A­R­T­I­S­T­S

Born in the United States and raised in Japan. Ryuichi Sakamoto is a filmmaker, artist, and translator based in New York and Tokyo. In October 2024, his feature film debut, “Happy End,” will be released.

In 2003, she won the Gunzo New Writer Award for “Lactation”; in 2009, the Noma Literary New Writer Award for “Giniro no Uta”; in 2013, the Mishima Award for “Shiroiroiro no Machi, Sono Bone no Taibetsu no”; and in 2016, the Akutagawa Award for “Convenience Store Man. His other books include “Mouse,” “Murderous Birth,” “The Vanishing World,” “Seimei Shiki,” “Marunouchi Magical Girl Miraculina,” “Faith,” etc. His latest book “World 99” will be published in March 2025.

A singer-songwriter from Kanagawa Prefecture, she writes lyrics, composes music, and arranges her own songs. In November 2024, she released her first single “Cuteness”. It was released in November 2024. Despite the fact that it was just after her debut, she was selected for J-WAVE's “SONAR TRAX” in December 2024, the month after her debut.

Born on November 3, 1998, Ryo is a solo project of singer-songwriter Ryo from Okayama Prefecture. She began her storytelling activities in the fall of her first year of high school at live houses and street shows in her hometown of Okayama, Japan; in 2016, she moved to Tokyo in the spring of her junior year of high school and was selected as the opening act for “MISIA CANDLE NIGHT” held at Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara Prefecture. Later, she was named “Little Black Dress” by creative director Mitsuo Shindo and started her solo project; made her independent debut in May 2019 with the digital single “Sugoroku/before kindness becomes a sting”; major debut in 2021 with “Natsu dara nake no glider” Author.

An artist who expresses herself primarily with her voice and body. Influenced by Japanese local performing arts, folklore, and classical music of Northern India. She is currently living in Bahia, Brazil, and is working on a book about her birth experience in the Peruvian Amazon. Major works include “YAKUSHIMA TREASURE,” an album with Oortaichi inspired by Yakushima Island, “Dream Nested in a Stone Chamber Tomb,” a performance at the Ishibutai Kofun Tumulus in Asuka Village, Nara, and a solo performance of Christian Marclay's graphic score “No Solo performance of Christian Marclay's graphic score “No! He founded the artivism collective “HYPE FREE WATER” with visual artist Jiri Murata to learn and advertise water-related issues, and is also an actor, having appeared in NHK's “Rainy Day,” Netflix's “Followers,” and the film “The Fukuda Village Incident. He left the music unit Wednesday Campanella in 2021. He is currently living in Bahia, Brazil.

A collective that produces performance works, launched in 2010. Members are Yuichiro Konno (leader/director/director), Wakako Hashimoto (performer/producer), Mai Kuroki (painter), Kana Sakato (performer), Rei Chujo (performer/producer), and Misaki Hondo (musician).

Dual-style shamisen artist, trained in both Tsugaru and Nagauta traditions. She began studying Tsugaru shamisen at age seven, followed by minyō folk singing at ten. At fifteen, she won first prize at the 9th Tsugaru Shamisen National Championship. A graduate of the Tokyo University of the Arts (2022), she was granted the name “Kineya Goshikoma” in 2023 by the fourth-generation head of the Kineya Gosaburō school.

Blending tradition with innovation, her viral Instagram videos — featuring shamisen renditions of Western guitar riffs — have drawn attention for their bold crossover between classical Japanese music and pop culture. In 2024, she released her debut album Tsukimae Koiuta and performed at the 125th Anniversary of Japanese Immigration to Peru, further expanding her international presence.

Kazumasa Tanaka (Vo/Gt), Hirotake Nishikawa (Gt), Toru Kamei (Dr)
The band started its activities in Osaka in 1993. The band was named after Marvin Gaye's "I heard it through the grapevine. Moved to Tokyo and made their debut in September 1997 with the mini-album "Kakusei" from Pony Canyon. In 2014, he moved to Speedster Records, where he has consistently released five full-length albums. Their 2021 album "New Fruits," which includes the songs "Gifted," "Nezumi Jodo," and "Awake Mashi wa Itsumo Narimasenai," debuted at No. 8 on the Oricon Weekly Ranking. The current lineup is Kazumasa Tanaka (Vo/Gt), Hirotake Nishikawa (Gt), Toru Kamei (Dr), Isao Takano (Key), and Satoru Kindo (Ba). 3 years after the release of their first new album on September 27, the band will launch a nationwide tour "GRAPEVINE TOUR2023" in October.

Manga artist; made her debut in 2004 with the serial "Loofah Milk" in CUTiE, and won the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award (for girls) for "Nagi no Oyaku", which has been serialized in Elegance Eve since 2016. The work was also adapted into a TV drama starring Hana Kuroki. Other works include "Coffee Wouldn't You Like," "Shameful Otome's for Drinking at Home," and "Hitori De Nomerumon! etc.

Formed in 2021. Formed in 2021. 3 members: Yui Togashi (Vo,&Gt), Takaaki Kawai (Ba), and Tener Ken Robert (Dr). Based in Tokyo. The world view expressed by their delicate and bold performance with a sense of urgency, their excellent sense of melody and emotional words, and their gentle and fresh wind-like, sometimes sharp and passionate singing voice is beginning to expand beyond the boundaries of genres in an open and airy manner. In October of the same year, they released their first album "downt" from ungulates, which instantly became a hot topic at record stores and distros such as FLAKE RECORDS and HOLIDAY!

Film director and screenwriter, graduated from Nihon University College of Art in 2003 with a B.F.A. in film directing. 2009, his self-produced film “SR Saitama no Rapper” made a big splash. In 2011, he won the Takasaki Film Festival's Emerging Director Award for “Shinkattechan the Movie: Rock ‘n’ Roll Won't Stop Ringing.” In 2019, he won the Japan Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay for “AI Kaihatsu. His latest film, “An no Koto” will be released on June 7, 2024.

Formed in March 2020 by Riko Iwai and Mei Takahashi, who were both members of the light music club at the same high school in Sapporo, Hokkaido, this new wave techno-pop band exploded onto the scene on January 18, 2021 with a Twitter post, reaching #1 on the SoundCloud worldwide weekly chart. In July 2024, they released their first album “ROMP”.