MOSHI FES DAY 2: “MOSHI POP” Ignites the Souls of J-Pop Culture Lovers

Japan’s pop culture all in one place, that’s “MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2015 in TOKYO” (aka MOSHI FES) for you – now onto Day 2! As we continued to feel the vibrant atmosphere of day 1 in our bones, the second day invited various artists from an even wider spectrum that represented the colorful playground brimming with Japanese pop culture.


The opening kicked off with models strutting away to melodies concocted by the shakuhachi (Japanese end-blown flute) and the shamisen (a three-stringed musical instrument). Twirling their red wagasas (traditional Japanese umbrella) while sporting t-shirts with flamboyant ukiyo-e prints, the foreign crowd had no other choice but be entranced by their dazzling performance.


The first act that made the crowd go wild on the main “MOSHI MOSHI STAGE” was five-girl-unit, Dempagumi.inc. With their outfits perfectly in tune with the light blue extracted from the MOSHI FES logo, the girls called out “Let’s go Nippon!” and started off with their first track, amazing the crowd as they worked their moves whilst maneuvering their colored ribbons.
Completely taken aback by the number of foreigners in the crowd, the members engaged with the audience by asking, “where are you from?” keeping a close distance between themselves and their fans.


Meanwhile, the “NIPPON STAGE” kicked off with the seven-member unit, best known for being Thursday regulars at Akihabara’s live house, MAP, until the day of its closing: Up Up Girls (Kari). Entering the stage boasting introductions in a variety of different languages ranging from “Ni hao,” “anyong haseyo,” to “bonjour,” they dazzled the audience with their fiery dance routine to their rhythmic beats.


The artist next on stage were the 10-member idol unit, Niji no Conquistador. The girls claimed that the FES was “so hot, way too hot” as they set foot to the stage, while the crowd raged in delight to finally be graced with their presence. With their debut album just released, they performed three songs in total including their esteemed “Triangle Dreamer.”


Although there was a slight downpour, that didn’t serve as a reason to stop the crowd from feeding themselves with the exciting, colorful, and delightfully unpredictable J-pop culture. In the MATSURI (traditional Japanese festival) area, families gathered to write Japanese calligraphy, and students enjoyed a cork-shooting game where they shot down toys/items to the energetic beats from the DJ turning it up on the MATSURI stage…(to be continued)


Meanwhile at NIPPON STAGE, it was time for Cheeky Parade to perform. Their energetic performance raised the voltage of the audience even more! The nine-girl-group also brought up the delightful news and got fans excited by announcing a joint show with TEMPURA KIDZ. They will be performing with the Harajuku-based performance group on a regular basis, starting next month!


Around the same time, Harajuku-based girl band Silent Siren was rocking the crowd at MOSHI MOSHI STAGE. “Hands up!” Main vocalist Sumire Yoshida shouted, and fans proved the sense of unity by putting their hands up in the air.


For the Marukome and ASOBISYSTEM audition, seven finalists were invited to the stage. It was a memorable moment and we could feel the tension in the air. In front of anxious-looking fellow participants, Asahi Shimoda was awarded the first prize, and won the chance to appear in mer magazine as well as one year’s worth of miso soup.


Sebastian Masuda’ The Show was created in collaboration with KAWAII MONSTER CAFÉ, which is a newly opened café in the heart of Harajuku. Along with the upbeat tunes selected by Sebastion, a number of kawaii monsters walked down the runway and fascinated the audience with the Sebastian world.


The SHARP AQUOS 4K show was joined by a surprise guest – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu! After revealing more details on her upcoming single titled Kanzen Keitai, she talked about the SHARP AQUOS 4K TV ad where she plays 17 instruments in an orchestra.


9nine showed off their gorgeous outfits with beautiful glitter detailing, while Kameleo sang three songs, Dame Otoko, Devil-Kun and Banzai ＼(・∀・)／Music!, along with three sexy, rabbit-headed dancers.


Moshifes Day 2 was approaching to its end but the crowd was still going wild!
Natsume Mito came on the MOSHI MOSHI STAGE with a white guitar, and performed two songs; Maegami Kirisugita and Watashi wo Fes ni Tsuretette. The singer was very energetic on stage and kept jumping through the performance. At one time, she had a handheld fan with two kanji letters that read Maegami (meaning the bang and the god), adding a playful twist to her set.


The booth area was packed throughout the day, offering all kinds of interactive and fun activities. From free karaoke to cosplay goods to J-pop culture booths, each booth offered freebies and services for many trend-conscious girls! Fans also got a chance to mingle with their favourite models through a number of games and workshops – Rinko Murata played Mario Card with fans and Saki Shibata gave a Korean lesson while Culumi Nakada taught fans how to embroider.


Then, it was time for a runway show featuring models such as Shiho Takechi, Rina Tanaka, Fumiko Aoyama and Ayumi Seto. Fans screamed at the top of their lungs with excitement when models appeared and waved hands to them.


Golden Bomber, the closing act for MOSHI MOSHI STAGE, came on stage with a casual hello in front of the excited crowd. fans screamed even louder when they saw Kyan Yutaka with a Natsume Mito-inspired short wig and Utahiroba Jun wearing a sailor moon bikini. Darvish Kenji’s comedy skit prompted laughter when he teased fans by blowing his skirt up and showing his sexy black underwear.


For the finale show, participating artists and models once again came back on stage. MCs and fans shouted MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON together, and wrapped up this fun-filled day!
Today is the last day of MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2015 in TOKYO! Day 3 is already going wild with an onslaught of sought-after artists such as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, CAPSULE, m-flo, WORLD ORDER and Suiyoubi no Campanella.
Come check out the latest and edgiest J-pop culture trends at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium now!