Sebastian Masuda to open SUSHIDELIC, a new sushi restaurant in Soho, New York City. The location will open on June 28, 2023.

“King of Kawaii” Sebastian Masuda, creator of Harajuku’s “KAWAII MONSTER CAFE,” loved by celebrities around the world, has created a new restaurant concept  in New York City

Enjoy an Immersive Kawaii Experience

Featuring a Menu Developed by Japanese Chefs and Supported by AUTEC, Inc.

Opening in SoHo, the Trendiest Neighborhood in New York City

SUSHIDELIC is scheduled to open at 177 Lafayette St. in the heart of the SoHo area, where the latest fashions and trends are born and where many fashion brands have opened their flagship stores.

We will keep you updated with the latest information as it becomes available. Please look forward to the chemistry between “Sushi” and “Kawaii,” two of Japan’s proudest exports.

Sebastian Masuda

Felissimo’s Museum Department has teamed up with Ad Museum Tokyo to release a collection of nail stickers inspired by famous works of art from the Edo Period. They also released an incense collection inspired by classic matchbooks on November 21, 2022. Nishiki-e is a type of Japanese multi-colored woodblock printing, and those interested in traditional art will love showing off their new style with these easy-to-apply stickers. 

Edo Trend Nishiki-e Gel Style Nail Stickers

One Hundred Beauties from Famous Places of Edo – Ninghocho

Sixteen Female Sennin

Keisei Oyodo – Ichikawa Masunojou

Showa Modern Incense with Matchbox Labels

These incense sets were inspired by classic matchboxes, each featuring ads from the time. Each stick burns for about 10 minutes, making them perfect for use in your spare time. After using the incense, these are perfect for using as boxes for jewelry or other small items!

On November 16, Felissimo unveiled a collection of original items inspired by Rumiko Takahashi’s popular manga series Ranma ½ on their official website. These items were made for adults to enjoy, and the collection includes plenty of apparel and items for the home. Whether you’re looking for pajamas, tote bags, or pillowcases, Felissimo’s got you covered!

Naruto Patterned Pajamas

These soft pajamas are perfect for the cold winter months and were inspired by the PJs Ranma wears in the series.

Fluffy P-chan Pouch

With his yellow bandana and fluffy body, this P-chan pouch is sure to brighten up your desk at school or work!

Pouch

This scene of Ranma walking along the fence while Akane follows on the ground is one of the most well-known moments in the series. Now, fans can relive it each time they reach for a pencil or pen.

Sweatshirt

This romantic moment from the series has been immortalized on a sweatshirt perfect for adults to wear with muted colors and a sleek design.

Pass Case

These pass cases are perfect for your Suica card and are each printed with popular battle poses from the series. 

2-WAY Earrings with Tassels

These earrings feature designs of Ranma, Akane, Shampoo, and P-chan. The tassels can be removed for a more subtle look. 

Reversable Tote Bag

This tote bag features a mature black design with a print of Ranma and friends. It’s also reversible, with the opposite side a sleek white with flowers. This bag easily fits A4-size items.

Character Nail Stickers

Decorate your nails with Ranma, Akane, and Shampoo! These gel-like nail stickers are decorated with gold and silver foil. Tip: paint your nails different colors for unique effects!

Socks

These socks can be paired with a number of styles. While they were inspired by the classic manga series, there’s no reason you can’t wear them with a proper dress for a night out!

Pillowcase

These pillowcases will bring some fun to your bedroom! Whether you want something romantic or cute, snag one of these while you can.

From September 30 until October 2, 2022, artist Sebastian Masuda will present a hands-on live performance work titled Polychromatic Skin – Minitsukeru, nugisuteru at kagoo in Kitakagaya, Osaka. 

Masuda, who currently resides in New York, is returning to Japan temporarily to prevent this colorful and experimental participatory live performance, inspired by the street style of the 90s. The title of the artwork is pulled from the artist’s intention to break through and liberate people’s unconscious stereotypes that stand in the way of gender freedom. This work is the second in a series following Polychromatic Skin -Gender Tower- and Polychromatic Skin -Gender Wall- to be exhibited at Roppongi Art Night 2022.

The theme of this art piece is ‘wearing something by taking it off.’ Audience members will participate in the live performance by wearing masks, tops, and bottoms based on the idea of androgyny, or the body of a human before it is divided into male or female. 

Upon entering the art space, guests will be surrounded by live music consisting of drums and violins and visuals, while being invited to act accordingly to create their own art. Each session lasts 60 minutes, and participation in the live performance must be reserved in advance. Tickets to view the works without participating in the performance will be sold at the venue on the day of the event.

The performance will take place at kagoo, a former warehouse space in Kitakagaya, an artistic area of Osaka. A free area at the entrance will feature a pop-up store filled with Sebastian Masuda’s art, along with items from 6%DOKIDOKI, a popular Harajuku apparel brand celebrating its 27th anniversary in 2022.

<Comment from Sebastian Masuda>

“In Brooklyn, New York in 2018, I wandered off to go to the restroom at a club. The male and female signs on the restroom doors had been smashed together, and the sign only said ‘non-gender.’ Bewildered by the unexpected instructions, I opened the door with the usual color and found a completely different sight than I was expecting. Shocked to realize that there were stereotypes hiding unconsciously within me, I returned to the club floor to find the space is as fun as ever. Since then, I’ve wondered if there is a way to break the stereotypes I have. I can’t stop thinking about it. 

Is breaking down the walls the only shortcut?
The right answer is inside all of us.
Sometimes, to see the truth, you just need to put something on.
Cast off the self by taking it off.”

Felissimo’s small-scale urban winery f winery is teaming up with Cat Club! From August 11 until September 25, guests can enjoy three original wines, chocolates, bread, and other unique merchandise featuring everyone’s favorite kitties. This is the first collaboration between the portside winery and the popular cat collection.

Collaboration Products

Brown-and-White Sailor Cat (Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot)

Tuxedo Sailor Cat (Sauvignon Blanc)

Grey Tabby Passenger Cat (Japanese Muscat Berry A)

Orange and Bitter Chocolate / Coffee and Bitter Chocolate / Matcha Chocolate

Collab Menu

Chocolate Plate with Wine (Example)

Blue Sky White Wine Jelly / Morning Sunrise Orange Jelly / Evening Sunset Red Wine Jelly

Chocolate Latte / Tea Latte / Tea Soda

The collaborative menu with Cat Club Parlor includes a wine set and a lineup of non-alcoholic drinks that everyone can enjoy. The original label wines will be available on the Felissimo website starting August 18, and one percent of the proceeds will be donated to the company’s foundation supporting dogs and cats and helping them to find foster homes, as well to prevent cat overpopulation. 

Be sure to check out these adorable products–they’ll make great gifts!

Sebastian Masuda, known as the “father of kawaii,” moved to New York City in 2022 to be more active in the Big Apple while continuing his activities in Tokyo.

His first event since moving to the city will be the COLORS FOR PEACE charity art exhibition, which will be held at the Mizuma & Kips gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side from July 29 until July 31. A portion of all proceeds from the sale of artwork and donations collected will be donated to the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, a human rights organization supporting those whose lives have been impacted by war.

Masuda wanted people to think about peace, which is the theme for the COLORS FOR PEACE exhibition. The showing will feature artwork in four primary colors–blue, yellow, green, and pink.

Along with original paintings and lithographs, the exhibition will also feature a bed installation where guests can freely relax. Visitors will be able to think about the people whose peaceful daily lives are threatened by the ongoing war, and will be able to support them through art.

An opening reception for the event will be held on the evening of July 29, and reservations are open now. More information will be announced on Masuda’s social media accounts, including when the artist himself will appear.

Comment from Sebastian Masuda

“COLORS FOR PEACE is an event with a very straightforward theme, and that is for guests to think about peace. Close your eyes. Imagine it. Understand it. Understand how wonderful it is that you can sleep in your own bed at home tonight. We all know how comfortable it is to be able to sleep in our own bed, with our own sheets that have our own scent.

Through my activities over the years, I’ve come to realize that the ‘kawaii’ movement is one of the best ways to inspire peace. It helps us to understand each other, and the bright and vibrant colors make people happy, both in Japan and around the world. I hope that the COLORS FOR PEACE venue will be filled with many smiling faces and that it will transcend race, religion, age, gender, and all other borders.”

Felissimo’s ‘Little Bird Club’ has unveiled a new collection of mini Japanese-style marshmallows! These tasty treats, flavored with chocolate and Anko (red bean paste) are available to order online. 

Mini Japanese-style Parakeet Marshmallows Round 2 (Chocolate Anko)

Mini Japanese-style Parakeet Marshmallows Round 2 (Chocolate Anko)

These adorable sweets were a smash hit during their first release, and this new collection features a variety of colorful parakeets certain to delight bird lovers. Its cute packaging makes it a perfect gift, and there’s no doubt that these sweets will be a hit on social media. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Felissimo Little Bird Fund, which supports bird conservation activities.

In late 2020, Felissimo teamed up with the ‘King of Kawaii’ Sebastian Masuda to create KAWAII COMPANY, a project selling adorable original items. The company is now teaming up with Ikeri, a long-running Miwa Soumen shop in Nara, to create some colorful noodles to enjoy this summer. Five colors will be available, and these noodles can be purchased online until September 30, 2022. 

The Kawaii Soumen box includes five scents and flavors of noodle–purple sweet potato, plum, Kabosu, Blue Beefsteak Plant, and plain. The adorable box is also reusable!

Ikeri has been selling soumen in Nara for over 170 years. This new collaboration aims to introduce more ‘kawaii’ into traditional pieces of Japanese culture. Ikeri’s thin soumen noodles are made by hand one by one and shine like jewels when boiled.

Customers are welcome to try different arrangements with these gorgeous noodles. These are the perfect summer gift for adults who love tasty food, tradition, and appearance! The wooden box is handmade by craftsmen in Nara Prefecture.

How would you like to not only eat these tasty noodles but post them all over social media?

Romantic Taisho-style cafe Akihabara Nagomido and Felissimo’s Nekobe, a company that loves all things to do with cats, are teaming up for a collaboration cafe! Open until March 20, guests will be greeted at the door by an original cat illustration by Arisa Shimoda, a popular illustrator for Nekobe. Enjoy a special photo spot and a collaboration coffee shop menu complete with cat-themed dishes. Exclusive merchandise will be on sale at the goods corner and online, and 1% of all proceeds will be donated to a charity finding forever homes for cats and dogs. 

Collaboration Menu

Swordfish Tuna Steak Cutlet

Catwalk Tiramisu

Hide and Seek with Fluffy Cream! Mini Cat Parfait

Flying Fish?! Kitty Soda

Cafe Latte with Cat Design

Yoshino-chan’s Anmitsu with Marshmallows

Akihabara Nagomido Limited-Edition Collaboration Merchandise

Chocolate Rusk

Sweets in Tin

Sugar Cats

Japanese-style Marshmallow

Yoshino-chan, a tortoiseshell cat wearing a lovely kimono against a backdrop of Taisho-era stained glass, was created by Arisa Shimoda, a well-known illustrator.

Which of these dishes would you order?

What does the word ‘kawaii’ mean to you? For most people overseas, it’s a purely Japanese aesthetic combining colorful visuals with cutesy characters to make something so adorable it defies imagination. In recent years, however, ‘kawaii’ has become a kind of philosophy that transcends language, national borders, and even consciousness. It’s a driving force behind people’s lives and something that pulls people out of bed in the morning–it’s something capable of instantly putting a smile on people’s faces. For those wishing to study the philosophy behind the ‘kawaii’ movement, the Godfather of Kawaii Sebastian Masuda is currently holding an exhibition at Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo until December 12, 2021. What is it about ‘kawaii’ that is so capable of inspiring so many different people and cultures around the world? 

A correlation chart welcomes guests to the grounds. The ‘Kawaii Archival Research,’ a project on kawaii culture conducted with students from the Kyoto University of Arts, collected data on ‘kawaii’ trends from the post-war period to the present day. Through interactions with the worldwide ‘kawaii’ community, it’s clear how much of an impact the aesthetic has had on people around the globe. 

In the midst of the pandemic in 2020, Masuda announced #KAWAIITRIBE, a way to encourage those coping with depression during the days of COVID-19. His followers were asked to use ‘color’ to bring the world together, and more and more, the ‘kawaii’ movement became a way to express and love oneself. Using #KAWAIITRIBE, more and more fans of the movements became connected–even if those users were countries apart. 

The hashtag #SPEAKUP was also utilized by Masuda to collect data from ‘kawaii’ lovers around the world, asking about hobbies, interests, and opinions on ‘kawaii’ culture. The data collected over the course of 12 days was incredibly meaningful to Masuda and led to plenty of new discoveries about the community as a whole. 

Masuda explains that each country has different types of ‘kawaii,’ and that the aesthetic is expressed in different ways around the world. One country may have people influenced mainly by ‘kawaii’ expressions in anime and manga, while another expresses it through fashion or music. ‘Kawaii’ is diverse, just as people are diverse. 

Sebastian Masuda has also held a Zoom meeting with people in ‘kawaii’ communities around the globe to discover how they became involved with the aesthetic initially, while also asking how it inspired them and gave them strength during these difficult times. Certain people claimed that ‘kawaii’ helped them in their personal growth, while others say it has brought out some of their potential in new and unexpected ways. While Masuda’s artwork may simply seem visual, ‘kawaii’ has become a tool for new communication and personal healing and growth. Some may even call it a kind of therapy: a place where people can surround themselves with color and joy to heal from the difficulties of life. The bold colors of the ‘kawaii’ movement can inspire people to be bold in their daily lives. Individuality should be celebrated and self-confidence should reign supreme–that is yet another message of the ‘kawaii’ movement. 

Many people involved in the Zoom call had never met, and after the initial meeting, the room was left open to give people a place to communicate. Afterward, the ‘kawaii’ circle only became bigger, with a Facebook group bringing together more and more members of the community. 

The research done during the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic has given ‘kawaii’ lovers a reason to think deeply on how to overcome the many struggles born from the ‘new normal,’ and these forums are perfect places to share colorful messages of hope and strength. 

Inspired by Masuda’s own struggles during his time in Manhatten in 2013, Colorful Rebellion -Seventh Nightmare- is on display at Kanda Myojin. The installation has previously appeared in locations around the world including New York City, Milan, and Amsterdam. This time, the exhibit was inspired by ‘muro,’ a basement room in Omotesando where amazake is fermented. The room was used as an air-raid shelter during the war, and walking along the dimly-lit path leading to Masuda’s brightly-colored room, it’s hard not to wish that those evacuees could have been surrounded by these beautiful colors instead of pitch darkness. 

It is no exaggeration to say that this is Masuda’s representative work. Created in the midst of the artist’s own struggles, it has helped establish the philosophy of ‘kawaii’ culture and continues to help those dealing with their own problems.

The Time After Time Capsule Art Project, starting in 2014 and held in 12 cities around the world, is a massive time capsule filled with messages and wishes for the future. Shaped like the beloved Sanrio character Hello Kitty, the capsule is gradually changing color as it becomes heavier and heavier with wishes for peace and happiness from fans around the world. Originally planned to be exhibited at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, this couldn’t come to fruition due to the current pandemic. This is the first time it is being shown in Japan. 

The WORLD TIME CLOCK, a once-famous landmark of Harajuku, has also been recreated and installed within Kanda Myojin. 

‘Yes, Kawaii Is Art’ at Kanda Myojin is a deeply emotional, personal, and inspiring exhibition allowing visitors to experience firsthand how ‘kawaii’ culture is capturing the hearts of people around the world. Sebastian Masuda isn’t slowing down any time soon, and his works will continue to heal people and bring joy for many years to come. 

Sebastian Masuda’s solo exhibition ‘Primal Pop’ will be held at Roppongi Hills A/D Gallery from December 11, 2021, until January 10, 2022.

TEXT：Natalie（MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON）

The Godfather of Kawaii Sebastian Masuda will open his ‘Yes, Kawaii Is Art’ exhibition at the 1,300-year-old Kanda Myojin Shrine on December 4, 2021. A number of Masuda’s representative works will be on display at the historical site, known as one of the most important shrines during the Edo period. 

Colorful Rebellion -Seventh Nightmare-

Kanda Myojin Shrine

Colorful Rebellion -Seventh Nightmare- has been shown in New York, Milan, and Amsterdam over the past few years, and will now make an appearance as part of this exhibition. Given the magnificence of the venue, the work will be presented in a unique way–in the basement of the shrine. In addition, a part of the research on Kawaii culture conducted in collaboration with Kyoto University of Arts Ultra Factory will be on display as well. Guests will be invited to ponder the nature of Kawaii, and what makes it so beloved by audiences worldwide.

Colorful Rebellion -WORLD TIME CLOCK-

Time After Time Capsule Art Project

Kawaii Archival Research

Near the entrance to the shrine, the Colorful Rebellion -WORLD TIME CLOCK will be on display. Clad in the cutest colors imaginable, it has become a symbol of Harajuku around the world. The Hello Kitty-shaped time capsule, which was on display for five months in New York City in 2015, will also be shown on the temple grounds. The participatory art project has made it to 12 cities around the world so far. 

Kawaii culture will blend with traditional Japanese culture during this exhibition, so keep an eye out for more details coming soon!

What is ‘Yes, Kawaii Is Art?’ 

Sebastian Masuda has been at the helm of the global Kawaii movement for decades. 

 In 2020, Masuda asked a number of questions to fans of Japanese pop culture around the world–what is Kawaii? Why does Kawaii cross borders, generations, and gender? This new exhibition tries to find an answer to those questions while bringing some joy and excitement to the local community. 

Sebastian Masuda, the Godfather of Kawaii, is bringing his ‘Yes, Kawaii is Art’ exhibition to Tokyo. If that isn’t cool enough, the event will be held from December 4 until December 12, 2021, at the 1,300-year-old Kanda Myojin Shrine, known as one of the most important shrines during the Edo period. 

Kanda Myojin, the Tokyo Venue

Work at ‘Yes, Kawaii is Art’ Venue in Osaka

Related Event, 6%DOKIDOKI Fashion Show

Originally scheduled to arrive in Tokyo in September, the exhibition was postponed due to the state of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kanda Myojin is known as the site of the Kanda Festival, one of the three major Shinto festivals in Tokyo started by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1600. The shrine is very close to Akihabara, and has become a place for technophiles to pray for their electronics!

Sebastian Masuda is known as the Godfather of Kawaii, and his colorful and crazy art is known around the world. In 2020, Masuda asked a number of questions to fans of Japanese pop culture around the world–what is Kawaii? Why does Kawaii cross borders, generations, and gender? This new exhibition tries to find an answer to those questions while bringing some joy and excitement to the local community. 

Osaka’s City of Art Kitakagaya has hosted Masuda’s exhibition since October 30, with his works spread out across three different venues. These will be open until November 30, 2021. 

Additionally, on November 13, a street fashion show by Masuda’s popular Harajuku fashion brand 6%DOKIDOKI will be held at the third venue. The brand turns 26 this year.