New fest celebrates all things Japanese
The artists performing will vary from rappers to reggae singers to DJs to pop groups and boy bands, but they will all be there with the same goal of celebrating Japanese culture at the inaugural Rising Japan MusicFest.
The festival will include performances by more than a dozen Japanese and Japanese American artists on two stages.
“This is a celebration of Japanese music and culture, both nostalgic music like big hitters from the ’90s to more current Japanese performers. We’re bringing OGs from Japan as well as Japanese artists trying to do music in the U.S.,” said Tiffany Saito, who will emcee the event at the SilverLakes Equestrian and Sports Park in Norco this weekend.
It’s expected to attract up to 4,000 people a day.
Besides music, the celebration of Japanese culture will also dig into the country’s culinary side with sake and Japanese beer tasting and a food court with booths and trucks serving traditional and modern Japanese food.
The food lineup will include Rated R Burger, which is known for its wagyu beef ramen burger, as well as egg roll maker Egghausted and small traditional chain restaurant Shin-SenGumi.
“This event is really for everybody because there is music and food and sake. It should be just a nice outing. And even if you don’t understand the language, the music should resonate
When: Noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday
Where: Silverlakes Equestrian and Sports Park, 5555Hamner Ave., Norco
Tickets: $40-$280
Information: risingjapan-musicfest.com
with everyone,” Saito said.
Saito expects the artists to draw crowds from all cultures since the music will cover numerous genres.
Among the headliners is Micro, a member of Japanese pop duo Def Tech, which called itself a “Jawaiian” band because of its fusion of Japanese and Hawaiian music. Micro will be performing original music as well as covers of Japanese songs.
Also on the bill is Zeebra, an oldschool rapper from Japan.
“He really opened the door to rap music in Japan in the ’90s,” Saito said.
And fans of boy bands will be able to dance along with the seven-member group Travis Japan, while fans of reggae and dancehall can check out Japanese-born singer Minmi.
And Los Angeles will be represented by A Page Unturned, a pop-punk band whose sound evokes Blink-182 and New Found Glory.
Meanwhile, the second stage — aka the Bubble Stage — will be the main spot for DJs and a more whimsical experience. So yes, expect to see bubbles floating all over the place while DJs spin dance tracks.
“This will have more of a club vibe,” she said.
Musical entertainment scheduled for this weekend’s Rising Japan MusicFest in Norco includes Japanese boy band Travis Japan, top, and rapper Zeebra, left, along with Southern California act A Page Unturned, whose sound is reminiscent of bands like Blink-182and New Found Glory.