If Japan seems a distant and exotic country to you, believe me - Lithuania seems no less exotic to the Japanese. The ambassador of unexpected Japanese culture in Lithuania - the "nowJapan" festival invites fans and music lovers of the country of the rising sun to an extraordinary adventure. A fashion collection inspired by the world of wrestling, a virtual reality simulator presenting the sounds of Japan and musical performances - all this and more await you on September 9-10. in the program of the upcoming festival.
Will look for his roots in Lithuania
Japanese artist Mayucocoon started making music back in 2001. and released four albums during this period. Representing the experimental music scene, the Japanese woman varies between rock, pop and electronic genres and is characterized by delicate vocals. During her career, Mayucocoon has performed in Japan, JAV and on European stages. Her songs have become the soundtracks of such well-known TV and radio shows in Japan as Hama-chan!, Lions Nighter show and The best travels in Europe.
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For a performer who has spent her whole life in the big cities of Japan, Lithuania is a unique and very interesting country. "It fascinates me that Lithuania has a lot of natural nature and little noise. Music is always born from silence, so I feel a certain emotional connection with Lithuania. However, a trip to your country sounds no less exotic to the Japanese than a trip to the Moon," Mayucocoon jokes.
The artist's musical connection with Lithuania seems very natural. When listening to her music, it's easier to imagine melancholic Lithuanian autumn landscapes than never-sleeping Tokyo or Osaka. This is where, it turns out, the roots of Japanese music sometimes lie.
He quit his job and started playing on the street
Along with Mayucocoon, artist Tetsuya Shimogawa will also appear on the nowJapan stage. He picked up the guitar quite late - at the age of 25. Then he quit his job and started playing on the streets of Japan. This drastic step has paid off handsomely for him - T. Shimogawa has already released three solo albums, constantly creates joint projects with other artists and actively performs.
Shimogawa's work is very close to Mayucocoon's musical style, so the two artists' musical explorations promise an intriguing performance at the nowJapan festival.
More music
The musical part of the festival is perfectly complemented by another bright discovery of the "nowJapan" festival - guitarist and composer Takeshi Nishimoto. Born in Japan, studied in the USA, and later moved to Germany, the artist skillfully varies between the musical traditions of these countries. The nature of T. Nishimoto's music is close to jazz, but there is a lot of electronics and ambient elements that allow it to break away from its classical roots.
During the performance, T. Nishimoto will perform works together with British musician and director Neil Cantwell.
Kumisolo, a Japanese artist living in Paris, will also look for cultural similarities between East and West. At the festival, she will present her second album "Kabuki Femme Fatale", which was born in collaboration with the Swedish group "Joe Davolaz".
Kumisolo mostly sings in French, but she is preparing a special program in Japanese for nowJapan visitors. The influence of France is particularly felt in Kumisolo's music, so fans of both countries will find their place in her concert. The artist attributes her music to the psychedelic pop genre, calling it "pulled out of a time machine". But the modern sound and musical pursuits make it impossible to doubt what year it is.
Interest in wrestling led to the world of fashion
Not only melon lovers, but also modern fashion fans are welcome at the festival. Japanese designer Yukihiro Teshima will present his clothing line Yukihero Prowrestling at nowJapan. At the age of 7, Yukihiro visited professional wrestling for the first time, and from then on he couldn't get the impressive stature of the wrestlers, their theatrical entrances to the ring and their unusual outfits out of his head.
After becoming a designer, he decided to combine two seemingly incompatible things - fashion and wrestling. Yes in 2012 a clothing line that "allows everyone to be someone else's hero" was born. While studying, Y. Teshima also designed clothes for the theater, musical groups and even the wrestlers themselves.
The designer's unusual fashion fantasies have received attention from Japan's biggest media outlets. 2012 and 2015 Y. Teshima's works were selected to participate in the prestigious Tokyo Fashion Week.
It will be possible to see the Yukihero Prowrestling fashion show together with Lithuania on the nowJapan stage street dance dancers. Exclusive clothes will also be on display at the designer's booth.
Manga comics and virtual reality
NowJapan has become an integral part of the festival manga artist Keiko Kikkawa and illustrator Shota Kotake. The work of artists living in Europe is influenced by the European spirit, but at the same time it does not forget its homeland manga traditions. This cultural synthesis guarantees unexpected results, which artists are ready to share with festival visitors during creative workshops for professionals and beginners.
Japan is praised all over the world not only as a country famous for its unique artistic twists, but also as a leader in technology. Festival visitors will be able to get acquainted with the unique project "Japan Sound Portrait", which aims to collect the favorite sounds of Japanese people and combine them into one harmonious whole. The creators of the project asked the Japanese to send them scraps of sounds they liked and began to mold them into musical pieces.
An unusual idea was born back in 2015. Its authors are two well-known names in the music world - Nick Luscombe and Neil Cantwell. Nick is a presenter, DJ, event and radio producer for BBC Radio 3 and Neil is the author of KanZeOn, a documentary exploring sound in Japanese music and religion.
Festival visitors will be able to get acquainted with Japan Sound Portrait through a virtual reality simulator that will allow them to hear sounds in their natural environment. Using documentary footage, the creators of the project will allow people who have never been to Japan to see this country up close. Welcome to the XNUMXst century.
"nowJapan" program is intended not only for lovers of Japan, but also for all those interested in modern technology, art and distant lands. The festival aims to show not only the traditional side of Japan, but also to reveal what it breathes today.
The unexpected culture festival "nowJapan" brings everyone together on September 9-10 Litexpo the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun will spread in all colors in the palace.
