For the first time in Los Angeles’ history, eight Japanese artists came together to perform at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena on May 16. The event brought in both local and out-of-state audience members for a night packed with performances, food and other Japanese products available for purchase.
The festival brought eight of Japan’s largest artists and music groups, including TeddyLoid, HANA, 10-FEET, CHANMINA, MAN WITH A MISSION, ATARASHII GAKKO!, Yuki Chiba and Ado. With performances starting at 4 p.m., the event was an all-day experience of Japanese music and culture.
Beyond bringing Japanese artists to an American stage, Zipangu is the representation of the increasing popularity of Japanese pop culture and media in the West. As anime, J-pop and the resurgence of City Pop continue to capture a new audience in the West, Japanese companies and artists have begun to take notice and become a part of this movement.
In the past year, legacy artists Masayoshi Takanaka and Taeko Onuki were able to perform live in America for the first time, despite the language barrier. Furthermore, events such as matsuri’25 and ennichi’25 reflect the rising demand for Japanese music among a Western audience.
Zipangu sits at the forefront of Japanese music and culture expansion across the U.S. and redefines what is possible for Japanese artists, demonstrating the power music has to transcend borders and cultures.
Many of the Zipangu attendees came in from out of state to enjoy everything the festival had to offer. Andrea Vasquez, an attendee from Arizona, drove to the festival after hearing the expansive lineup.
“It’s very hard, especially where I’m from, Arizona. You don’t have a lot of that scene out there. So it’s nice having people who share similar interests with me,” Vasquez said, “It kind of feels so interconnected.”
In addition to the performances, there was a wide variety of Japanese foods. Many attendees, in addition to the performances, commented on the significance of the food options provided.
“Usually when you go to a festival, you get pizza and stuff. But we have takoyaki, we got yakisoba and it’s so good,” Vasquez said, “I was so shook when I saw it.”
Daudl Takashima, another attendee, also commented on all that Zipangu had to offer.
Takashima, who is originally from Kanagawa, said that the festival was a great opportunity to experience food and music from his home country.
“The food is absolutely amazing. It’s nice to have some of my home local food tasting here,” Takashima said, “I’m from Japan, so it’s very nice to have a home field vibe. But also what I’m used to in America with the concert venue over here.”
Takashima wasn’t the only Japanese native in attendance that night, as the festival attracted Japanese music news company Barks and content creator Pajime to the event. Zipangu not only caught the attention of people across the U.S., but captured the interest of those abroad.
For HANA, 10-FEET and CHANMINA, Zipangu gave each artist their first performance in front of an American audience. The festival brought other firsts,such as Ado’s first live performance of “KIRA,” the new official song for the Japan National Team 2026 Uniform.
For anime fans, the event did not disappoint with tracks such as CHANMINA’s “TEST ME” from “OSHI NO KO” and MAN WITH A MISSION’s “Kizuna no Kisek” from “Demon Slayer.” The diversity of talent and styles present at Zipangu allowed a variety of attendees to enjoy the festival experience.
As the day turned to night, the energy levels of fans continued to stay high with a roar of cheers and applause after each song concluded.
Zipangu gave Americans the chance to experience these international artists for the first time live. Fans like Jullan Ripley were very excited to see MAN WITH A MISSION on stage live.
“I’ve never seen them live because this is my first time with them, so I’m really excited,” Ripley said.
However, with eight performers coming to perform together and a multitude of fans showing up to support their favorite artists, long lines and high wait times to get into the festival and buy merchandise quickly formed. Attendees like Ripley didn’t bother to wait in the merchandise line.
“It’s long. I’ve been told it’s about two [or] two plus hours,” Ripley said. “We were thinking about doing it, and then we saw how long it was.”
With this being a first-time festival, specific logistics that come with any large event will likely be improved from experience and feedback.
Zipangu provided businesses, such as JapanLA, the opportunity to set up a booth and sell products to festival attendees. JapanLA is a Japanese lifestyle store based in L.A. Jesrill Velasco, the social media manager for JapanLA, explained how their company got this opportunity.
“We’ve actually partnered with Goldenvoice a few times for giveaways,” Velasco said, “When we found out about this, a lot of our employees were really excited about it.”
For JapanLA, this festival provided a great opportunity to connect with festival goers through products and giveaways, outreach to a new market and also enjoy the performances.
“It just feels like such a tight-knit community. Everyone is so nice and friendly, and we all share the same interests, and we’re all here to have fun,” Velasco said, “And it’s a great opportunity to introduce JapanLA to maybe people who traveled for this event.”
Before performing her final song, Ado gave an MC to the audience, discussing bringing Japanese music to Los Angeles and how it felt to be at the festival.
“Watching so many Japanese artists bring the music to LA today and touch your heart with powerful performances is truly overwhelming.”“As a Japanese myself, I could never imagine a future like this. So, I’m so happy to be standing here today as one of the performing artists.”