Source: Japantoday.com Article
"SAN FRANCISCO — New People, possibly the first commercial complex dedicated to J-pop in the United States, opened Saturday in Japan Town, San Francisco, drawing a long line of young people crazy about Japanese music, fashion and animation. A three-story, glassed-in facility houses a store selling books, toys, DVDs and other merchandise related to Japanese pop culture, clothing stores including the first U.S. flagship store of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, or ultimate ‘‘Lolita’’ fashion brand as it is known among J-pop fans, a movie theater and an art gallery.
Jennifer Filo, 22, and Saru Bell, 18, said they started to line up at 4 a.m. Saturday to enter the building ahead of its grand opening at 11 a.m. Clad in black Gothic and Lolita fashion, the two said they had been looking forward to the opening of New People, taking pictures together every Friday since spring in front of the facility while it was under construction.
The day’s opening featured commemorative event J-pop Summit, showcasing Tokyo’s latest Gothic and Lolita wear at an outdoor fashion show, drawing more than 1,000 spectators including ‘‘Cosplayers,’’ or those wearing costumes of Japanese cartoon characters.
Seiji Horibuchi, president of VIZ Pictures Inc, who is among the key individuals who worked to realize the New People project, said during the event, ‘‘Let’s make the 15th of August a J-pop Day around the world,’’ and was cheered by the spectators.
Horibuchi has been involved with the distribution of Japanese films and DVDs as well as the English translated versions of Japanese comics in North America."
"SAN FRANCISCO — New People, possibly the first commercial complex dedicated to J-pop in the United States, opened Saturday in Japan Town, San Francisco, drawing a long line of young people crazy about Japanese music, fashion and animation. A three-story, glassed-in facility houses a store selling books, toys, DVDs and other merchandise related to Japanese pop culture, clothing stores including the first U.S. flagship store of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, or ultimate ‘‘Lolita’’ fashion brand as it is known among J-pop fans, a movie theater and an art gallery.
Jennifer Filo, 22, and Saru Bell, 18, said they started to line up at 4 a.m. Saturday to enter the building ahead of its grand opening at 11 a.m. Clad in black Gothic and Lolita fashion, the two said they had been looking forward to the opening of New People, taking pictures together every Friday since spring in front of the facility while it was under construction.
The day’s opening featured commemorative event J-pop Summit, showcasing Tokyo’s latest Gothic and Lolita wear at an outdoor fashion show, drawing more than 1,000 spectators including ‘‘Cosplayers,’’ or those wearing costumes of Japanese cartoon characters.
Seiji Horibuchi, president of VIZ Pictures Inc, who is among the key individuals who worked to realize the New People project, said during the event, ‘‘Let’s make the 15th of August a J-pop Day around the world,’’ and was cheered by the spectators.
Horibuchi has been involved with the distribution of Japanese films and DVDs as well as the English translated versions of Japanese comics in North America."