The Harajuku-based brand KAWAII MONSTER CAFE has announced a traveling store, KAWAII MONSTER SHOP. As the project’s first event, a Halloween pop-up shop named ‘KAWAII MONSTER SHOP – Colorful Halloween’ will open for 10 days starting October 19 in the birthplace of the brand, Harajuku.

KAWAII MONSTER CAFE is an entertainment restaurant that embodies the vibe of Harajuku in Tokyo, a town that swallows fashion and culture from places around the world and reimagines them into unrestrained originality. Originally opened in 2015 and produced by artist Sebastian Masuda, the colorful and crazy space offered photogenic food and drinks, and guests were served by the iconic Monster Girls clad in future Harajuku fashion. It became a ‘new Tokyo landmark,’ attracting over 700,000 visitors from both Japan and abroad. Even after the restaurant closed in January 2021, its one-of-a-kind concept has lived on in pop-up shops, events, and collaborations with various brands and creators.

The pop-up shop, open in Harajuku for a limited time starting October 19, offers food and drinks, merchandise, special experiences, and photo spots themed around the spooky Halloween season. Additionally, a collaboration with the popular Harajuku accessory store 6%DOKIDOKI will be held from October 19-22. Colorful hair accessories will be on sale, and shop girls with Monster Girls makeup experience will be giving seasonal makeovers to visitors.

■FOOD & DRINK

During the first half of the event, the pop-up shop will be serving food made in collaboration with the hot dog specialty restaurant HOTDOG CAFE STAND STATION TOKYO. The limited-edition menu includes the crazy Monster Dog, consisting of a monster holding a sausage in its mouth, and the monstrous Philly Cheesesteak, made with juicy tenderloin and tons of cheese.

The second half of the event will feature the Colorful Pop Burger Blue Monster (Teriyaki Chicken) from KAWAII MONSTER CAFE’s popular menu, along with French Fries with Monster Dip served with five different colorful sauces. Visitors are welcome to get into the Halloween spirit by enjoying the Monster Float during the pop-up event.

<10/19~10/22 Exclusive Menu>
Monster Dog: ¥880 (Tax Included) *In collaboration with HOTDOG CAFE STAND STATION TOKYO
Philly Cheesesteak: ¥1,350 (Tax Included) *In collaboration with HOTDOG CAFE STAND STATION TOKYO

<10/26~10/31 Exclusive Menu>
Colorful Pop Burger Blue Monster (Teriyaki Chicken): ¥1,200 (Tax Included)
French Fries with Monster Dip: ¥700 (Tax Included)

Monster Float: ¥800 [Rose/Passionfruit/Kyoho Grape]

■GOODS

New KAWAII MONSTER CAFE goods will make their first appearance at this pop-up shop! Guests can visit the Sweets Factory to create their own candy assortment by filling their favorite containers with chocolates, gummies, and other goodies. Harajuku Icing Cookies will also be available in collaboration with SHONPY, a popular cake shop. Be sure to grab some incredible souvenirs!

In addition, popular KAWAII MONSTER CAFE collaboration items from years past will be available, along with adorable plushies from the globally beloved brand Ty. Visitors can also snag some unique zipit pouches and flexible PLUS PLUS blocks starting October 26.

■EXPERIENCE

During the event, KAWAII MONSTER CAFE’s iconic Monster Girls and the character Choppy will greet guests and take photos, as well as shoot cute Halloween-inspired videos together. Visitors wishing to be transformed into Monster Girls themselves can speak to the store girls, clad in Decora fashion and rocking accessories from 6%DOKIDOKI. These ladies will provide POP Harajuku Monster makeovers featuring original tattoo stickers and unique hair accessories to get you ready for Halloween.

■PHOTO SPOT

At the event, guests will find the 3-meter tall Sweets Cake Balloon inspired by the Sweets-Go-Round Cake, the symbol of KAWAII MONSTER CAFE. Surrounded by colorful decorations and captivating monsters, visitors are sure to leave with plenty of special memories.

Guests of all ages are invited to spend the Halloween season surrounded by the unique wonders of Harajuku!

On August 16, SUNNY ONLY 1 released her new digital single WASH IT.

In April, the accomplished artist released her first single in two years, So What? SUNNY ONLY 1 is also an active member of the Tokyo-based girls’ creative collective bala, and her previous release Dance like a monkey feat. Mori attracted plenty of attention. A collaboration with close friend Mori from the musical group DONGURIZU, the song was featured on Spotify’s official Electropolis playlist.

WASH IT, concluding the trilogy of solo single releases from SUNNY ONLY 1 this year, was co-written by Kyoichi Mikuriya and Hiroto Sugawara of the band Eiji, along with rapper KOHKI. These artists are close friends of SUNNY, and the track itself is a party tune filled with Afro-funk and disco beats that capture the hustle and bustle of the underground scene. WASH IT was produced by Noah Ings, an up-and-coming producer from London who also worked on SUNNY ONLY 1’s previous release.

[Comment from SUNNY ONLY 1]
“This is the last song of the trilogy. It’s the funkiest song I’ve ever written and I made it while partying with my friends, so I hope you’ll have a listen while you’re vibing and feeling good!”

Model, DJ, and photographer Hikari Shibata will hold her first photo exhibition in five years, THROUGH THE WINDOW, at the FLOAT Gallery in Tokyo for four days starting September 8, 2023.

The exhibition’s title was inspired by Shibata’s shyness, which has always led her to photograph landscapes rather than people. Many photos were taken through windows, and both the view and reflections are meaningful and personal to Shibata herself.

This year’s exhibition features photos of daily life taken in Copenhagen, Denmark’s largest city, where Shibata stayed for a total of three weeks in March 2023. It will also feature photographs snapped in Berlin, Los Angeles, and New York City.

Shibata will visit the gallery in person to present her creations. In addition to the sale of exhibited photographs, guests will also be able to purchase T-shirts, hats, and Shibata’s first photobook, the latter of which is available in limited quantities. The self-published 112-page hardcover book was entirely designed by Shibata herself. T-shirts will be available in two colors and feature the title of the exhibition, while hats will come in three colors with an embroidered graphic image of the sun reflected in a window.

On June 29, SESSIONS COLLECTION VOL. 1 was released. This is the first digital compilation inspired Tokyo Community Radio’s recent training program “sessions.” DJ and Beatmaker Licaxxx runs the online radio platform, and the training sessions have seen incredible success, inspiring new musicians to grow and improve.

“sessions” is a training program focused exclusively on dance music. Participants work closely with DJs and other active music creators to hone their skills and share unique experiences. The main goal of the program is to teach more about current technology and to share real-world examples that can help participants thrive. Sharing actual problems that current artists are facing and how to overcome them is also a popular part of the program.

Club (RDC) and Red Bull, inviting guests to embark on a 3-day/2-night training camp in Izu to hone their DJ and dance music skills. Artists from all over Japan were selected from an open call and gathered to create new works individually or in groups after listening to advice and having discussions with track makers active in several different genres.

A ton of music produced during the “sessions” program is included on TCR’s first 18-track digital compilation album. In addition to the 14 artists that participated, Stones Taro, Carpainter, Pharakami Sanders, and Licaxxx worked with FELINE to create a track as well. This genre-crossing compilation album by the next generation of Japan-based artists is a must-hear for active DJs, and a behind-the-scenes look at the training camp is available on TCR’s official YouTube channel.

TCR will also be hosting events in Tokyo and Osaka this weekend with re:lax, a unit comprised of DJ/producers re:ni and Laksa from the UK. Keep an eye out for more details!

On June 14, SUNNY ONLY 1 released her new single Dance like a monkey feat. Mori.

In April 2023, the artist released So What?, her first single in two years. The well-established creator is also a member of the Tokyo-based girl artists and creators’ collective bala.

The new song features rapper Mori from DONGURIZU, a long-time friend of the group.

Following the electroclash revival heard in her previous work, the new alternative dance track features notes of post-punk and old-school style. Mori brings his distinct style to the song, and listeners are sure to experience the chaotic mood found in the Tokyo Underground scene.

Natsumi Sato’s “peloringirl series,” featuring girls sticking out their tongues in vivid pop colors with a 90s feel, has become increasingly popular. On June 2, the artist opened a new solo exhibition at A.F GALLERY in Harajuku.

In addition to many of her past creations, visitors will also be able to see newly drawn works created especially for the exhibition, as well as works from the recently released NFT project City Pop TOKYO, for which Natsumi Sato acted as the character designer.

Sato is planning on holding exhibitions in Fukuoka and Osaka in the future.

Starting in October 2022, artist MANON released new music for four consecutive months. Continuing her exploration of the HyperPop genre, her new track L.M.S.N feat. Kyunchi is now streaming.

MANON is known for releasing music with up-and-coming artists, and for this new track, she’s collaborated with NY-based HyperPop artist Kyunchi. L.M.S.N was composed by trackmaker Kiraku, who also worked on MANON’s previous release. The song is a Gal anthem, packed with Kiraku’s signature sound and ‘Gal Rap’ performed by MANON and Kyunchi.

Kyunchi

MANON

<Comment from MANON>

“I’ve wanted to collab with Kyunchi for so long, and it’s finally happened.

When I go to parties, I have a habit of being loud and not holding back, so people tend to shoot me these judgmental looks. But I don’t care! I always think “LET’S MAKE SOME NOISE!!” This song is just that–it’s us doing what we want to do at the moment. ⭐️That’s the vibe.

I feel like gals from the 2010s are all about YOLO–they give off this super strong vibe. That’s what I was trying to channel in this track, but then Kyunchi’s bad bitch rap made it so much more intense. The jacket was also inspired by blinged-out images from the 2010s and was made by Kiraku’s friend onumi!

When you hear this song, be sure to MAKE SOME NOISE!!”

Nike’s Gamma Force line, a modern interpretation of classic 80s sneakers, will be available at ABC-MART and ABC-Mart Online. To celebrate the launch, a new visual and collaborative video featuring the members of ATARASHII GAKKO! have been released.

In the video, the girls are seen performing a flashy dance while wearing shoes from the Gamma Force line. The featured song, SUKI LIEwas featured on the group’s new EP ICHIJIKIKOKU and in standard ATARASHII GAKKO! style, the members express themselves freely while holding absolutely nothing back.

In March, the Tokyo-based girl artists and creators’ collective bala released its first single, barla. On April 26, a remixed version of the track featuring BBY NABE was released on streaming services.

The song barla, produced by Shinichi Osawa (Mondo Grosso) and written by Kenmochi Hidefumi (Wednesday Campanella), first dropped on March 8. The song has been well-received for its stylish music video highlighting the unique backgrounds and interests of each member. The remix features BBY NABE, a bilingual rapper who is the same age as the members. His song PINK SWEET was a viral hit, and the artist is known for producing music across several different genres. barla (feat. BBY NABE) is an anthem for the current generation featuring the rapper’s catchy flow over a dance tune that brings back the house sound of the late 90s.

On May 4, the 7-member idol group FRUITS ZIPPER held the first Tokyo performance of their first-anniversary concert tour at Toyosu PIT.

Tickets for both the Tokyo and Osaka shows sold out immediately after they went on sale. To celebrate the first anniversary of the group’s debut, the lucky fans who were able to snag tickets came together at Toyosu PIT.

In the year since their debut, FRUITS ZIPPER has skyrocketed in popularity, performing live at several idol festivals and some of Japan’s largest fashion events, and successfully touring Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Their show at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA garnered incredible attention.

For the first anniversary concert, the stage was transformed by a special set and the member appeared in new never-before-seen costumes. They performed a total of 17 songs, and each member expressed their gratitude to their fans during the MC segments.

During the performance, it was announced that the group would perform at the Sayonara Nakano Sunplaza Music Festival on June 26. The venue, which has seen countless performances over its long history, will be demolished and replaced to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Fans are excited to see their favorite artists perform on this legendary stage, and many are curious to see how it will be transformed in the future.

FRUITS ZIPPER has also released the song Cho Medetai Song ~Konnani Shiawasede Iinokana? ~ (The Super Joyful Song ~Is It Okay to Be This Happy?~) on all major streaming services. The track was co-written by Sho Yamamoto, who wrote the group’s hit song Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro, currently with over 700 million views on TikTok, and Gento Miyano, who has written songs for numerous popular artists. The super-happy pop tune has a sound reminiscent of idol tracks from the 2000s and has been a smash hit at live shows, stirring the fans into a frenzy.

A Moe Shop Remix of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s legendary song CANDY CANDY, originally released in 2012, will appear on streaming services on April 21.

Moe Shop is a DJ and trackmaker whose one-of-a-kind sound is influenced by French electronica and Japanese pop music. Having amassed a global following, the creator claims to be greatly influenced by Yasutaka Nakata, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s producer.

CANDY CANDY (Moe Shop Remix) is the second remix to be released by the Harajuku star. In 2020, Ninja Re Bang Bang (Steve Aoki Remix) was released to massive fanfare. The new pop tune has a completely different vibe than the original, and fans won’t want to miss it.

Recently, it was announced that Moe Shop would be performing as the opening act for the three U.S. dates of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s POPPP world tour starting in May. The two artists will also be collaborating on a special YouTube Live, allowing fans from around the world to participate in the festivities. The jacket illustration for the single, created by illustrator Natsumi Yoshida, has also been unveiled.

After the world tour concludes, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will hold a special solo concert on July 15 at the Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall. ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Special Live 2023 ~Midnight Sun~’ will be held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the venue.