J-Pop Summit Festival 2012

The J-Pop Summit Festival, a gathering of Japanese pop culture fans, was held in Japantown over the weekend. It had the atmosphere of a small street fair, with live entertainment, vendor booths, fashions, & food trucks. I watched a Pac-Man musical & a Gothic Lolita fashion show with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

Much criminally cute merchandise was for sale.

Artist Ken Hamazaki found a prominent spot for his street performance version of a tea ceremony. It's an irresistible photo op.

I ended up passing through the fair both days & had happy, unexpected encounters with friends & relatives. I also found myself briefly guarding the booth of clothing vendor Korrupt Label. § J-Pop Summit Festival 2012 August 25 & 26, 2012 11am - 6pm San Francisco Japantown