2014 J-POP SUMMIT INVITES ATTENDEES TO LEARN WHAT AWAITS THEM IN JAPAN WITH SPECIAL FESTIVAL SPONSOR JAPANKURU

JAPANKURU x J-POP SUMMIT Offers Information On Travelling To Japan And Highlights A Special Array Of Apparel, Cosmetics, And Pop Culture Products From Arazou Watanabe, CANMAKE, Kotobukiya And Manga Series NIJA & JANI About The Japanese Spirit Of Hospitality

San Francisco, CA, July 16, 2014 – The 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival, San Francisco’s premiere celebration of Japanese pop culture, music, fashion and film, is proud to partner with web-based Japanese cultural channel JAPANKURU to present JAPANKURU x J-POP SUMMIT Festival 2014, a special way for Festival-goers to learn more about what awaits them in Japan.

The 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival will take place across San Francisco’s historic Japantown district over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, July 19^th and 20^th. “POP is Our Tradition” is the theme of this year’s event that has become one of the largest events in the United States dedicated to celebrating the many sides of Japanese pop culture and fandom. Attendance in 2013 exceeded 80,000 people. Festival details are available at: www.J-POP.com.

JAPANKURU x J-POP SUMMIT Festival 2014 will also host a display in San Francisco’s downtown Union Square throughout the day (beginning at 11am) on Saturday July 19^th and leading up to the FREE J-POP Live at Union Square concert on the evening of Saturday, July 19^th at 6:30pm that will present major Japanese pop stars including Tomomi Itano, Tokyo Girls’ Style, Una, DAICHI, May’n and more!

JAPANKURU is an original coined word that implies, “Come to Japan,” and will showcase the strong influence of pop culture with a colorful booth located on Post Street that will be open from 11:00am to 6:00pm on both days of J-POP SUMMIT. It will offer information about traveling to Tokyo and other cities in Japan, including notable sightseeing spots, shopping information, affordable hotels, dining and other valuable information not contained in ordinary guidebooks. Attendees can also hear from JAPANKURU members that have travelled to Japan and share their experiences. Additional information on JAPANKURU is available at: http://cometojapankuru.blogspot.jp/.

JAPANKURU will also offer free samples and product sales of many specialty items that are unavailable in the U.S. from premiere Japanese brands including apparel company, Arazou Watanabe, cosmetics company CANMAKE, and collectable manufacturer and retailer Kotobukiya. JAPANKURU also will present NIJA & JANI, a special manga series created by the Tokyo-based Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store and based upon the concept of “OMOTENASHI” or the spirit of hospitality.

JAPANKURU x J-POP SUMMIT Festival 2014 Retail Partners:

Arazou Watanabe

Arazou Watanabe offers unique Japanese items embedded with the essence of Kyoto and Edo. The company, which launched in 1927 is now a major retailer in Japan and operates a large store in Shibuya, Tokyo. At the JAPANKURU booth, Arazou Watanabe will exhibit a variety of traditional Japanese apparel that has been radically transformed to reflect a modern style. Festival-goers are invited to accent their wardrobe with a variety of ensembles and accessories. Additional details and other items are available at: www.maruara.com/original3.html.

CANMAKE Tokyo 

CANMAKE is a pioneer of “a petit price boom” in Japan, providing affordable but high quality cosmetics. The brand’s concept of “Girly, Pop, Shiny,” has been embraced in Japan by multiple generations and the company will mark its 30^th Anniversary next year. Japanese cosmetics are internationally renowned for their high quality. J-POP Summit attendees are also invited to try a variety of free CANMAKE samples. More information on CANMAKE is available at: www.canmake.com/en/index.html.

Kotobukiya

Pop culture fans and collectors can check out Kotobukiya’s line of original toys, figures and more at JAPANKURU Booth! Quantities for each item will be limited so shop early!  Kotobukiya is a renowned figurine and collectables manufacturer and its retail stores located in Osaka and also in Tokyo’s famed Akihabara district are havens for anime collectors from around the world. Many of the items to be offered at J-POP Summit are not available in the U.S. More information is available at: www.facebook.com/kotobukiya.

NIJA & JANI

JAPANKURU also partners with one of Japan’s most legendary department stores, Daimaru Matsuzakaya, to present a special manga called “NIJA & JANI” that is based upon the concept of “Japanese OMOTENASHI (or the spirit of hospitality) to all its customers from overseas.” It tells a story about ninja named NIJA who masters a shadow cloning technique and the art of transformation. He learns what the true meaning of OMOTENASHI is with the help of a girl traveler named JANI on their journeys throughout Japan. More information is available at: https://nijajani.com/.

NIJA & JANI is illustrated by IssA, one of the members of Manga Designers Lab, located in Harajuku, Tokyo, and famous as a special creator of the J-Pop culture web site, Tokyo Otaku Mode, which celebrates a variety of Japanese pop culture genres including manga, anime, gaming and music to an international fan base.

“JAPANKURU is an innovative web platform for people that want to enjoy traveling to Japan more deeply and we are very pleased to partner with them to showcase an array of pop culture brands and retailers at this year’s J-POP SUMMIT,” says Takeshi Yoshida, Chief Producer of the J-POP SUMMIT Festival. “We look forward to attendees discovering a range of fun products that are unavailable anywhere in the U.S. and also learn more about travelling to Japan. Join us this coming weekend as we celebrate the 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival!”

About J-POP SUMMIT Festival

Launched in 2009, J-POP SUMMIT Festival is an annual street fair held in San Francisco, CA that celebrates Japanese popular culture. By introducing the latest in Japanese music, film, art, fashion, gaming, anime, food, as well as niche subcultures, the festival has become a prominent platform to showcase the latest pop trends and creative innovations from Japan.

The 5^th annual J-POP SUMMIT held in July 2013 welcomed more than 80,000 attendees, making it one of the largest Japanese festivals in the United States. In addition to the original Festival held in Japantown, new attractions include the J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE concert in downtown San Francisco, the Bay Area’s premier dedicated Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, and sake-tasting and fine foods events at the POP GOURMET Food Festival, which have each further enriched the experience. Additional information about J-POP SUMMIT Festival is available at: J-POP.com.

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