Japanese Pop Style at the J-Pop Summit Festival

J-Pop Summit Festival model for 6%Dokidoki.  Photo by Herm Pugay.

The J-Pop Summit Festival recently came to Japantown of San Francisco, bringing together music, film, anime, culture and fashion.  J-pop refers to Japanese pop, a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s.  Modern J-pop is influenced by 1960s music such as the Beatles.  It also has become an integral part of Japanese popular culture, being found in anime, commercials, movies, TV shows and video games.  In Japan, some television news programs even run a J-pop song during the end credits.  J-pop has also gained fans through video games which fans would buy before they are released in their respective countries.  The theme songs and soundtracks from these games further drive an interest in J-pop and other genres of Japanese music.

J-Pop inspired fashion.  Photo by Herm Pugay.

J-pop music has influenced a culture in fashion costing of Asian-inspired clothing such as Harajuku, Kawaii,  and J-rock.  The fashion infuses multiple looks and styles to create a unique form of dress.  The looks range from a cyber-punk style influenced by gothic fashion, blended with neon colors to "cute" Kawaii neon flavored babydoll style clothing. 

Gothic pop style.  Photo by Herm Pugay.

The J-Pop Summit Festival was organized by New People, a dynamic entertainment destination that brings the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North America.  The weeklong festival showcased different aspects of Japanese and Asian film, anime, fashion design, music and other forms of pop culture celebrated through unique screenings, interactive discussions, multimedia presentations and live performances.

J-Pop 6%Dokidoki model.  Photo by Herm Pugay.

In just it's second year, the J-Pop Summit Festival was a tremendous success in bringing awareness to popular Japanese culture and is destined to become even bigger within the coming years as it establishes its following within the Bay Area.

Additional images from the J-Pop Summit Festival.  All photographs were contributed by Herm Pugay.