Rising Japan 2023 Brings Forth Food, Culture & Entertainment!

Rising Japan 2023 took place at Marina Green Park in Long Beach, California. The one and only Japanese music festival in LA was held on July 22nd & 23rd, 2023. Many artists were a part of the lineup that attendees looked forward to. With Japanese food, music and culture, the festival had something for everyone to enjoy.

This Year’s Rising Japan

We checked out some of the performers at the festival this year! Epithymia, one of the newer groups performing at the festival performed many songs. They covered a Backstreet Boys song, as well as, their own track, “Supernova”. Next on stage – Minami! Her large following on TikTok and talents allowed her to sign with a big company. Just the day before this event, Minami signed to Warner Music Japan and made her official debut. She performed a couple of tracks including “Tsunaida Te”. Kawago Hina, previously a member of Nogizaka46’s 1st Generation and Youplus, attended the event. Her set was moved up to an earlier time slot so those there to see her had to hurry to the stage. Kawago performed a track by Youplus, as well as few of her own.

After a break where many ran to the smaller Bubble Stage for a contest, ARKTA, a band that started during COVID appeared on stage. The band played their tracks “The Last Day” and “The End “. They’re known for their screaming lyrics and it was definitely the loudest of the day. They also covered “Faint” which is originally by Linkin Park. Next on stage was someone completely the opposite of the previous group. Kaoru Miyazaki is one of the more experienced performers at Rising Japan Festival. She previously was on Love Is Blind in Japan. She performed “Karma” before picking up her guitar to perform “Why”. Kaoru sang a little piece of “To Love You More” which she sang with David Foster in Japan. Kaoru Miyazaki finished her set with “The Light”.

Entertainment, Food, & Culture

In between performances, the MC’s, Sera Kagami, Kenji Tamura, and Tiffany chatted with those in attendance and let them know pieces of important information when they came up. At one point, Kenji Tamura let the audience know that at the age of 50, he decided to move to the US and has been posting his daily life on Instagram everyday. Those in Japan can now see his usual life in America such as going to the DMV or simply buying boba!

Food choices included shaved ice, Skewers by Shin Sen Gumi, Baby Castella by Amami-Ya, and more! The festival brought together food and music lovers as well as, those who love Japanese culture. The festival first started in 2022 in the Inland Empire before moving to Long Beach this year. Let’s see what they have in store next year!

Article & Photos by Diana