Panel - Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League and Suicide Squad Isekai

Warner Bros. Animation unveiled the Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League trailer at their recent panel at Anime Expo. This highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 film Batman Ninja gave fans a glimpse of what to look...

Salvador Mateos - 16-07-2024

Anime News

FAKKU Guest Spotlight Q&A: Karasu Chan

NOTE: This article is meant for those 18+. Discretion is advised. For this year, FAKKU's guest is none other than Karasu Chan, an artist from Taiwan. Karasu Chan is well known...

Brian Lee - 14-07-2024

Anime News

Studio Bones Gachiakuta Panel @ Anime Expo 2024 Report

Studio BONES held a panel on July 4th, 2024 at Anime Expo. Hosted by Joey Bizinger (aka The Anime Man), fans got to hear about the upcoming anime adaptation of...

Theodore Mak - 12-07-2024

Gaming News

Gaming News

Dying Light: The Beast Announced - Gamescom 2024

It's been some time since we have heard anything from masterminds over at Techland and what is in store for the Dying Light franchise. During Opening Night Live at Gamescom, Techland...

Ken Dubois - 20-08-2024

Gaming News

Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage Ai Furihata and Mayu Yoshioka Talk About Being Idols In a Game - Anime Expo 2024

I have always been obsessed with rhythm games and Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage has been at the top of my list. At this year's Anime Expo, Sega brought a playable...

Ken Dubois - 04-07-2024

Gaming News

XSEED Games Announces Anime Expo 2024 Lineup and Hidden Title

XSEED Games has unveiled its plans for this upcoming Anime Expo during the 4th of July weekend.

Ken Dubois - 28-06-2024

Gaming News

Life is Strange: Double Exposure Gets a New Trailer Showing Off Gameplay and New Details

Square Enix has released a new Life is Strange: Double Exposure Trailer revealing everything players want to know about its latest entry in the Life is Strange universe.

Ken Dubois - 13-06-2024

First and foremost, this event is a festival which celebrates Japanese pop music, and the festival aspect did not disappoint. There were plenty of vendor stands in the street as well as great food trucks, so the atmosphere was very festive. Whenever Japantown gets taken over for a weekend by an event like this, San Franciscans have immediate access to a fun, enriching experience and a great excuse to enjoy Japanese culture. No matter what else is going on, when I can eat ramen and a desert crepe, buy art prints, check out vendor booths, rub shoulders with cosplayers, and enjoy live music, I'm going to have an excellent time.

What the summit also does very well is attract great vendors and guests. The Evangelion scavenger hunt was a fun addition to the festival, and motivated people to move around and complete a challenge. It was refreshing to see a booth provide visitors with an activity, rather than pushing the standard fliers and advertisements into everyone's hands. Of course the live music was great, and being able to enjoy a star like Kylee put on a small concert was a boon. Just like last year, the Jpop summit was a great way to get the experience of a day at a convention without straining through a press of bodies or worrying excessively about time constraints.

After all my window shopping was finished, I grouped up with the T-ONO crew and we headed to On the Bridge, a restaurant inside the Japantown mall. On the Bridge is a great restaurant that specializes in Japanese and Western noodle dishes and has a homey atmosphere: the back table is littered with toy statues, they're always playing anime and live action shows on the television, and most of the seating is on swivel chairs at the counter. I had eaten a big breakfast and decided to order a small plate of garlic fries, which was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. These garlic fries were 'Japanese style', which meant the fried potato slices were covered in a spread that tasted like garlic and wasabi had genetically merged to create the sensation of fire breathing bullet ants assaulting my tongue. I was able to down two whole slices, spread and all, but began scraping them just so I could eat fast, save my GSI from intense pain, and prevent my breath from smelling like I had stuffed a dead skunk in my mouth.

As we headed out of the mall, the new band in the plaza was playing Japanese music. When they had finished their song, the lead singer told the crowd that he was going to play something from one of his favorite parts of Japanese pop music: eighties Japanese metal. My first thought was, "how is metal pop music?" but soon forgot about my presumptions as the song kicked in. A few minutes later it was time to interview Kylee, a very talented and engaging young woman who has made a successful splash in the Japanese music industry. Kylee told us during the interview that she was born and raised in Arizona, one of her parents is Japanese and the other is Caucasian, and she spends her summers in Japan to produce music.

It was after our interview with Kylee that all the pieces came together for me: the Jpop summit actually does a great job of representing Jpop music. The summit reflects what Jpop means to Americans, which is very much a part of Jpop culture at large. When one nation's culture seeps into another, it inevitably morphs into something new yet still linked to the original. This summit is a celebration of Japan's musical influence in our own culture from helping inspire three American girls to play music to providing avenues for artists like Kylee to become stars. Just like the chef from On the Bridge put a Japanese spin on garlic fries, Americans receive and reflect Jpop in their own way, and in doing so add something new.

Whether you love music, Japanese culture, or festivals, the Jpop Summit was once again an event I would highly recommend checking out. I had a lot of fun and learned a few things. I look forward to seeing what next year's Summit brings, and here's to its continued success!

MORE STORIES

Oct.15

Convention News

Bay Area Anime Impulse/K-Play! Fest/Collectors Expo 2024 Impressions

Returning for its second year in the San Francisco Bay Area, Anime Impulse arrived at the San Mateo County Event Center on October 12-13. If you're unfamiliar with Anime Impulse...

Oct.09

Music

Kenshi Yonezu Announces First-Ever Tour Across Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu has announced his first-ever U.S., Asia, and European tour dates. His world tour kicks off with two performances in Shanghai on March 8 and 9, 2025...

Sep.05

Music

NCT DREAM US Tour Starts this Month

South Korean boy group NCT DREAM, formed by SM Entertainment, will be kicking off the first leg of their US tour this month in Los Angeles, California on September 12...

Sep.03

Music

Lovebites US Tour Begins Soon

We are almost to the beginning of Lovebites' US tour. This is a long-awaited series of performances, and in a way, it's surprising that it took this long. One of...

Aug.20

Gaming News

Dying Light: The Beast Announced - Gamescom 2024

It's been some time since we have heard anything from masterminds over at Techland and what is in store for the Dying Light franchise. During Opening Night Live at Gamescom, Techland...

Aug.18

Anime News

BEYBLADE X at San Diego Padres Games

BEYBLADE X is going to San Diego, offering fans an opportunity to battle at Petco Park during two San Diego Padres home games. The event will take place on August...

Aug.14

Game Reviews

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse (PS5) Review

Everyone’s favorite crime-fighting lagomorph and canine duo are back! Originally released in 2010 by Telltale Games, this remaster brings the graphic adventure to the latest generation of consoles/PCs. This release...

Jul.18

Anime News

Shion Wakayama AVIOT Talk Show @ Anime Expo 2024

Anime Expo 2024 was brimming with excitement, and one of the standout moments was the talk session at the audio company AVIOT’s booth in the Entertainment Hall featuring the talented...

Jul.17

K-pop

EVERGLOW Returns to the US for their 2024 Tour - Pulse & Heart

K-pop powerhouse EVERGLOW is set to embark on their 2024 "Pulse & Heart" tour, marking their return to the international stage after a series of successful releases and promotions. The...

Jul.16

Event Reports

Hololive Night at Dodger Stadium Report

The Hololive Night at Dodgers Stadium was a unique collaboration between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Hololive Productions. Popular VTubers Usada Pekora, Hoshimachi Suisei, and Gawr Gura participated in baseball...

Jul.16

Anime News

Warner Bros Anime Expo Panel - Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League and Suicide Squad Isekai

Warner Bros. Animation unveiled the Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League trailer at their recent panel at Anime Expo. This highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 film Batman Ninja gave fans a glimpse of what to look...

Jul.14

Anime News

FAKKU Guest Spotlight Q&A: Karasu Chan

NOTE: This article is meant for those 18+. Discretion is advised. For this year, FAKKU's guest is none other than Karasu Chan, an artist from Taiwan. Karasu Chan is well known...

Jul.12

Anime News

Studio Bones Gachiakuta Panel @ Anime Expo 2024 Report

Studio BONES held a panel on July 4th, 2024 at Anime Expo. Hosted by Joey Bizinger (aka The Anime Man), fans got to hear about the upcoming anime adaptation of...

Jul.10

Anime News

2.5D Seduction Premiere at Anime Expo 2024

As mentioned previously, 2.5D Seduction is a series near and dear to my heart.  There's just something that resonated with me.  It might have been the cosplay bit, maybe the...

Jul.09

Anime News

Oshi no Ko at Anime Expo 2024 - Anniversary Screening and Season Two Premiere

Oshi no Ko should not need any introduction. The white-hot anime has taken both Japan and the world by storm. I happened to read all of the manga's available chapters...