2015 J-POP SUMMIT PRESENTS FRESH AND VIBRANT NEW SIDES OF JAPANESE POP FASHION WITH MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL EVENTS AND PROGRAMMING

S.F.’s Annual Japanese Pop Culture Festival Partners With ASOBISYSTEM To Showcase Fast Rising Stars Of The Harajuku Fashion Scene With Model Runway Shows, Live Musical Performances, Karaoke Fun, Photo Sessions And Special Shopping Opportunities

San Francisco, CA, July 27, 2015 – The 2015 J-POP SUMMIT, the Japanese pop culture event held annually in San Francisco, partners with ASOBISYSTEM, the prominent entertainment company based in Harajuku, Tokyo widely known for developing the “Kawaii” fashion and music scene in Japan, to present a brand new edition of the MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Project for this year’s Festival. The 2015 J-POP SUMMIT takes place on Saturday and Sunday August 8^th & 9^th at the historic Fort Mason Center in San Francisco’s Marina district.

Developed by the multi-faceted Japanese entertainment agency, ASOBISYSTEM, MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON seeks to promote Japanese pop culture and fashion on a truly global level. During the 2015 J-POP SUMMIT, the many colorful and creative sides of Japan’s vibrant pop and fashion culture will be showcased with an array of fashion shows, contests, live musical performances and autograph and meet-and-greet opportunities with some of the Japanese fashion world’s fastest rising stars.

Throughout the weekend, J-POP SUMMIT attendees to Fort Mason can enjoy a colorful assortment of Japanese pop-influenced culture, fashion, pop art, live music, technology, and travel that will be complemented by celebrity Guests of Honor, anime programming, cosplay and J-pop idol contests, and a wide assortment of vendors and other programming. Tickets and V.I.P Passes are available now at: www.J-POP.com.

MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON 2015 programming on-stage and in the booth area at J-POP SUMMIT will feature Harajuku icon and designer, Ayumi Seto, producer and designer of Aymmy in the Batty Girls, the J-Pop icons and jouetie apparel brand producers, AMIAYA, along with Ani-song princess Anna Yano, the pop idol dance unit, Musubizm, karaoke fun at the LIVE DAM booth, the timeless onigiri rice & seaweed snack at the ONIGIRAZU booth, an opportunity to dress up in a variety of J-Pop inspired costumes and participate in a photo session at the Pure booth, and additional “egg”-inspired photo session fun with Sanrio’s newest character sensation, GUDETAMA! There will also be opportunities to join meet & greets with the aforementioned guests, and to purchase a variety of exclusive apparel, accessories and gifts. Additional information on the MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON initiative is available at: http://moshimoshi-nippon.jp.

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MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Events & Special Guests of Honor

Ayumi Seto / Aymmy in the batty girls

Sat. August 8^th; 2:00pm - 2:45pm at Main Stage with Fashion Show, Fort Mason Center /

Meet & Greet at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON booth area (Check the J-POP Summit Show Schedule for Dates/Times)

Ayumi Seto is a trendsetting Japanese model and designer who has appeared in a number of popular Harajuku fashion magazines. She is known as one of the pioneers in a new fashion style called “Kidz Rock.”  As a model, Ayumi’s unique fashion style has inspired legions of Harajuku girls. Following the release of her first fashion book titled, “AyumiKidz,” in October 2013, Ayumi launched her first clothing brand, “Aymmy in the batty girls,” in the Spring of 2014 and it has become one of the most popular fashion brands in the Harajuku scene. As the first brand to be directed by an aomoji-kei model, “Aymmy in the batty girls” offer a wide variety of items that reflect Ayumi’s colorful and edgy style. More information is available at: http://www.aymmy.com.

AMIAYA– Producers of jouetie apparel

Sat. August 8^th; 2:00pm - 2:45pm at Main Stage with Fashion Show and Performance,

Fort Mason Center / Meet & Greet at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON booth area (Check the J-POP Summit Show Schedule for Dates/Times)

The 2015 J-POP SUMMIT welcomes the apparel brand – jouetie – and its producers, AMIAYA, to this year’s event. Check out a styling exhibition done by the girls, as well as grab this chance to buy popular items that are only sold in Japan!

AMIAYA is composed of twin sisters that moved to Tokyo at the age of 15 and soon after became very active in the Harajuku fashion scene. After landing a shoot on an aomoji-style magazine, they quickly garnered a fan base that went on to replicate their unique way of dress and hairstyle, which has led them to become the latest Harajuku superstar models. The “AYA AMI BOOK” (Shufuno Tomosha) was released in July 2010 and has sold over 40,000 copies. The twins have also appeared on the cover of NYLON magazine and have penned a column for the publication.

Since their modeling career exploded, AMIAYA also have become the concept producers behind the apparel brand, “jouetie,” which has become popular not only in Japan but throughout Asia. In 2013, AMIAYA launched a music career with the release of their mini album, “TOKYO POP,” on Universal Music’s Far Eastern Tribe Records. AMIAYAʼs personal theme is “Tokyo x Stylish” (or “oshare” in Japanese), and the duo works to bring its brand of “real music” to a worldwide audience. Additional information on jouetie available at: http://jouetie.com; Additional information on AMIAYA is available at: http://amiaya.asobisystem.com.

Ani-Song Princess Anna Yano

Sat. August 8^th; 2:00pm - 2:45pm at Main Stage with Live Performance, Fort Mason Center / Meet & Greet at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON booth area (Check the J-POP Summit Show Schedule for Dates/Times)

With her cute smile and natural fashion and style, Anna Yano is known as a versatile artist and model who effortlessly pulls off any look, from her signature Kawaii style to extreme more Lolita looks. Also a featured vocalist, Anna released “Shape My Story” in August 2013, which was produced by kz (livetune), and was also selected in 2014 as a featured vocalist on kz’s solo project, “livetune.” This was soon followed by the release of “All Over,” another livetune production. Both of the tracks were later used as theme songs for popular anime series and garnered additional attention for Anna Yano among existing fans and anime fans alike.  In 2014, Anna Yano traveled to six countries and seven cities across Europe and Asia to promote Harajuku culture as an artist and model. Her first photo book, “YANO ANNA: MADE IN HARAJUKU,” was released in 2015. Additional information available at: http://yanoanna.asobisystem.com/

Musubizm

Sat. August 8^th; 2:00pm - 2:45pm at Main Stage with Live Performance, Fort Mason Center / Meet & Greet at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON booth area (Check the J-POP Summit Show Schedule for Dates/Times)

Musubizm is an entertainment idol unit formed in 2014 by five members (Eru Shina, Rurika Miyajima, Misa Kimura, Nami Yamada, and Mai Imai) selected from a pool of candidates during the Spring 2014 “ASOBI SYSTEM IDOL PROJECT.” By embodying all flavors of Kawaii culture (adorable, cute, pop, fashionable, beautiful, and cool), Musubizm is a one-of-a-kind group that aims to spread Japanese kawaii culture globally, and is taking the international idol scene by storm. Currently, they have ventured out of Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan and are actively working to spread Kawaii culture all over the world. Musubizm will tie together Japanese kawaii culture and the world. Additional information is available at: http://musubizm.asobisystem.com.

Additional Attractions in MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Area:

The MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON booth area offers attendees additional attractions about fresh Japanese pop culture and fashion!

MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Booth

MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON runs an informative website as well as an information center in Harajuku – MOSHI MOSHI BOX – to spread the latest J-Pop culture. This booth version will sell cool Japanese gifts, including the shop’s bestselling KAWAii!! sunglasses and sushi socks.

Additional information is available at: http://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/box.html

PURE Booth

J-POP SUMMIT attendees are invited to try on wide variety of costumes and take part in a photo session at the PURE booth. From Japanese school uniforms to rabbit and cat ears, attendees can try on all kinds of fun J-Pop inspired costumes and apparel. Select ensembles and accessories also will be available for purchase.

LIVE DAM Booth

Try out karaoke for free and sing the best selection of J-Pop tunes at the LIVE DAM booth!

ONIGIRAZU Booth

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries collaborates with the Moshi Moshi Nippon Project to present a free tasting event of Onigirazu at the 2015 J-POP Summit. Onigirazu is a version of the timeless onigiri rice and seaweed snack, but pressed into a colorful “sandwich” filled with an imaginative assortment of fillings. Onigirazu are characterized by their “Kawaisa” (cuteness) that is expressed through a myriad of vibrant and tasty fillings.

GUDETAMA Booth

GUDETAMA is one of the latest character icons to join the Sanrio family! A popular “Egg” character that enjoys legions of adoring fans in Japan, GUDETAMA will be part of MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON with a photo session and Gudeeting (Gudetama's Meet & Greet)! More information on GUDETAMA available at: www.sanrio.co.jp/character/gudetama.

This year, the J-POP SUMMIT offers a wide variety of programming including live concerts by top J-Pop and J-Rock artists on the J-POP SUMMIT Main Stage at Fort Mason and also at special “J-POP NIGHT LIVE” concerts on the evenings of Saturday August 8^th and Sunday August 9^th. The 2015 J-POP SUMMIT also presents a variety of special Guest of Honor appearances, the Bay Area’s first ever Japanese Interactive Technology and Travel pavilions, a SAKE SUMMIT taking place at Union Square, and an extensive roster of theatrical film premieres at NEW PEOPLE Cinema that launch the third annual Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF). Complete details on key events and major attractions are available at: http://www.j-pop.com and www.JFFSF.org. 

About J-POP SUMMIT

The J-POP SUMMIT is an annual Japanese Pop Culture celebration held in San Francisco, CA that features live bands and artists from Japan, pop culture panel discussions, film premieres, fashion shows and events, food and spirits, art, and celebrity appearances. Details on J-POP SUMMIT are available at www.J-POP.com.

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Designer & Model Ayumi Seto

Fashion designers and sisters AMIYA