Last year my post about Japan Expo got quite popular because I had the chance to model for the Harajuku Kawaii fashion show with some of the most popular models representing kawaii fashion and Harajuku. You can go check out my post about japan expo 2013 here and my post about the HARAJUKU KAWAII fashion show and the backstages here !
This year I did not model for the fashion shows as they did not held any castings, and I would probably not even be able to do any casting anymore since I am working now.
Exit "Harajuku Kawaii" and say hi to the "Kawaii!!Area" by MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON".
Who are they and where and they coming from ? I had no idea !
The bad point about it, and we were many to think like that, is that the whole thing came out from nowhere.
While HARAJUKU KAWAII is a well established organisation, we had no idea what was Moshi Moshi Nippon before and they didn't properly introduces the organisation nor did any advertising of the event before the start of Japan Expo. All we knew is that all the fashion/kawaii stuff were all going to be gathered in one area.
MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON introduces themselves as a project that will send out Japanese pop culture to overseas. It will be a project to create "fashion, music, anime, and food" from new perspectives so that people overseas will become fans of Japan.
Moreover, in doing this, it will develop various services such as "travel, sightseeing, hobbies and work" for foreigners when interested people come to Japan. We will send out Japanese pop culture in new forms both in and outside of Japan by cooperating with multiple media and holding a lot of events!
Cool story, now let's wait a few years (months ?) and see if we still hear about it.
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| SNAPS of me by SPINNS |
The idea itself is actually really good: a fashion area for the fashion lovers, yay ! But sadly there was barely any fashion booth ?
Only SPINNS was there to illuminate the area (but not well positioned...). The booth was really cute and the staff very friendly, he even took some snaps of the customers. The SPINNS booth was also selling brands like MILKLIM, OMOCAT, Monomania or Chocomoo, and a very cute SAILOR MOON clothing collection.
All the other booths were purely and simply advertising of brands like fuji film, with logos everywhere. Really, the Kawaii area was just a one big business and nothing about kawaii fashion.
Last year all the kawaii/fashion booth were scattered a little everywhere around the exposition but those few booths were great, especially the NHK world booth who was very entertaining with great people like Chocomoo, Minori, Sebastian Masuda of 6%DOKIDOKI, The creator of SPINNS God Kyohei and NHK recording TV shows all days and interacting with the audience.
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| With Eri and Ema Tanioku |
The only entertainment of the Kawaii area were the fashion shows. During the 5 days of Japan Expo there was like 3 fashion shows everyday.
I went to Japan Expo only the last day, so I saw the fashion show of SPINNS and Aymmy in The Batty Girls. My friends went to Japan Expo the days before too and I was surprised they knew every single details of the whole shows !
To be short, it was the same thing all over again every days. Same speech, same fashion shows, same jokes, same advertisement videos etc etc....
Good thing is that, like last year, we could take pictures with the models, at the Fuji Film booth and Moshi Moshi Nippon booth... holding their logos.....
I guess it can't be helped, it is merely impossible to deliver different shows everyday.
So i am wondering if it was best to do one or two big fashion shows in a bigger scene like last year, that makes an exciting and unique big event for the fans, or if it was best to do like this year, everyday on repeat but on a small stage in a kawaii area, making the people who are walking around the area curious and come take a look at this kawaii world that they don't know about and having a place for the fashion lovers to reunite
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| The kind of selfies you take when you're bored |
The Kawaii Area was seriously lacking of entertainment, if you were not with your friends it was a very boring place to stay, and even with my friends we spend some hours walking around doing nothing. Nothing happened when the fashion shows were over. This feeling goes strongly when being there, especially after the amazing Tokyo Crazy Kawaii (read post here and here), who was literally one big kawaii area but level 999++++
I like the idea of one area where all the Kawaii trends is gathered but if there's actually nothing to buy and not entertaining then it's useless. I hope they can work about it for next year.
Of course Japan expo is a big event so you could still get out of the kawaii area to go watch some conferences or concerts. I was able to go watch the guitarist of The Pillows do a little showcase, went to take a look at some cute booths at the designers/creators area and bumped into the famous Hideaki Kobayashi on my way to the ONE PIECE area.
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| With Hideaki Kobayashi *o* |
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| Lunieshop |
Do I have something positive to say about it ? Well, yes ! Some of my favorites models were there again this year: Seto Ayumi, Yura Peko, Eva Cheung, Ema and Eri Tanioku, POCHI and Kaede Ozawa ! So of course it was great to meet them again and watch the fashion shows of brands that I love.
There was also small cool showcases from the artists Anna Yano, Yanaginagi and Funassyi.
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| Anna Yano |
I also bought some few expensive items: the fantastic weaboo mother fucker bomber jacket by OMOCAT and a pair of Yosuke U.S.A platform shoes bought at the Lunieshop booth. I was actually expecting to buy a lot more, like I did during Tokyo Crazy Kawaii.
By the way, this was my outfits: Kawaii hologram top by the courtesy of Apparel K, purple suspenders by Claire's, Dollars white pants by Galaxxxy, sparkling purple socks by monki and holographic platform sneakers by schuh
♥ I love you all ! ♥
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| Itali's coolest people primordialsoupp and andrewcockroach |
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| With Wendy ♥ |
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| With the Kawaii cyber princess Bea |
Eyecandy time: check out my pictures of the SPINNS and AYMMY in The Batty Girls fashion shows below !
all pictures are mine, do not use without proper credits
