J-POP SUMMIT 2014: Geekscape Interviews YANAKIKU

This was my first year attending the J-POP SUMMIT Festival in San Francisco and it was sugoi (Japanese for awesome)! The event is a celebration of Japanese pop culture, music, fashion, games, art, food and film. This was their 6th year and they broke all previous attendance records with more than 120,000 people attending the two-day festival in Japantown! There was one group in particular that stood out to me, YANAKIKU, and they were also a crowd favorite. I had never heard of them before this event, but now I am a huge fan!

“YANAKIKU” is a female J-Pop duo with a mission to share the wonders of Japan with the world.

They first performed on Saturday afternoon on the Peace Plaza main stage and instantly attracted a large crowd. Fans returned to see them Sunday afternoon on the Japan Discovery Stage. I thoroughly enjoyed both shows. This duo engages the crowd by speaking with them (in English!) and teaching them to dance along with one of their routines. It took a lot of courage to speak in another language and it just made them all the more adorable. “Music is stronger than our differences” stated Kiku before performing their closing song ‘Hello World’ (during which she cried a little).

Their kimono inspired outfits are gorgeous and they even have a fun little costume addition for one song. They developed their own style, kimocos = kimono meets cosplay. Also, they are super genki (“enthusiastic, energetic, lively”)! They had constant energy that was infectious. You just could not help but love them.

I made sure to snag an interview with them and even though they had been doing interviews for two hours prior, they were so friendly and excited. Below is our interview (with translation assistance by their manager, Kaoru Karen Sakurai).

Kari: How was your J-POP experience?

Yana: Exciting! I didn’t know so many people were interested in Japanese culture.

Kiku: We were worried…because no one knows us, but the people sang and danced with us. We felt we were touching each other’s hearts.

Kari: At your second show, Kiku, you got a little emotional. Daijoubu desu ka (Are you ok)?

Kiku: I was so worried. It was our last show. I saw the most beautiful sight, all smiles! The happiness just came out.”

*Via the translator, I told her I cried a little with her. It was overwhelming to watch her cry a little on stage. It was such a precious moment.*

Kari: How long have you been performing together?

Both: About a year and a half.

Kari: Will you be touring in the future?

Manager: Right after this [J-POP SUMMIT] is Hyper Japan in London, and this will be their second time performing there. They will be performing on the main stage next weekend. After that is Korea, China, then Europe.

Kiku: We want to conquer the world!

 

Kari: When will you have more YouTube videos?

Manager: There are currently three videos on YouTube and there will be more soon.

Kari: Why kimonos?

Kiku: The kimono is very traditional. The younger generation does not want to wear it but we think they are cool. We want to renew the image. Connect the past and future.

Kari: What made you chose wigs?

Yana and Kiku at the same time: We wanted to be twins!

 

Here is one of their fun videos that captures their quirky style. The song itself starts at :47 after a cute intro. This is their explanation of the lyrics:

In Japan we have this festival game called, “KINGYO SUKUI (golden fish scooping)” that you catch the fish with a shallow paper. The song is about a little crush on a boy and trying to sneak and get his heart like you sneak to catch the golden fish!

They are fantastic live performers and hopefully they will be back soon!

You can purchase their music on iTunes.

Follow them on facebook, twitter, and YouTube.

Check out their website.