MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA promoted Japanese culture to the world from Shibuya. Over the course of two days, MMN delivered a new kind of Japanese festival to 16,000 people.

In this article, we report on Onden Shrine – one of the four areas of the festival – where the gods of Harajuku are enshrined. Let’s take a look at the line-up of performances for the stage area as well as the variety of booths!

Stage

Mio Ooyama was in charge of presenting the on-stage performances and, with her bilingual skills, introduced each performer to the audience.

Satsumasendai Odoridaiko opened the stage with a team made up entirely of women who struck their drums like thunder. Dressed in traditional outfits, the traditional sound of their drums rippled through across the event.

The members of maid café group Maidreamin put on a full-force idol performance, captivating the crowd with their catchy music and kawaii dance moves!

Next on stage was kendama performer EASY, who is also active overseas too. His skilful performance with his kendama – a toy enjoyed by both children and adults – garnered him huge rounds of applause.

Then it was character DJ time, which all the kids had been waiting for! Shimockey of Shimo-Kitazawa and Coroton of Gunma Prefecture were there to entertain. They both sang and danced together with the children! Shimockey and Coroton were also very popular outside DJ time too.

Last on stage was Ukon Takafuji of YUMENOYA for the Japanese dance show. At the end, all the performers, attendees and venue staff joined in with Bon Odori dancing! Everyone got involved from children to adults, overseas tourists and the character DJs.

Ennichi Area

The Ennichi area was filled with food and games, as well as MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON style workshop booths. There was a diverse line-up of booths enjoyed by kids, grown-ups and foreigners too.

Harajuku Rainbow Cotton Candy

The colourful cotton candy store from Takeshita Street in Harajuku TOTTI CANDY FACTORY served up a special event-only menu. They sold a numer of things, including TOTTI Rainbow (¥800) which was a combination of 5 flavours: plain (white), strawberry (red), carbonated (blue), and lemon (yellow). Cotton candy is a common treat sold at shrine food stalls, but TOTTI give a Harajuku spin to it. People carrying cotton candy around Onden Shrine really decorated the area.

Amezaiku

The amezaiku booth was very well received last year too. Not only could to purchase some amezaiku candy, you could also make your own amezaiku rabbit, bear and more together with the teacher.

Mizuhiki

Mizuhiki artist Kaori Funaki was invited to hold a workshop for people to create ‘mizuhiki’ which are special cords that tie envelopes used for monetary gifts. There was also individual mizuhiki related merchandise on sale, such as chopstick rests.

Kendama

Global Kendamas Network was established to help spread the use of kendama, a popular sport originating from Japan that has given rise to pros around the world. Kendama performer EASY performed on stage, kendama for pros were sold, and people tried out kendama themselves.

Onden Shrine Omamori

Omamori and other items are sold at Onden Shrine. The god of beauty is enshrined at Onden Shrine, so the small, round omamori charm for “Beauty” (¥500) was very popular amongst girls. With foreign tourists, the omamori for “Victory” was popular.

Learn Shrine Etiquette

As part of the Harajuku tours by Airbnb which began and finished at SHIBUYA CAST, people were taught the proper manners and etiquette to praying at Japanese shrines, including about torii gates, temizuya, hishaku, and the main shrine building. Foreign tourists with an interest in Japanese culture were happy to get involved.

People were also able to participate in a formal sanpai and learned about ‘tamagushi houten’ – humbly presenting a tamagushi, a type of Shinto offering.

Frisbee Strike Out

At this booth, people had to throw a frisbee 6 times. When they got 1 line of bingo they picked one item they liked, and when they got 2 lines they picked two. Even if people didn’t get bingo, awards were still handed out to participants. The line-up included regional Japanese specialties such as “Soy Sauce Mochi” from Oita Prefecture and staple souvenir from Fukushima Prefecture “Brown Sugar Manju”.

Target Practice Game

The target practice game is common at Ennichi, but this was a special MMN Festival version. People had 5 shots per turn, and depending on how many targets they shot down, the number of prizes would change. Those who couldn’t land a shot weren’t left out however and were gifted low calorie chocolate. Prizes included tins of oden, tom yum flavoured okaki, and more.

Did you enjoy the events at Onden Shrine? We took elements from traditional Japanese matsuri festivals and put a MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON spin on them. During the Onden Shrine events, we were able to receive cooperation from local people and those associated with the shrine prior to the festival until the end of the festival.

MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON would like to continue holding even more events in the future where locals and those visiting Shibuya and Harajuku can have fun together.

On March 24^th for MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA, Japanese paint company ROOMBLOOM held the Happy Wall Project which they have been doing since 2014, an activity that contributes to society.

The Happy Wall Project is a volunteer project based on the idea of enrichening one’s life even more through painting. The first run was held at Hiratsuka Children’s Center and has since made its way to 21 educational facilities and welfare institutions across Japan.

With backing from Shibuya City and the Shibuya Tourism Association, ASOBISYSTEM, who produce the MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL, held the Happy Wall Project as a workshop for children at Mirai∞LABO KIDS, a daycare facility located on Cat Street in Ura-Harajuku, to promote the growth and prosperity of Shibuya and Harajuku.

On the day, enrolled students and graduates of Mirai∞LABO KIDS worked with children with Down’s syndrome and autism who are members of the painting group atelier A as well as people associated with Nippon Paint Holdings to create a picture book amongst other arty things. Natsume Mito also received approval to get involved.

The project they worked on was painting 3 of the walls at Mirai∞LABO KIDS. They didn’t use monochromatic colours for the biggest wall – they painted a circus tent. This is the symbol of the institution. Circus members have an unbroken fighting spirit. They challenge themselves to things other people don’t. These are all indispensable elements children must possess. There’s a hope in the center to one day give birth to someone who will go on to work in the circus after leaving.

Natsume Mito spoke with the children to decide on what paints to use for the colour scheme of the circus tent. Instead of strong, darker colours, they decided to go with lighter pastel colours so that the children can feel calm. It was quite a challenge however as there were 189 paints to choose from. For the circus tent they chose “Birthday Present” pink, “ALOHA!” light blue, and “Grass Hopper” green. For the sides of the wall they used “Little Kiss” cherry blossom colour. The colour names were all unique and exciting.

The smaller children began painting first. There were children who had fun using their hands instead of paint brushes to put hand prints on the wall. Smaller details and parts of the painting that were higher up were left to the older children. People of all ages worked together and helped each other out, and after about an hour, the paint project was completed.

When it came to snack time to wait for the paint to dry, Natsume Mito played hide and seek with the kids. A sense of connectedness through working together rang through the room. It was a warm atmosphere, and the laughing never stopped.

After tearing off the masking tape the painting was complete. The adult guardians who watched over the work applauded everyone for their admirable efforts.

The daycare center was now bright thanks to the paint job. And a picture of a new circus tent was now in the room. The children will likely never forget about the place they helped decorate.

▼Check out this video which captures footage from the day.

MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA was held across two days where Japanese culture was delivered to the world from Shibuya.

As the gentle spring air embraced us, the Harajuku Kawaii Market saw at Laforet Museum Harajuku its second run on day two of the festival, with more appearances from hugely popular models and artists.

Kicking off the stage events for Day 2 was Rikako Ōya (Babyraids Japan), Ellie, Yuri Suganuma, Ema Tanioku, and Yuna Yabe who held their talk session A Lesson on Being Photogenic. The six photo experts looked pictures from their articles on the MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON website while giving tips and tricks on how to make yourself more Instagrammable.

 
Chamereon Takeda returned once more to the stage for day to with her Zodiac Sign Rankings. Hikari Shibata had her fortune told with western astrology and tarot cards. Hikari herself loves fortune telling. According to her tarot reading, “If you’re crazy about something you won’t be able to escape, but if you think before you act, you will have good fortune.”

At the end of the talk session, the horoscopes for April were announced. 1^st place went to Cancer. Everyone in the audience, too, was happy to hear the ranking list.

Next on stage was the Fashion & Hair Dye Talk Session with Hikari Shibata, Yuri Suganuma & MIZUKI (KORD) presented by FRESHLIGHT. Popular models Hikari Shibata, Yuri Suganuma and MIZUKI (KORD) welcomed guest Michelle, who’s influential in China. The four of them chatted about their experiences with hair dyeing as well as their recommended hair colours for spring.

Michelle was asked about the hair dyeing scene in China. She said that light colours are popular over there during spring. It’s common to see a lot of people with pink hair, the same as in Japan. On the FRESHLIGHT website there’s a video of MIZUKI skilfully demonstrating how to dye your hair, so be sure to check it out.

Amato Danshi were last on the list for the first slot. There was a real sense of oneness with the audience as if the hype from day one still lingered! During their high-tempo song Chocolate, the guys surprised everyone by throwing actual wrapped chocolate into the crowd. Everyone went crazy!

After a short break, Noah Satou and Ren Koseki opened the stage for the second slot. Their talk session centred around their Recommended Spring Cosmetics, where they introduced a variety of cosmetics from high brand to low price. It seems like the two of them are into coral this spring. They said that it can be used for a much more toned down look compared to pink.

Mynavi Baito presented their Challenge Award again on stage. Three teams of fashion students were challenged to create cute part-time work outfits which were worn on stage by Yuri Suganuma, Mei Nagasawa and Anna Yano. Team 95 created an izakaya outfit, Team Hikari produced a gas station uniform, and Team Twinkle served up moving-company couture.

The audience made their vote and Team Hikari came out on top as winners this time! One big point about their outfits was how it echoed not only the kawaii of Harajuku, but of Japan. The three of them, all born in 1995, have gotten along and been on the same wavelength since they started designing the outfit. Their victory smiles left a big impression.

A huge cheer welcomed MAGiC BOYZ onto the stage, a hip-hop group formed of three high school DJs Toma, Ryuto and Mahiro, and elementary school DJ Joe. To begin the set, the audience did some call and response with Joe, shouting “Majibo!” (short for MAGiC BOYZ) and “Kawaii!” Their passionate Japanese rap cemented their performance as the most enthusiastic, high frenzy of the day.

Yutaro stepped onto stage next to answer people’s questions in his Q&A segment.  He answered everyone’s questions honestly, such as “Where did you plan your first trip to?”, “If your boyfriend’s fashion style is uncool, how should you get him to fix it?” and “What type of girl do you like, and what hairstyle?” Everyone was absorbed in his answers.

The final event to wrap up the stage was Learn Japanese Spring Trend Styles with Shibasaki & Rinko♡. Saki Shibata and Rinko Murata introduced co-ords using their own personal items and offered suggestions and tips.

A flea market was also held on stage where people could enter a lottery to purchase personal items from models that attended the festival. People that bought Saki and Rinko’s items were overjoyed after hearing them tell the story behind each one! Harajuku Kawaii Market took place on March 24^th and 25^th. It promoted Japan’s kawaii culture from Harajuku and proved a roaring success.

MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA is currently being held across Saturday March 24 and Sunday March 25, serving Japanese culture to the world from Shibuya. Day one ended with huge success. Laforet Museum Harajuku, one of the four areas of the festival, was home to the Harajuku Kawaii Market take place, an event themed on the concept of “Find Japanese Kawaii♡”. The market was lined with a whole host of booths where people got up close with Japanese fashion, beauty, fortune-telling, DIY and more. But that’s not all.

The stage was graced by models heavily active in Harajuku-style fashion magazines, popular social media influencers, and others, all of whom shook the house.

Kicking off the stage performances was none other than Amato Danshi, a six-member male idol group whose concept centres around sweets and candy. “We want to spread the greatness of sweets even more!” They sure weren’t lying with those words, as the guys surprised the audience by gifting everyone sweets during their set. Things got really exciting during their high-tempo track Shu Cream (“Cream Puffs”) as the crowd joined in with the group members in some seriously energetic dancing!

With excitement still rippling through the room, “Mynavi Baito presents Challenge Award” was next on stage. Nine fashion students were split into teams of three who were challenged to create cute part-time work outfits to promote to the world. Yuri Suganuma, Mei Nagasawa and Anna Yano stepped out onto stage and presented the outfits by wearing them. Team 95 created an izakaya outfit, Team Hikari produced a Gas Station uniform, and Team Twinkle served up moving-company couture.

The audience were made to vote for a winner with a raise of hands. The winners of the Challenge Award were Team Twinkle and their mover outfit! They went away with a cash prize of ￥100,000. Tears were even seen from the team upon hearing the announcement. It was a moving stage event – you could see their passion and how hard they had all worked.

Natsume Mito put on her fashion show where the tender and slightly mysterious world of Tomonori Taniguchi’s picture book Bulldog Tantei to Kieta Hoshi (BUNKEI Co., LTD.) was brought to life with performances from Japanese models Akari Abe, Manaka Arai, Alice Ikeda, Anna Kawamura, Aino Kuribayashi, Saki Shibata, Yuri Suganuma, Ema Tanioku, Eri Tanioku, Chie Tsuji, Rinko Murata and Una while Natsume Mito read the book aloud.

Natsume wore a smile of joy on her face when the fashion show came to an end. She announced, “It was a challenge to bring to life and convey something that you imagine in your head. I want to go on to create the opportunity to produce more picture book stage shows!”

Natsume Mito show after report

The first slot of performances came to a close and led into slot two. Youtuber Megane and models Yoshiaki and Michi were invited as guests for a talk session. They showed lots of private photos while giving backstory to each of them. They also blurted out frank insights into each of the pictures which had people in stiches.

In a talk show with popular illustrator Fusedy and Koseki Ren, the two of them gave their cherished opinions of the topic of romance. It was very much a talk between two people who have known each other for 4 years. They were on the same wavelength. It was a girl-talk which showed no sign of stopping as they chatted with plenty of “I know, right!” and “Tell me about it!” moments as Ren empathised with the contents of Fusedy’s book.

Next on stage was none other than Rilakkuma! To realise Shibuya’s recent appointment as a city for international tourism and culture, an inauguration ceremony was held on stage to name Rilakkuma an official Shibuya Tourism Ambassador!

Seeing that had people sighing in adoration with accompanying exclamations of “kawaii.”

With three more stage events wrapped up, it was time to move on to slot three. The first of the performances was the “Fashion & Hair Dye Talk Session with Ren Koseki, Hikari Shibata, Yuri Suganuma, Ayumi Seto and MIZUKI (KORD)” presented by FRESHLIGHT. Popular models Ren Koseki and Ayumi Steo, as well as popular stylist MIZUKI (KORD), chatted about their experiences with dyeing their hair, recommended hair colours for spring, and more.

that when it comes to spring, it’s all about warm colours. When you want to shake things up a bit for going out during spring break, why not go for an easy and comfortable image change with hair dyes from FRESHLIGHT?

Fortune-teller Chamereon Takeda read Mei Nagasawa – who loves spirituality and going to shrines – for romance and work in her “Love Compatibility Rankings: Zodiac Signs” session. Chamereon Takeda used western astrology and tarot readings for Mei, who was interested in her marriage partner. She was told “Your luck will increase for both romance and work starting this autumn. It will be a time where you form a bond with someone you need, and break away with someone you don’t.”

In the second half of the show, Chamereon Takeda also announced the rankings for love compatibility for each zodiac sign. Coming in 1^st place was the Taurus! The scene of people devouring the demonstration was a sight to behold – as if people really wanted to hear their destinies.

The final act of day one was a talk session with Saki Shibata, Ayaka Segawa, and Rei Maruyama. The three of them work as a model, artist & nurse, and performer respectively. Their open and honest discussion focuses on their careers. The conversation got pretty lively as expected from three friends!

That’s it for day one at Harajuku Kawaii Market. Look forward to the performances on stage on day two!

MOSHI MOSHI MUSIC FESTIVAL CUTUP STUDIO after report

Harajuku Kawaii Market Afterreport DAY2

MOSHI MOSHI FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA was held in Shibuya and Harajuku on March 24^th and 25^th. On Saturday March 24^th, model and artist Natsume Mito held her first ever fashion show Tobidase! Picture Book Show ～Storytime With Natsume Mito～ at Laforet Museum Harajuku.

Natsume Mito fully produced the fashion show which was themed on Bulldog Tanei to Kieta Hoshi (BUNKEIDO Co., LTD.), a picture book by Tomonori Taniguchi. The story is as follows. The stars have disappeared from the sky. During this time, a letter arrives for the bulldog detective requesting he search for the lost stars. He accepts and heads out to find them. He’s able to locate them, but why did they disappear, and who sent the letter…? This exciting story is full of heart and can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Natsume Mito read the story aloud while a cast of Japanese models brought the world of the book to life through fashion. Models that performed included Yuri Suganuma, Ema Tanioku, Eri Tanioku, Aino Kuribayashi, Chie Tsuji, Abe Akari, Saki Shibata, Rinko Murata, Manaka Arai, Alice Ikeda, Una, and Anna Kawamura. Natsume Mito styled the outfits in the image of everything from the bulldog detective to the animals, moon and stars. The models were immersed in their roles and walked and posed as directed.

Bulldog Detective (Eri Tanitoku) & Gorilla (Rinko Murata)

Bulldog Detective (Ema Tanioku) & Owl (Una)

Bulldog Detective (Ema Tanioku) & Starfish (Saki Shibata)

Bulldog Detective (Eri Tanioku) & Stars (Yuri Suganuma, Chie Tsuji, Aino Kuribayashi, Akari Abe, Rinko Murata, Manaka Arai)

At the end of the show, the models that performed spoke with the stage presenter Rei Maruyama and gave their thoughts on this first ever fashion show.

Anna Kawamura (Tortoise): Beret – Caorinomori / Hairband attached to hat, Brooch – Barairo no boushi / Bootsu – gREEN DOT / other personal items UNA (Owl): Innerwear, Jacket, Fringe Skirt – Barrack Room / Tulle Skirt – Gaijin / Hat, Choker – MARTE / other personal items Yuri Suganuma (Star): Neckband – SPINNS / Lace Pants – gREEN DOT / other personal items Chie Tsuji (Star): One Piece, Shoes – daidai / Camisole One Piece – Barrack Room / Necklace – CA4LA Bridal / other personal items Ema Tanioku (Bulldog): Shoes – daidai / other personal items

Eri Tanioku (Bulldog): Jacket, Shoes – HUG / Blouse, Hat – SPINNS / other personal items Alice Ikeda (Moon): Belt – HUG / Pumps – gREEN DOT / other personal items Manaka Arai (Star): One Piece – MARTE / Hair Accessory – CA4LA Bridal / Pumps – Gaijin / other personal items Rinko Murata (Star): Lace Gown – Barrack Room / Shoes – RANDA / other personal items Saki Shibata (Starfish): One Piece – gREEN DOT / Neckband, Pumps – Gaijin / Hair Accessory – CA4LA Bridal Aino Kuribayashi (Star): One Piece – Gaijin / Lace Top – gREEN DOT / Hat – Barairo no boushi / Hairband attached to hat – Caorinomori / Sandals – RANDA

Natsume Mito Comment:

“I went and produced a show that combined a picture book with fashion. This was my first time doing this, so I was worried perhaps due to my own self-satisfaction. I was finally able to feel relief after hearing claps from people who came to watch (laughs). Thank you so very much to everybody who came! And to all the models who performed too. I’m happy that the outfits I put together went perfectly with everyone. I can see once again how difficult it was to convey what was in my head to the staff too. It was a very good learning experience. I want to try creating another stage show that conveys the wonder of loving picture books together and the fun of fashion!”

Tobidase! Picture Book Show ～Storytime With Natsume Mito～ wrapped up with much success. Look forward to the many things Natsume Mito will challenge herself to next!

Outfit Co-Operation: Gaijin / CA4LA / Caorinomori / gREEN DOT / SPINNS / daidai / HUG / Barairo no boushi / Barrack Room / MARTE / RANDA

The MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Project has one goal: to promote Japanese pop culture to the people of the world. On March 24^th and 25^th, MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA was held, delivering Japan’s popular culture to the world from the Shibuya and Harajuku area.

There were several places this year’s festival took place. One of those locations was Tower Records Shibuya, where we held a music event titled “Featuring Japanese New Music: MOSHI MOSHI MUSIC FESTIVAL.” Here, music artists with huge influence in the scene, as well as music media companies who have hooked up with new talent, came together as curators to deliver a fantastic showcase of promising artists. The event took place at the CUTUP STUDIO on B1F of Tower Records Shibuya.

Day One at the CUPUP STUDIO saw many performers. This included MANON, a hopeful new artist signed to ASOBISYSTEM, as well as three other artists recommended by music media company Spincoaster: SIRUP, Mizuki Ohira with Kobayashi Utena, and The Wisely Brothers.

Recognised R&B artist SIRUP warmed and spellbound the room with his sugary vocals and mellow, infectious beats.

Mizuki Ohira rocked the steelpans while Kobayashi Utena played the marimba, giving rise to an exotic musical co-performance. Three-piece female band The Wisely Brothers sent forth new-age girl power with their heavy garage rock. They also spoke about there being so much manga in Japan as one of the things they like about the country.

The second half of the event was graced by an MC battle produced by WREP, a hip-hop radio channel, hosted by Zeebra and Hachi Moji. Four spectators from the audience were appointed as team leaders and had to create teams from the 12 battle MCs present at the show.

The 4 teams battled it out in a tournament for the title of best MC. MCs that participated in the battle included MC Seishain, MC Matsushima, MC MIRI, Kizal, SAM, SHO GEN, Datemegiri, TKdakurobuchi, NiLL Nico, 8×8=49, FRANKEN, and Yuma.

Team SHO GEN, TKdakurobuchi & NiLL Nico and Team MC Matsushima, MC Seishain & SAM came out victorious. At the end of the battle, the chief members of the teams SAM and TKdakurobuchi clashed in a final battle with SAM taking the crown. The winning team took home a cash prize with the hip-hop fans in the crowd in a flurry of excitement. This marked the end of the first day.

For Day Two, Natalie Music worked as curators for the live stage event “Live Natalie meets MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON.” MISMOPE were the first on stage with their spacey performance, followed by Nemuri Haru, who left a huge impact with her mad mix of poetry and rap.

Monari Wakita fitted in nine songs in 30 minutes, demonstrating her multi-layered musicianship. The packed-out CUTUP STUDIO also got involved with some fiery call & response.

Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders wowed the audience with their infectious outlook and sharp, nimble dancing. During their song Saishuu Jinrui, which is the lead song taken from their first major album Mae Narawanai released on March 21^st, they demonstrated their acrobatic bodies to the tune of a lively piano.

Five-member band Luby Sparks, who are recognised in the British alternative rock scene, also announced their new vocalist Erika for the first time.

The last performer of the day was SHE IS SUMMER, who performed a string of popular hits such as Machiawase wa Kimi no Iru Shinsen and Tobikiri no Oshare Shite Wakarebanashi wo. The two-day festival came to a close with MICO’s energetic, jumpy performance.