Takuya Chigira, CEO of Japanese talent agency Cloud Nine, witnessed a pivotal moment for J-pop at Matsuri ’25 in Los Angeles last March. The concert featured Yoasobi, Atarashii Gakko!, and Cloud Nine's Ado, drawing a sold-out crowd of 7,000. Chigira realized, “This is amazing, but it should be so much bigger,” inspiring the new Zipangu festival to test J-pop's lasting international appeal.
Takuya Chigira, the 41-year-old CEO of Japanese talent agency Cloud Nine, had a prime view of a key moment in J-pop's history. He attended Matsuri ’25, a concert in Los Angeles last March that united three major Japanese acts: Yoasobi, Atarashii Gakko!, and Cloud Nine's own Ado. The event sold out to a crowd of 7,000, leaving Chigira with the thought: “This is amazing, but it should be so much bigger.”
This realization has led to Zipangu, a new festival described as J-pop's first-of-its-kind in the United States. It aims to determine if viral successes can translate into a sustained international presence. Keywords associated with the event include Zipangu, J-pop, Ado, music festivals, U.S.-Japan relations, U.S., Los Angeles, and California. The festival represents an effort to expand J-pop's footprint abroad, building on the momentum from Matsuri ’25.
