Author: japanup_akane

Vicke Blanka is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and singer/songwriter from Japan who has just finished his first North American Tour.

View More [EVENT REVIEW & INTERVIEW] Highly acclaimed Japanese music artist Vicke Blanka performs in LA for his first North American Tour

I always feel blessed to be living in Southern California. We get to see a lot of cool exhibits and shows from franchises to music artists from Japan.

View More My Experience at Two Pokemon Exhibits in Southern California

Little Tokyo is a Japanese-American district in Downtown Los Angeles with the largest Japanese-American population in North America. Japanese immigrants settled in the district in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

View More Support Little Tokyo!

Koi no City was held on December 15th at Hello Stranger, a venue in the heart of Little Tokyo. This was the first ever event that I’ve curated with my music friends.

View More Relive all the retro Anime vibes from Koi no City at Hello Stranger in Little Tokyo 

Koi no City is my first ever event that I’ve curated with my music friends at Hello Stranger, a venue in the heart of Little Tokyo.

View More Music Event Koi no City in Little Tokyo at Hello Stranger! 

BOOKOFF is the largest chain of used bookstores from Japan. They don’t only sell used books though! They also sell manga, CDs, DVDs, video game consoles and games, Anime figures, and more. A new subset of BOOKOFF called AnimeLab is a specialty store that features all things Anime!

View More Grand Opening of BOOKOFF AnimeLab Irvine

This past weekend was the Autumn Festival at the Aquarium of the Pacific. The Autumn Festival is a celebration of Asian culture, highlighting the traditions and cultures of Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines. The festival featured traditional craft demonstrations, music, dance, cultural arts exhibits, and storytelling.

View More A fin-credible time performing at the Autumn Festival at the Aquarium of the Pacific!

This past weekend was the OC Japan Fair 2023 held at the OC Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. The OC Japan Fair was founded in 2009. If you can believe it, I was actually a musical guest that year as well. 

View More The rising popularity of Japanese culture on display at OC Japan Fair

Taste of Japan is a very popular food festival that celebrates Japanese culture which is usually held at the Anaheim Gardenwalk.

View More The first Taste of Japan in Phoenix, Arizona!