Japanese male idol group Travis Japan, made their first appearance at the largest North American anime convention, Anime Expo 2022.

Travis Japan is a member of Johnny & Associates trainee program Johnnys' Jr., which primarily consists of male idols who have not officially debuted. Johnny & Associates is a household name in Japan and is responsible for some of the most popular actors and idol groups, including ARASHI, King & Prince, SixTONES, and SMAP.

Travis Japan was formed under the supervision of Travis Payne, a well-known American choreographer involved with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Breaking the traditional mold of Japanese artists, they are currently studying English and training their dance and vocal skills abroad in Los Angeles, California. Members of the group include Kaito “Chaka” Miyachika, Kaito “Umi” Nakamura, Ryuya “Shime” Shimekake, Noeru “Noel” Kawashima, Shizuya “Shizu” Yoshizawa, Genta "G" Matsuda, and Kaito “Machu” Matsukura.

While they may be trainees, Travis Japan has a huge following in Japan. At Anime Expo, heads turned as a flock of fans who flew from Japan just to see their favorite idols held signs of encouragement and support wherever the boys went.

Travis Japan took part in several events, including a special live interview with Anime Expo, a Q&A panel, and a performance at the Closing Ceremony. To the surprise of many, each member spoke mostly in English at these events, showing the boys’ dedication to embracing their new American audience.

During their 40-minute live interview with Anime Expo, Machu revealed that from Monday to Friday, they study English for 3 hours in the morning and focus on dance and vocal lessons in the afternoon. Noel added that on some days, they may have multiple dance or vocal classes.

For their Q&A panel, the format comprised primarily prepared questions that were submitted by fans on Twitter. Questions included their music career, as well as what Pokemon they would represent themselves. Chaka had mentioned being a fledgling Charizard learning to breathe fire, Shizu stated he was Machamp, Machu as Grotle, and Noel was an Alolan Ninetales. At the end of the panel, the boys played a game of jankenpon (rock, paper, scissors) with the audience for a prize.

For the Closing Ceremonies, they performed 4 of their original songs including “Talk it! Make it!”, choreographed by their ‘senpai’ group, Kis-My-Ft2’s Kento Senga. They also performed “Party Up Like Crazy”, which is their latest song entirely in English that was also showcased during the World of Dance Championship Series earning them 3rd place earlier in March this year.

With their visit to Anime Expo, Travis Japan is set to take the American stage by storm as they just announced their appearance on America’s Got Talent show airing on July 12th. We’ll be following them closely during their training in America, so stay tuned for the latest news and updates.

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_{Panel Photos by: Roger Lee
Concert Photos by: David Tiao}