The one-day festival, held May 16 in Pasadena, paired a full lineup of Japanese acts with a food alley and a cultural exchange, with rapper Cordae as an unexpected guide.
On May 16, Japanese music took over the Rose Bowl grounds for Zipangu 2026, a one-day event co-produced by Cloud Nine and Goldenvoice. The festival was a deliberate statement of the country’s growing stateside influence, combining a multi-genre concert with an immersive cultural program that wove in food, fashion, and community.
Headliners Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO!, CHANMINA, and MAN WITH A MISSION played full-length sets—a rare format for U.S. festivals, where 20-minute slots are the norm. The “Rose Bowl Yokocho” outdoor alley modeled after Japanese streets offered over a dozen food vendors, from Tokyo Yakisoba to Kuramoto Shavery, serving sandos and shaved ice beneath string lights.
American rapper Cordae, a longtime fan of acts like Awich and Gen Hoshino, moved through the grounds as a kind of embedded observer. In a brief interview, he noted that Japanese artists “draw massive inspiration from Black culture, hip-hop, and Black music
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ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
