*ON SITE* at the J-Pop Summit

The expression "J-POP" means different things to different people, but on Saturday in San Francisco, it meant a street fair-sized dose of the many reasons we find Japan so fun and fascinating. Dubbed "The J-Pop Summit" by NEW PEOPLE and VIZ visionary Seiji Horibuchi, the daylong event was "a dedicated platform to foster the appreciation, preservation and exposure of Japanese popular culture and to connect the public with its creators". Saturday took those goals to task, and J-POP was served up as art, toys, film, fashion, music and food. Hit the jump for a full rundown of the event, along with copious amounts of pictures!

Realizing the big part toys play in Japanese (and universal) pop culture, NEW PEOPLE reached out and asked me to put together a "Vinyl Village". I imagined the Vinyl Village as an actual village, with stalls like you'd fine in any marketplace. Initially, I received a ton of interest from stores, but due to everything from cold feet to time constraints, our vibrant village became a very small town. I applaud Blamo Toys, Dragatomi, Kuso Vinyl, Neon Monster and Team Skullyboom for taking a chance on this, and I give them big props for their role in making the day great for so many people.

Readers of this blog may forget how little the rest of the world knows about "designer toys". Many eyes were opened at the J-Pop Summit. Blamo Toys showed folks the full spectrum of art objects. Kuso Vinyl released an exclusive toy. Cosplayers and anime kids left the Village with new blind-box figures dangling from their backpacks courtesy of Neon Monster. Dragatomi provided blank DIY toys to decorate. And Team Skullyboom schooled attendees in the hippest way to blare that J-Pop music. The Vinyl Village was a success for villagers and visitors alike. Said Lief Storer of Skullyboom: "We killed it! Next year, we're in for sure."

Mori Chack, creator of Gloomy Bear, drew a big crowd inside the New People building. Politely and patiently (so Japanese), he doodled and signed every one of the exclusive T-shirts made for the event. I felt so ashamed that my Jewfro couldn't hold a candle to Mori-san's buoyant Asian afro! (Although, come to think of it, one wouldn't want to put an open flame near an afro...) It turns out Mori and I have something in common besides being hirsute: both of us love the color green.

The Pocky-eating contest was another highlight of the event. Pocky is wonderful, and yet also, extremely dry. Although bottled water was provided, drinking it would really turn the Pocky to mush and only serve to gum up your throat. The winning contestant was a short guy from Sacramento who consumed over a dozen boxes of Pocky. Go shorties! We'll eat you under the table!

Is that a challenge? See you next year at the J-Pop Summit! (You can find more photos on my Flickr and more toy stories on my site.)