J-music enlivening the 15th Impact!
Over a dozen music bands and artists performed on the Live House stage for Japan Expo’s 15th Anniversary, that is 20 showcases including the concert of the festival’s Music Guests of Honor, Berryz Kobo x °C-ute. On top of that, J-music was all around at Japan Expo, and everywhere under the spotlight!
The Live House unleashed
And the audience was as unleashed as the artists who set the stage on fire! J-pop fans enjoyed Shoko NAKAGAWA’s showcase and they came in a crowd to attend her performance. To keep on with J-pop, the atmosphere got baroque with Kalafina’s three singers or totally idols with Nogizaka46.
In a pop style, YUKA’s sweet voice mingled to Masaki’s subtle melodies made moumoon’s showcase a memorable moment for their fans who are more and more numerous in Europe. In a more electro style, 1000say was back at Japan Expo, still as cheerful. On top of their show on stage, they were also the festival’s official reporters with daily recaps (#1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5).
Gacharic Spin were full of energy and invited you to party during an explosive performance. NoGoD were representing visual kei with a crazy style and in front of a charmed audience. To propose even more styles of music, the Live House proposed: alternative hard rock with LOKA, the “sexy, bad & heavy“ band; valse hard core with malca; the new wave of J-rock with Rhythmic Toy World; industrial shock rock with KASSTRICK BACTERIA; some bright pop-rock with Glowlamp; and hard pop with A for-Real.
Last but not least, let’s not forget the festival’s special guest and the Music Guest of Honor. YOSHIKI offered a moving performance to the audience by showing his talents as a classical musicians. During the show, Tatsuro IWAMOTO was also making a live drawing. Berryz Kobo x °C-ute went together on stage at the Live House for a memorable show on Thursday night after Japan Expo. Kumamon joined them to celebrate Berryz Kobo’s Mâsa Sudô’s 22nd birthday!
More live shows
If the Live House remains THE music stage at Japan Expo, there was music all around and on other stages too. Beyond the Cultural Stage and its many traditional performances, the 15th Anniversary Stage hosted Orange Port, a young idol band representing their home town of Numazu. Hakuei, the talented leader of Litchi☆Hikari Club, performed a mini-live, as well as a talk-show, just like the cast of the Sailor Moon musical.
As for the Main Stage, it got wild with DJ Caesar, DJ KEITAN and break dancers during the Japan Anison & Vocalo DJxDancexMC Super Performances. The Japan Expo Stage got musical too with Orange Port and their happy performances. The KAWAii Area ha dits own stage to welcome Anna Yano or Yanaginagi, hosted by singer/hostess Neeko.
Meeting with the artists
If they’re attending the festival to perform, they’re also here to meet their fans! Some of them gave conferences to unveil the secrets of their talent and talk about their career and their music, and of course to answer your questions. It was the case of the Music Guests of Honor, Berryz Kobo x °C-ute, of Shoko NAKAGAWA who showed she was also a talented illustrator during a live drawing session, or YOSHIKI who took the opportunity to offer to one of his fans in the audience a trip to New York for X Japan’s show.
As for Gacharic Spin, they made a bass and guitar demonstration for musicians to be. The cast of the Sailor Moon musical presented their show. All the artists also gave signing sessions and the singer Kamijo joined them to meet his fans before his Paris show.
J-music activities
And for those who still wanted more, there was karaoke, games and quizzes, as well as idol cosplay activities on the Cosplay Stage. Hatsune Miku fans surely did not miss the dedicated exhibited. A photocall and a store also allowed them to improve the experience, as well as the video room which showed The End, the vocaloid manga opera by Keiichiro SHIBUYA with Hatsune Miku.