MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA will take place in Harajuku & Shibuya on Saturday March 24 and Sunday March 25. The festival will take place in 4 main areas. One of them is SHIBUYA CAST which is where we will hold the MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON MARKET where you can enjoy Japanese food while taking in the cherry blossom scenery. Maid café group Maidreamin will also appear at the market. With that in mind, Ren Koseki dropped by the café in Shibuya to see what they’re all about. Maidreamin has recently become popular with female customers too who pop in for the maid experience. Ren had her fill by trying their great food, watched a live performance and got involved in dressing up.

Maidreamin offers an experience like no other, taking on the concept of a “dream country littered with ‘moe’ and ‘kawaii’ for all customers who enter.” This is expressed in many ways as expected from a dream country. When you enter the café, it’s said that you’re entering the country. Upon entering, you are greeted, and a ceremony is held to welcome you into the country. When you blow on the candle and it lights up you become a goshuin-sama (master) if you’re male or ojou-sama (lady) if you’re female. Animal ears will ‘sprout’ from the top of your head when you enter the Maidreamin country as you’re given an animal Alice band to wear.

All food and drink items on the menu come with either a Maidreamin ‘omajinai’ service or a drawing performance. Omajinai is when you chant a spell together with a maid to make your meal even tastier. Be sure to try chanting “oishikunaare, moe moe kyun♡” (“abracadabra, become delicious♡”) together with your maid. Those who want even more fun should get the “LOVE Kakuteriimin” (\1,240). A maid will call your name while making a cocktail right in front of you and put on a truly moe performance. It’s recommended for friend groups and work colleagues. Ren ordered strawberry milk. You can order from either a non-alcoholic and alcoholic menu.

The menu is so plentiful you’ll keep saying “cute” without even thinking. You can of course omurice, a classic maid café dish where you can request a maid to draw something on it, as well as the animal parfait which was just updated at the end of February. It’s proven popular with overseas influencers and girls in Japan for its cute appearance, delicious tasty and amount. Friends get together to each order the Bear (chocolate banana), Cat (vanilla), Dog, (tea), Panda (matcha) and Rabbit (strawberry) parfaits and take a group photo.

This is the \880 “Mori no Kokage no Usa-chan Parfait” (Bunny Under the Forest Bower Parfait). You can get a “Sakura Float” to go with the parfait (\1,100. Comes with the maid omajinai). We really want you to try it!

Ren has actually been to Maidreamin before. She had been wanting to try on the maid outfit again, so she transformed into a maid with “Magical Change” (\3,240), a popular original Maidreamin maid outfit that you can wear at the café. Among the maids there are 3 different outfits: “Training,” “Original” and “Dream Outfit”. Only a select few can wear the Dream Outfit. It’s a yearned for uniform whose wearer is known to have gone through the most strict and demanding reception training in the maid café industry. Only famous and successful applicants can wear it.

After changing into your maid outfit, take a commemorative chekki photo (\800). When taking a photo on stage where the maids perform live you can get a nice photo album and a maid will draw on the photo for you. It will encapsulate your time in the country!

Maidreamin has many overseas fans, so much so that they received an offer to perform the song for Anime Expo 2017 which is held in Los Angeles every year. If you order from the ‘Live Menu’ you can see them perform live too.

Look out for the ♪ badge on maids’ uniforms. This will tell you if they are a maid that performs live and who has a repertoire of over 10 songs they can perform. Shiorin gave an energetic performance for Ren. Those who want to have even more fun with the live show can buy a “Magical Stick” penlight. If you hand over your penlight to a maid that’s off stage, they might even dance otagei for you with the penlight, a type of choreographed dance performed by fans at idol shows! All of the maids at Maidreamin can perform otagei, making it the only maid café where all the maid staff can do it.

During the MMN Festival, you can catch popular Maidreamin maids including Dorisu, who gave Ren the welcome ceremony, as well as Hinata and Amo on the live stage at Onden Shrine on Saturday March 24 at 13:30-14:00. Hinata is a member of Moe Kami 8, a group formed by popular members of the maid café. The three of them will perform together with the top 17 maids of maid idol unit QSCS, who have over 450 members.

The services below are scheduled for the Maidreamin booth at MMN Festival 2018. Since the maid dress-up time is different from the café’s normal time, this is your chance to enjoy eating a parfait and more while dressed as a maid, something you normally can’t do. This is a must-do for both first timers, regular customers and cosplayers alike.

The MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Executive Committee will hold the country’s biggest inbound event for promoting Japanese pop culture to the world, “MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA,” across the areas of Shibuya and Harajuku on Saturday March 24 and Sunday March 25. New artists have been added to the event line-up as well as their performing dates. Registration for the event is also now open. Those who register for the festival will receive an original bag as thanks.

Register Here: https://mmnf2018.peatix.com

This year’s MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL will take place in four main locations. Here are the artists set to the perform as well as the content and activities to be held at each location.

In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at the stage performances and booths you can expect to see at Onden Shrine.

The theme at Onden Shrine is “Tying Links with the Gods of Harajuku.” “Ennichi” is held at the traditional Onden Shrine. Stalls are a must-have at Japanese festivals, so you can expect to see plenty of them for the MMN Festival lined with food, offering classic activities such as yo-yo fishing, and more. A stage will also be set up at the shrine where you can look forward to seeing a traditional Japanese ‘taiko’ drum performance and more, as well as getting involved with the mizuhiki workshop where you’ll learn how to make your own decorative cord to tie envelopes with! Onden Shrine will be packed with content that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

STAGE CONTENT: YUMENOYA Ukon Takafuji Japanese Dance Show & Bon Odori

The "Takafuji Dance Company" is a pioneer of traditional Japanese dance that boasts a history of 100 years. Ukon Takafuji is the second generation of the company as well as the producer and chairman of "JAPAN CULTURE ENTERTAINMENT -YUMENOYA-" who is set to put on a traditional Japanese dance show. It is an "experienced-based" show meaning you yourself can join in to dance Bon Odori.

Not only will there be classic Bon Odori hits playing such as Tokyo Ondo, but also a performance of Tokyo Bon 2020 choreographed by Ukon Takafuji, a song co-produced with "COOL JAPAN TV" that has taken the world by storm online with a collective 100 million plays across video streaming platforms.

STAGE CONTENT: Satsumasendai Odoridaiko

A Japanese drum (taiko) group made up of girls in their teens and 20s. Besides Japanese drums, their stage performance also captivates fans around the world with other traditional Japanese instruments such as the shinobue, as well as traditional Japanese dance.

STAGE CONTENT: Awa Odori Dance TAKARABUNE

TAKARABUNE is a creative dance group of Awa Odori, a traditional type of Japanese dance that boasts a 400-year history, who challenge themselves to creating new possibilities for this traditional Japanese artform. You must not miss this stage performance by Japan’s sole professional Awa Odori dance group!

BOOTH CONTENT: Learn Shrine Etiquette!

Staff will co-ordinate and teach you the manners and etiquette associated with shrines. It’s a great chance for newcomers to Japanese shrines and maybe even an opportunity for those in-the-know to learn about them again.

EXPERIENCE: Amezaiku Tsuruhuji

Last year’s amezaiku workshop was hugely well-received, so we’re bringing it back this year! You will learn how to sculpt rabbits, bears and other animals from candy, so be sure to try challenging yourself♪

EXPERIENCE: Kimusubi Mizuhiki Workshop

Mizuhiki are special cords that tie envelopes used for monetary gifts. Did you know that there are a lot of kawaii ones around recently? Mizuhiki artist Kaori Hunaki will hold a workshop at the booth where you can learn how to make your own kawaii mizuhiki!

Register for Free Entry into MMN Festival!

Those that register for the event in advance will receive an original bag as thanks. There are 1,500 bags available on a first-come, first-served basis. You will find in them one of either popular products from KitKat Chocolatory: the “KitKat Chocolatory Moleson” (￥500) or the “KitKat Chocolatory Moleson Matcha” (￥500). Bear in mind that stocks are limited, so don’t forget to sign up early!

How to Register

To access MMN Festival, you must register in advance. (Admission is free of charge. Select festival contents however will charge a fee.)

To register, place visit the Peatix website below and follow the instructions. Upon completing your registration, you will receive a QR Code from Peatix that you must take with you on the day of the event.

Click here to register.

Please display your QR Code at each location on the day of the event.

*Upon registering, you will be signed up as a MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Member where you will receive newsletters and other information. You will also be signed up to Omotenashi Platform.

MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA will take place in Harajuku and Shibuya on Saturday March 24th and Sunday March 25th. Model and artist Natsume Mito has produced her very own show titled Tobidase! Picture Book Show ～Storytime With Natsume Mito～  that she's set to showcase at  Laforet Museum Harajuku on March 24th.

This marks the first fashion show Natsume Mito has produced and will be based on a book she has chosen: Bulldog Tantei to Kieta Hoshi by Tomonori Taniguchi (BUNKEIDO Co., LTD.)

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.

In an entirely experiment, the world of the book will be brought to life through fashion! Natsume Mito will read the book aloud and models will take to the stage to thrill the audience. The line-up features a string of fantastic models representing the aomoji-kei fashion culture: Yuri Suganuma, Ema Tanioku, Eri Tanioku, Aino Kuribayashi, Chie Tsuji, Abe Akari, Saki Shibata, Rinko Murata, Manaka Arai, Alice Ikeda, Una, Anna Kawamura, and more.

Everything from the picture book to the model selection, casting and even the stage performance itself including the walking and lighting was thought up by Natsume Mito herself.

The outfit styling has also been entirely done by Natsume Mito. She dropped by some of her favourite second-hand clothing stores to pick out clothes which she made into outfits for each model while thinking about the role casting and story of the picture book. She even remade some outfits herself to fit the image of the show!

Finally, here's a message to everyone from Natsume Mito:

I love picture books and I love fashion too so I and thought it'd be fun to create a fashion show that combined those two worlds, so I decided to create a picture book fashion show. The art in this book is cute and the story is really moving. I wanted to do a show that presented a sparkly world, so I chose this book.

I did things like coordinate clothes, and I was super excited when thinking up the performance! This is my first time trying this, so there are still parts that I can't imagine how they'll turn out, but I'll work my hardest so that everybody who comes to watch will have smiles on their faces and get sucked into the world of the book. I want to create a stage performance so that people can come to be interested in picture books.

I'm also thinking up content that everybody can enjoy, so please be sure to come by! I'm also posting videos of the show being prepared on Instagram stories, so please check if out if you'd like.

Todibase! Picture Book Show ～Storytime With Natsume Mito～ will begin at 13:40 on Saturday March 24th at Laforet Museum Harajuku. Don't miss Natsume Mito's first challenge!

It’s finally March, which means “MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA” (MMN Festival) is almost here.

This year’s MMN Festival will move away from the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium and take place around the Shibuya and Harajuku area! We will deliver Japanese culture to the world to the fullest in the form of music, fashion, food, tourist experiences and more from Shibuya.

This year’s MMN Festival is free for all to enter! But don’t forget: you must register in advance to attend.

Register here:

https://mmnf2018.peatix.com/

This year’s main locations are Laforet Museum Harajuku, Tower Records Shibuya, SHIBUYA CAST., and Onden Shrine. All locations are free to enter upon registering in advance.

Let’s take a detailed look at the stage content and performances you can look forward to at Laforet Harajuku on 25 March.

＜Slot 1 – 13:00 Start＞

TALK: A Lesson on Being Photogenic – Hosted by Popular Models

A host of models will offer tips & tricks on taking Instagram-worthy photos as well as a range of how-to's! The line-up includes Rikako Ōya (Babyraids Japan) who has an article series on MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON, Ellie, Yuri Suganuma, Ema Tanioku and Yuna Yabe will look at cuts from each of their posts will checking their Instagrammable points. You may even get to hear about their top secret techniques and backstories behind their photoshoots.

TALK: April Horoscope Rankings: Zodiac Signs with Guest Fortune Teller

Hikari Shibata, a model who receives huge support for her fashion and lifestyle posts from girls of her generation, will have her fortune told by Chamereon Takeda through horoscopes. Chamereon Takeda has published 18 books to date. She has become famous for her predications which are so on point you’ll end up laughing. She currently has over 50,000 followers on her official LINE account, and she has appeared on TV, radio and in magazines.

In addition, the constellations will be ranked on stage in relation to love! This is your opportunity to see and experience a fortune-telling by the real-life Chamereon Takeda, who you normally have to book to see. It promises to be a fantastic stage performance. Her fresh and humour-filled dialogue can be enjoyed even with beginners to fortune-telling. Look forward to it.

LIVE: Amato Danshi

Amato Danshi will return for a second performance on 25 March. They are a six-member idol group whose concept is themed on the world’s trending sweets. Their songs too are centered around sweets, such as Shu Cream (Cream Puff) and Taiyaki. The group are also recognised for giving food reviews in their songs. A book on sweets is scheduled to be released from them in May. Their performance is a must-see as they head towards expanding their activities. Also, a café called “Amato Café” will open at SHIBUYA CAST. for the festival selling sweets recommended by the members! Sweet lovers must make sure to check out the performance and the café.

＜Slot 2 – 15:00 Start＞

TALK: “Spring Cosmetic Recommendations” with Noah Satou & Ren Koseki
Model and band vocalist Noah Satou will introduce recommended spring cosmetic items together with model Ren Koseki, who has appeared on TV and radio and has over 100k followers on Twitter.

The two of them post videos of themselves trying out cosmetics on their YouTube channel. You may get to hear about their recent finds as well as secret make-up techniques!

FASHION: Mynavi Baito presents Challenge Award
Mynavi Baito will return once more on March 25. They are known for their slogan Suki wo, baito ni (“Make your passions your job”). They are a website that posts information about part-time jobs. At MMN Festival, the company are set to present a project titled “Big Challenge of the Youth” which will have students enrolled in design schools get involved in creating kawaii part-time job outfits to promote to the world! The outfits will be exhibited on stage at the Harajuku Kawaii Market where models Yuri Suganuma, Mei Nagasawa and Anna Yano will dress in them. You will be amazed at how much these fashionable outfits will exceed your expectations. Look forward to an exciting stage event created by the youth of today.

LIVE: MAGiC BOYZ

MAGiC BOYS are a hip-hop group made up of three high school students MCs Toma, Ryuto and Mahiro, and elementary school student DJ Jo. They have earned the portmanteau nickname “Magibo” from their fans. They have released one album to date, have collaborated with recognized Japanese rappers as well as up-and-coming artists and have received support from music providers. And that popularly is growing at a fast rate! Their performance is an absolute must-see as they ride their budding momentum!

＜Slot 3 – 17:00 Start＞

TALK: Q&A with Yutaro!
Yutaro is active as a star shop assistant at the second-hand clothing store 3to2bunno1 in Harajuku, as an actor and as a model. He has been featured numerous times on TV and in magazines.

Yutaro is going to hold a public Q&A session at the festival where you might have the opportunity to hear things you normally wouldn’t be able to from him about his private life, fashion and more! If you attend, this might be your chance to have a direct conversation with Yutaro!

FASHION: Learn Japanese Spring Trend Styles with Shibasaki & Rinko♡

Saki Shibata and Rinko Murata are models who have gained immense popularity with teenage girls. They have also appeared in countless magazines. The two of them are going to hold a market onstage selling their own personal items! They will give a lecture on styling points such as introducing co-ords using the items on sale at the market and suggestions on possible co-ords you could create with them.

And of course, you'll be able to purchase their everyday clothes there too! The personal items that will be exhibited are scheduled to go up on the event website in advance so don't forget to check them out.

＜Free Entry to MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA＞

Register for free entry to this year’s festival!

To register, place visit the Peatix website below and follow the instructions. Upon completing your registration, you will receive a QR Code from Peatix that you must take with you and present at each area on the day of the event.

Click here to register.

*Upon registering, you will be signed up as a MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Member where you will receive newsletters and other information. You will also be signed up to Omotenashi Platform.

Those that register for the event in advance will receive an original bag as thanks. There are 1,500 bags available on a first-come, first-served basis. You will find in them one of either popular products from KitKat Chocolatory: the “KitKat Chocolatory Moleson” (￥500) or the “KitKat Chocolatory Moleson Matcha” (￥500). Bear in mind that stocks are limited, so don’t forget to sign up early!

The MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Executive Committee will hold the country’s biggest inbound event for promoting Japanese pop culture to the world, “MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2018 in SHIBUYA,” across the areas of Shibuya and Harajuku on Saturday March 24 and Sunday March 25. New artists have been added to the event line-up as well as their performing dates. Registration for the event is also now open. Those who register for the festival will receive an original bag as thanks.

Register Here: https://mmnf2018.peatix.com

This year’s MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL will take place in four main locations. Here are the artists set to the perform as well as the content and activities to be held at each location.

＜Harajuku Kawaii Market presented by Mynavi Baito＞

Location: Laforet Museum Harajuku (Laforet Harajuku 6F)

Themed on the concept of “Find Japan’s Kawaii♡,” you will turn into a kawaii girl in this area simply by turning up with a selection of fashion, beauty, fortune-telling, DIY and more.

Three additional performers have been added to the festival’s line-up. They include Noah Sato, Yoshiaki and Michi.

Noah Satou will join model Ren Koseki on stage to introduce their recommended spring cosmetics. The two of them use a lot of cosmetics as seen in their online videos where they test them out, so they are set to showcase their recommended products.

Yoshiaki and Michi will feature on stage with Youtuber Megane, whose appearance has already been announced. The three of them will host a talk show discussing their private lives as popular models and Youtuber respectively.

It has also been announced that Megane , Yoshiaki and Michi will join the flea market where personal items of the on-stage performers will be sold, including Natsume Mito, whose appearance has become the talk of the town. Expect to see an array of items from the performers you can’t buy anywhere else.

＜Featuring Japanese new music「MOSHI MOSHI MUSIC FESTIVAL」＞

Location: Tower Records Shibuya B1F CUTUP STUDIO / Tower Records Shibuya Rooftop

Down on B1F in the CUTUP STUDIO, influential artists and music media companies that have hooked up with many promising artists and new talent will become official curators of this special stage event together with MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON (MMN) to host an exclusive showcase of must-see up-and- coming artists. Also, up on the rooftop, MMN will oversee an idol stage event with a line-up consisting entirely of idol groups that MMN want to recommend to international audiences. It will be jam-packed full of Japanese ‘kawaii.’

Performing artists added to the line-up include Nemuri Haru and Monari Wakita. They will appear on the “Live Natalie meets MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON” stage which features a list of artists chosen by Natalie Music, Japan’s number one music news site, that best represents the concept behind the MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Project.

In addition, music artist MANON has been announced as the opening act of the event, who has garnered much attention from mindful music listeners.

Four new idol acts have also been added to MMN’s “MOSHI MOSHI IDOL SPECIAL” stage: QUEENS, Nankini!, C-Style, and Kus Kus. They are ready to bring even more excitement together with the already announced 8 other idol groups.

＜Enjoy Hanami Early in Shibuya: “MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON Market”＞

Location: Shibuya Cast

The theme of this market is to experience Japan’s flower-viewing season early in Shibuya. Gaze at cherry blossoms while indulging in traditional Japanese food, sweets and sake, and enjoy the stalls selling fresh Japanese produce and more. The market will offer a food experience only possible in Japan.

The “Moshi Moshi Kimono Salon” has been added to the festival. This rental kimono salon located in the Harajuku Tourist Information Center will have its own booth at SHIBUYA CAST where you can have a kimono fitted to enjoy hanami.

At the Don Quijote booth, they will sell must-have items for hanami, such as sake, as well as typical Shibuya souvenirs. “Shibu Fes” – the fashion event that takes over the streets of Shibuya – will also have its own booth where they will be handing out “fashion bonuses” that can be used when shopping (March 24^th only).

＜Tie Links With the Gods of Harajuku: “MOSHI MOSHI ENNICHI”＞

Location: Onden Shrine

Traditional Japanese performance art, character DJs and more will take to the stage at Onden Shrine, a site steeped in tradition. Experience an array of food, drinks and workshops at this Ennichi event.

On stage, Satsumasendai Odoridaiko will put on a performance using Japanese instruments like the taiko drums and shinobue, as will TAKARABUNE, Japan’s only professional Awa Dori group, a traditional type of Japanese dance that boasts a history spanning 400 years.

A character DJ festival will also take place, with DJs dressed up as Shimockey and coroton.

In the Ennichi area, you’ll have the opportunity to learn the manners and etiquette of Japanese shrines, get involved in a workshop to sculpt amezaiku animal candy, and learn how to make a kawaii mizuhiki cord which is used to tie envelopes. MOSHI MOSHI ENNICHI is overflowing with fun and exciting content that can be enjoyed by locals and overseas visitors alike.

＜Entry to the Festival is Free!＞

All four main areas of the festival are free to enter. However, there are some places that require you to register beforehand, so we recommend signing up in advance. Those that register for the event in advance will receive an original bag as thanks. There are 1,500 bags available on a first-come, first-served basis. You will find in them one of either popular products from KitKat Chocolatory: the “KitKat Chocolatory Moleson” (￥500) or the “KitKat Chocolatory Moleson Matcha” (￥500). Bear in mind that stocks are limited, so don’t forget to sign up early!