The 2013 J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL CELEBRATES JAPANESE POP CULTURE BY
“MAKING KAWAII UNIVERSAL”
San Francisco’s 5th
Annual Celebration Of Japanese Pop Fashion, Art, Music, Film And Fun To
Deliver A Colorful Array Of Special Events, Attractions, Film Premieres
And Guest Of Honor Appearances
San Francisco, CA, July 15, 2013 ? The 2013 J-POP Summit Festival is only a few weeks away and marks its 5th
anniversary as San Francisco’s preeminent annual celebration of
Japanese pop culture, art, music, fashion, and film on Saturday and
Sunday, July 27th and 28th.
Taking
place across the city’s entire historic Japantown district, and
centered around NEW PEOPLE and the adjacent Peace Plaza, the J-POP
Summit will deliver a true feast for the senses with numerous
attractions and events including live bands, edgy fashion shows, anime
and live-action film premieres, Guest of Honor appearances, live art
performances, merchants and vendor booths, and a special “POP GOURMET”
Food Festival and Sake Tasting. Many of the events and concerts are FREE to attend! Additional details on J-POP Festival events and programming are available at: www.J-POP.com.
This year’s theme of “Making Kawaii
Universall!!” extols the essence of true Japanese “cute” culture in a
variety of colorful events that will culminate with a special concert as
J-POP Summit expands this year and teams with Union Square Live presented by the City of San Francisco for a special one-day special event featuring one of Japan biggest J-Pop superstars ? Kyary Pamyu Pamyu ? in Union Square on Sunday July 28th
J-POP Summit Guests of Honor:
The 2013 J-POP Summit is honored to welcome the following luminaries as official Guests of Honor this year.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu:
Recognized universally as Japan’s Official Ambassador of Kawaii, this
fashion icon and singer personifies the J-Pop Harajuku style. Her top
selling single “PON PON PON” has garnered more than 50 million views and
she comes to San Francisco for the first time for a special J-POP
Summit headline concert. Presented by ASOBISYSTEM.
Katsuya Terada: One of Japan’s greatest illustrators celebrates the debut of his new art book, KATSUYA TERADA 10 TEN - 10 Year Retrospective
with a series of live J-POP Summit appearances and a special live
illustration session at Kinokuniya Bookstore. Co-presented by Kinokuniya
Bookstores of America.
LoVendoR: Led
by singer Reina Tanaka, a former star of "Morning Musume,” this brand
new 4-piece girl rock band, 'LoVendoR,' will make their U.S. debut on the J-POP Summit Main stage in Japantown’s Peace Plaza on Saturday, July 27th. This new group is Reina
Tanaka’s first project after her tenure in "Morning Musume," one of the
most popular idol groups in Japan, and will be launched with three
additional members that were chosen from among 4,000 candidates in a
nationwide audition! Presented by PES NEXT GENERATION LIVE! TOYOTA x STUDIO 4 meets ANA
Film Premieres
The 2013 J-POP Summit also launches the first-ever Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF), which continues throughout the following week (thru August 4th)
at NEW PEOPLE Cinema. Explore more than 15 films showcasing some of the
best in recent Japanese live-action and animated cinema.
J-POP Summit anime film premieres include Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, and Naruto The Movie: The Lost Tower. The Japan Film Festival of San Francisco will also offer the exclusive S.F. theatrical premieres of director Miwa Nishikawa’s Dreams for Sale, as well as the U.S. premiere of director Shinsuke Sato’s Library Wars the following weekend. Also will be How to Build a Mobile House, which follows artist/architect Kyohei Sakaguchi as he examines the roots of dwelling, and living, through the unique activities of an architect who "does not build."
Information, screening times and advance tickets to these and other JFFSF films can be found at: www.JFFSF.org.
Live Music
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: Japan’s biggest J-Pop star comes to San Francisco for a special live concert in Union Square on Sunday, July 28th.
Catch the latest wave of Japanese pop mania with the official
Ambassador of Kawaii. She will also make a special appearance at NEW
PEOPLE in Japantown and also at the “Harajuku Kawaii!! in SF” fashion event in Peace Plaza on Saturday, July 27th.
Kylee:
Sony Music Japan recording artist Kylee returns to J-POP Summit
following a red-hot debut last year. Catch the upbeat 19 year-old pop
singer in a live show at Japantown’s Peace Plaza on Saturday, July 27th and again on Sunday, July 28th, appearing with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu at Union Square.
Daichi: This 22-year-old
Japanese human beat-box can make more than 50 different sounds using
his voice, and can play rhythm beat and sing melody at the same time.
Catch him on Saturday, July 27th at Japantown’s Peace Plaza and on Sunday, July 28th, appearing with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Kylee at Union Square.
LoVendoR: Led
by Singer Reina Tanaka, a former star of "Morning Musume," the brand
new 4-piece girls rock band 'LoVendoR ' will make its U.S. debut on the J-POP Summit Main stage on Saturday, July 27th and again on Sunday, July 28th at Union Square.
Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass: The all-girl punk rock trio from Toyko hits the J-POP Summit Main stage on Saturday, July 28th
with their hard-hitting brand of alt-driven bluesy-rock influenced by
Joan Jett, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Japanese groups such as
Blankey Jet City and Thee Michelle Gun Elephant.
Fashion Events
“Harajuku Kawaii!! in SF” is presented in partnership with ASOBISYSTEM and will be held on Saturday, July 27th
in Peace Plaza. The event combines an edgy fashion show by an array of
iconic Harajuku fashion models highlighting the latest in Kawaii style.
Guest of Honor Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will also make a special appearance at
the event.
“Harajuku Kawaii!! in SF”
will also offer a pop-up store inside NEW PEOPLE selling exclusive
lines of fashion merchandise imported strait from Harajuku!
Participating brands include: SPINS, GLADNEWS as well as Innocent World, Helcatpunks and
many more! Guest of honor Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will make a special
appearance at its opening event at NEW PEOPLE on Saturday, July 27th.
Other Live Events
"1000 Treasure Hunters”: The
2013 J-POP Summit teams with SCRAP, producers of popular puzzle-hunt
game event series, “Real Escape Game,” to stage what could become Bay
Area’s biggest simultaneous treasure hunt.
Join other players in a new version of the hit mystery game from Japan
to use your intuition and detective skills to solve multiple clues
hidden across the entire Japantown area within a limited time.
Katsuya Terada: As a special treat for fans and J-POP Summit attendees, Katsuya Terada will do a live freehand drawing on a blank wall in the 1st floor of the
Kinokuniya Bookstore, located inside the Kinokuniya Shopping Mall (also
on Post Street) in Japantown. Witness a true master at work as Terada
will leave his unique artistic mark on the Kinokuniya décor. The artist
will meet attendees during an autograph session at the Kinokuniya Booth.
J-POP IDOL 2013:
J-POP Summit Festival 2013 is very excited to announce a first-ever
J-POP IDOL CONTEST! Join other contestants in a fun competition on
Saturday, July 27th in which one competes by singing a song
in Japanese!!! This contest is all about how well one sings and
interprets the song. Prizes to be awarded!
Vocaloid Dance Contest: J-POP Summit announces its 3rd
annual Vocaloid Dance Contest. Catch the hottest moves, or delivers
some, in this block rocking contest on the J-POP Main Stage in Peace
Plaza that is based on the internet phenomenon of dancers (and amateurs)
dancing to a Vocaloid composition. Solo competition will be held
Saturday, July 27th; Group Competition will be held Sunday, July 28th.
Sake Tasting & POP GOURMET Food Festival
Sample a scrumptious new component to this year’s events and attractions is the “POP GOURMET Food Festival.” The
POP GOURMET area offers a special Sake Tasting Event showcasing
multiple sake tasting booths, hosted by leading Japanese brewers and
distributors, where attendees can enjoy genuine Japanese sake and gain
insight into the roots of Japan’s national spirit in an informative
lecture delivered on both days by the Consulate General of Japan in San
Francisco. Augmenting the Sake Tasting Event will be more than a dozen
of the Bay Area’s most popular mobile food eateries offering a wide
assortment of innovative Japanese and Asian-influenced cuisine along
with other sweets and delectable treats.
About J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL
The
J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL is an annual Japanese Pop Culture celebration
that features live bands and artists from Japan, pop culture panel
discussions, film premieres, fashion and DJ dance events, and celebrity
appearances. The Festival is hosted by NEW PEOPLE in cooperation with
the Japantown Merchants Association. In 2012, the two-day event
attracted 65,000 attendees. More information about J-POP Summit Festival
is available at: J-POP.com.
###
No comments:
Post a Comment