I went to Moshi Moshi Nippon festival at Tokyo Taiikukan! I had been looking forward to this event ever since it was announced. I couldn't believe that it was free for foreigners (non-citizens) and that I would be able to see both Kyary and Dempagumi.inc too. The aim of Moshi Moshi Nippon events is to spread Japanese culture internationally so that's why they made it free for foreigners to attend. Japanese citizens could come as well but the ticket fee was 3,500 JPY which still is a really good deal considering the lineup. Below is a trailer explaining the Moshi Moshi Nippon project.
It was lucky that the weather was perfect for the event. My friends and I arrived at 11, an hour before the event was set to start. We were able to check in and get our wristbands early and even though we couldn't go inside yet, there were plenty of things happening outside of the actual Taiikukan building. It was mostly just a DJ set and old dudes trying to meet young idols. I have a lot to say about that but I will keep it to myself for now.
There was supposed to be free food and I guess it was free for some people but we weren't given a food ticket when we checked in for some reason so we got cheated out of that. It worked out okay because we just went to a konbini and picked up something without having to wait in a really long line.
The indoor area was really nice and there were tons of booths from different brands such as Olive des Olive, an, Zipper, Kera etc. There were a lot of things that involved having your hair, nails and makeup done and I wish that I knew in advance because I would have just not bothered with any of that myself in the morning. There was even a Maison de Julietta booth with lolita makeovers, something I always wanted to try but I put so much effort into my own outfit that it felt ridiculous to take it all off and do it over again. Here are some photos from the booth areas. The lighting inside was pretty terrible though.
The room with the booths also had the main stage where there were some fashion shows, performances and a karaoke competition. The fashion shows were really cute, especially the one from SPINNS. All the models seemed really happy- especially Kemio! Here are a couple photos I managed to take.
The part I was most excited for though was the live music, specifically Dempagumi.inc and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu! It was my first time seeing Dempagumi.inc and they were so good that I definitely want to see them again before I leave Japan. Their costumes were so cute too! They performed
"サクラあっぱれーしょん" (Sakura apparition),
"ちゅるりちゅるりら" (Chururichururira) and
"でんでんぱっしょん" (Denden Passion). It was my 3rd time seeing Kyary and I was kind of tired so my friends and I went to sit in the balcony which is why the only photos below are of Dempagumi.inc. I remember that Kyary performed "Ninjari Bang Bang", "Pon Pon Pon", "Invader Invader" and "Fashion Monster" but there may have been one or two more. Happy I can cross seeing Kyary in Japan off my to-do list even though it was a short set.
I almost forgot to mention what I wore! Here is a photo and rundown~
Dress: 6% Dokidoki
Cardigan: H&M
Bracelet and hair bow: 6% Dokidoki
Ring: Rilakkuma gift from Elleanor
Earrings: Forever 21
Tights: DIY
Socks: My Melody from ドンキ
Sandals: WEGO
The event overall was really fun and I feel so lucky that I had a chance to go. As much fun as I had, I think it was their first time doing this event in Japan so there is a lot of room for improvement. If the goal is to spread Japanese culture internationally, they could really use more English throughout the event. I feel lucky that I can understand enough Japanese to get by, but it was still frustrating to me that there wasn't anyone translating any of the speakers on stage. It felt kind of like "we want you to experience our culture so here are some cool things but we can't explain them to you". I understand that it is really difficult to speak a language that isn't your own and that a vast majority of people in Japan are not at a conversational level of English, but even if they had one person translating parts of what's said on stage after people speak, it would have been really helpful to many people. Also, a lot of the flyers and things weren't translated either. And again, this is Japan so of course people speak Japanese here so I can't hold that against them, but it just seems counterproductive to their goal to have minimal translations available.
Another suggestion I have is for them to do some kind of blogger press pass application so that bloggers who speak other languages could have more material to make posts about the event and share the information with people who may not have been able to attend.
Overall it was a really good time and I feel very lucky to have been able to experience it. I hope that the Moshi Moshi Nippon project continues to plan things like this one and grows and improves after this experience. The sentiment is nice but it could certainly be better executed.
