Zipangu takes on LA

For far too long, Japanese artists have been underestimated in the U.S. despite having a global fanbase. Fans have wanted access to their favorite artists, but with staggering visa and transportation costs on top of the usual expenses that come with touring, it has been difficult to bring those dreams to reality.

On rare occasions, an anime convention could help bridge the gap. Even then, oftentimes the musical guests would be performing for free to have access to overseas fans with only their expenses covered. The few opportunities fans would get to see a tour, like with The Pillows’ 2018 U.S. tour sponsored by Adult Swim, tickets sold out immediately, with most shows having to upgrade to larger venues and still falling short of the heavy demand.

Zipangu, a monumental one-day celebration of Japanese music and culture, has emerged victoriously to dismantle the previous barriers and coalesce the frenzied passion around such in-demand talent into a concentrated, immersive experience.

The inaugural, single-stage headlining spot was awarded to enigmatic vocal powerhouse Ado, who previously sold out arenas globally last year during her 2025 “Hibana” World Tour, with artists like Yuki Chiba, Atarashii Gakko!, Man With A Mission, CHANMINA, 10-feet, and HANA rounding out the musical billing.

The Rose Bowl, already hosting a number of mid-sized festivals by Goldenvoice like Head in the Clouds, Just Like Heaven, and Cruel World, is a location that was perfectly primed to welcome a new audience to its seasoned space. Despite this, heavy lines at the entrance had waits of up to two hours, causing a vast majority of attendees to miss last-minute addition TeddyLoid’s opening set and HANA’s hotly anticipated U.S. debut.

Outside of the logistical start and merch lines, which should easily be improved for future shows, every performance of the day showcased the diversity and musical technicality that has pushed Japanese music onto the global stage.

HANA, a 7-member girl group formed through a streamed audition show similar to KATSEYE, easily captured the stage with captivating, colorful outfits and the kind of infectious energy that celebrated friendship and girlhood while balancing ballads with rap-heavy beats. Their hit single, “Rose,” has racked up 81 million views on YouTube.

10-Feet, most known for their track “Dai Zero-kan” in The First Slam Dunk movie, were the first of two bands to bring rock to the stage, with a heavier punk vibe perfect for any moshpit show. Fans of American rock themselves, the band has released covers of Nirvana and Metallica songs. While on stage, singer Takuma Mitamura got the crowd to sing along to a line from Bon Jovi and mentioned his love of Cypress Hill.

CHANMINA is beyond ridiculously cool. With a troupe of back-up dancers and eye-catching blue and platinum hair, she commanded the stage with an underground grit elevated by her versatility. A show-stopping moment was when she was lifted into the air for the last chorus of “Test Me,” carrying the high notes with impressive ease while rotating above. It was an extra special treat to see her on guitar for rock anthem, “I’m Not OK.”

Man With A Mission, a band that exclusively plays in wolf animal heads, brought a more polished rock to the stage – an impressive feat considering their headwear. Their hit songs include openings for Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, and Gundam, making them a must-see act for iron-blooded shonen fans.

Atarashii Gakko!’s explosive energy is an easy fan favorite, winning audiences over new and old alike. Their sukeban-inspired looks, a rebellious girl gang subculture, perfectly blends the homage to Japan while giving them the freedom to be wild on stage. It’s near impossible for their bold, catchy antics to not get the whole crowd mirroring their outlandish movements.

Yuki Chiba’s set echoed Justin Bieber’s recent Coachella performance, taking the stage over as a one-man act for a stripped-down performance of vocals in between his popular rap beats. Notably missing from the set was viral hit “Mamushi,” but tracks like “Shobai Hanjo” and “Team Tomodachi” got the crowd’s hands in the air.

Ado, the headliner of the event who carried much of the weight of the festival debut’s promo, once again brought a master class to Los Angeles. Her vocal range is consistently jaw-dropping, switching from high pitch to guttural sounds with an almost inhuman ease. While Ado keeps herself hidden within a box, with only her figure visible, the showmanship doesn’t suffer one bit as her dancing and three screens of visual elements unify together into an unstoppable force.

The performers brought their all, joined by activations from brands like JINS, the ability to meet mega-famous VTubers like Dokibird, and a widely curated yokocho food experience.

Perhaps most interestingly, on top of the musical performances, was seeing how the festival worked with tastemakers in the community to spread news about the show, utilizing a wide variety of collaborators from maid cafes to macaron shop Honey & Butter making Ado exclusive treats and even connecting with fan networks via Discord to bring long-time supporters to the show.

While Zipangu’s first year came with its own hurdles, we hope to see this endeavor continue to grow by continuing its community engagement and hopefully expanding to more stages that can be dedicated to the different, varied genres these incredible artists bring.

Our wishlist for 2027 and beyond? Hikaru Utada, Kenshi Yonezu, a U.S. debut for Eve, and the reunion of visual kei legends Malice Mizer are at the top of our list.

Written by Jordan Blakeman.

Photographed by Saul Salazar.