Keina Suda, also known by his Vocaloid producer name Balloon, has been rising in popularity with the release of the music video for his new track Darling. On May 24, he’ll release his second full album Ghost Pop, and his track Hana ni Kaze is being used to promote Hatsune Miku’s 360 Reality Audio Experience at the Sony Store. This catchy track will be released on all major streaming services on February 10, 2023. In addition, the cover for the song, created by Avogado6,  has also been revealed.

The song was created exclusively as the campaign song for Sony Store’s exclusive Walkman and accompanying headphones featuring exclusive Hatsune Miku designs by Avogado 6. These are available to order now, and starting January 27, Sony Store locations are offering a new listening experience, allowing guests to enjoy Hana ni Kaze with Sony’s 3D Reality Audio.

In addition to this listening experience, a special viewing event was held in theater rooms, making guests feel as though they were at a live concert. Reservations were required to participate.

Visit the official Sony website for more information!

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the globally popular Naruto anime series, NARUTO THE GALLERY will be held at AKIBA_SQUARE inside Akihabara UDX from December 10, 2022 until January 31, 2023. The gallery will feature collaborations with five animators. 

This will be the first Naruto exhibition held since 2015. The event will focus on the growth of the characters, the bonds they share with their friends, and the many fights that have taken place over the past two decades. 

Iconic scenes from the Naruto anime series will be on display in collaboration with five up-and-coming animators: Ai Niina, Kohei Kadowaki, que, Kosuke Sugimoto, and Kohta Morie. This will give fans the chance to see an unprecedented and unique view of the world of Naruto which can only be seen at the event. 

Admission Bonus: Gemaki-style Card

Goods

An original Gemaki-style Card featuring a newly-drawn visual will be handed out to those visiting the exhibition. 

The first lineup of exclusive event-only merchandise has been revealed and longtime fans of the series won’t want to miss adding some of these goods to their collection. 

Participating Artists / Episode

Ai Niina / Sasuke’s Ninja Way

Kohei Kadowaki / Naruto’s Path

que / The Land of Waves

Kosuke Sugimoto / Sasuke’s Vessel

Kohta Morie / Naruto and Kurama

©NARUTO THE GALLERY実行委員会

A new collaboration store is now open in Akihabara, bringing together the popular YouTuber Sana Natori and everyone’s favorite Sanrio characters. The shop will be open until October 19, and this second collaboration features Halloween-inspired goods.

This time around, seven new goods are available, with 21 designs available in total. The illustrations were drawn exclusively for the collaboration.

Goods at a Glance

Pin (3 varieties)

Acrylic Keychain (3 varieties)

Acrylic Card (7 varieties)

Acrylic Figure Plate (3 varieties)

Sana Natori x Kuromi

Sana Natori x Pompompurin

Sana Natori x Lloromannic

Sticker (Set of 3)

Clear Case

Long Sleeve T-shirt

Purchase Bonus – Postcard (2 varieties)

Sana Natori is a VTuber who has become popular with audiences of all ages. Her aim is to live a proper life online, and she’s known largely for her livestreams, gaming, and music.

Following the well-recieved first collaboration, these spooky designs are sure to be a hit this holiday season. Which goods are you after?

(C) Sana Natori (C) 2022 SANRIO CO.,LTD. APPROVAL NO. L634678

Gee! Store, a popular series of shops specializing in anime character goods, has announced a collaboration with the series Luminous Witches! From September 9 until September 19, Cure Maid Cafe in Akihabara will be serving up tasty treats inspired by characters from the series. 

Collaboration Menu

Exclusive Collaboration Character Cards (9 varieties)

Preorder Goods

The cafe will offer a number of snacks and drinks, including Eggplant Cheese Pasta, Aira & Eleonore’s Curry, and Moffy’s Parfait. A special drink will be available to order by posting with a special hashtag on social media, so be sure to check back for more information!

©2021 島田フミカネ・KADOKAWA／連盟空軍航空魔法音楽隊
©TABLIER MARKETING INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

To celebrate the second season of The Rising of the Shield Hero, a special pop-up store will open on August 19 inside GiGO Akihabara!

2L Chara Fine Mat (4 varieties): ￥1,980 (Tax Included)

Mini-Character Pin (6 varieties): ￥440 (Tax Included)

New items include character mats with newly-drawn illustrations and mini-character pins. 

During the event period, for every purchase of ￥3,000 or more (including tax), customers will receive a random postcard as a bonus. Be sure to grab yours before they’re gone!

A take-out collaboration cafe inspired by the anime series Uncle from Another World is now open at CURE MAID CAFE in Akihabara! The event is running until August 28, 2022.

Exclusive Collaboration Character Cards (6 varieties)

The take-out collaboration cafe features a lineup of collaboration drinks inspired by characters from the series. Special bonuses will be given to those who order from the collaboration menu, and photos from the series will be displayed at the eat-in space Entas Cure Terrace on the same floor.

Enjoy these otherwordly collab drinks that can only be found here!

（C）殆ど死んでいる・KADOKAWA刊／異世界おじさん製作委員会 （C）SEGA
（C）TABLIER MARKETING INC.,ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starting on June 17, romantic Taisho-style cafe Akihabara Nagomido began a special collaboration with the BL mystery game Hashihime of the Old Book Town. The special event will run through July 4, 2022. 

Collaboration Cafe Original Menu

Menu Order Bonus: Bookmark

Collab Goods

Acrylic Stand (6 varieties)

Clear Folder　

Collaboration Castella　

Pin Gacha (6 varieties, random)

Fortune Gacha (7 varieties, random)　

Goods Available to Order

Canvas Art (6 varieties)

Large Panel

Goods Purchase Privilege: Original Postcard

During the event, fans of the series can enjoy dishes, desserts, and drinks inspired by the game. Special collaboration merchandise will only be available here, and special prizes can be won by playing the on-site gacha! A bookmark will be given to guests who order any original collaboration food or drink items, and an original postcard will be given to those spending at least ¥3,000 on merchandise. Those visiting between June 29 and July 4 will receive a limited-edition postcard.

Come enjoy this unique atmosphere while surrounded by your favorite characters!

What is Hashihime of the Old Book Town?

The location? Jinbocho, Tokyo, during the rainy season, 1922.
A young writer named Tamamori moves to Tokyo with the hopes of getting into a prestigious university–but he fails the exams and is kicked out of his place.

In an amazing stroke of luck, Tamamori begins working at a bookstore with a mysterious owner who never shows his face. This stranger also lets him live there and pays for his necessities. Living at a bookstore with only a few customers leaves Tamamori tons of time to work on writing.

Suddenly, a series of suicides and mysterious deaths begin. Tamamori’s best friend dies–and no one knows why.

Tamamori notices that the same three rainy days are repeating over and over. Yes, he can time travel–but only three days into the past.
What is real and what is an illusion?
A pop-occult Taisho BL mystery is waiting for you. (From the game’s homepage)

CulZone, inside ACZ and operated by Ichigo Animation, has expanded and reopened! To commemorate, the Anime T-Shirt Festival will be running from June 17 until July 10. Dozens of shirts will be on sale featuring both new and old anime titles. 

Lineup

©Negi Haruba, Kodansha /The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬ Production Team ®KODANSHA

©Koyoharu Gotouge / Shueisha・Aniplex・ufotable

©2016 Natsume Akatsuki, Kurone Mishima / KADOKAWA / Konosuba Production Committee

©BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.

©Tappei Nagatsuki, KADOKAWA / Re: Zero Production Committee

©Sotsu / Sunrise

©1995 Masamune Shirow / Kodansha, Bandai Visual, MANGA ENTERTAINMENT

Character shirts and logo shirts will be available and every fan will find something perfect! Items will be changed regularly throughout the event, so be sure to stop by and find something perfect for your summer wardrobe.

Kanda Myojin Shrine dates back over 1,270 years, making it one of the most well-known religious sites in Tokyo. Dai Nippon Printing is now making it possible for interested visitors to experience the site from anywhere in the world, unveiling the Kanda Myojin CG Space this week. Developed with approval from the shrine, the virtual space faithfully reproduces the structure and design of the location using 3D laser measurement technology and CG techniques developed by DNP over many years. The space will be open online to all audiences.

A portion of the work from the Masayuki Kojo 10th Anniversary Exhibition currently behind held on-site at Kanda Myojin from June 4 until July 10 will also be available to view in the CG space. The space will also be linked to ‘Virtual Akihabara,’ developed by DNP in conjunction with the AKIBA Tourism Council. Using XR (Extended Reality), the company hopes to develop a wide variety of new communication styles.

The Kanda Myojin CG Space was created by using DNP’s laser measurement technology to recreate three-dimensional objects. By using high-definition photography and photogrammetry technology, images of objects are taken from many angles, creating a realistic 3DCG space to explore. The structure of the shrine, which was rebuilt in 1934 after being damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake, has been faithfully reproduced in every way.

In conjunction with events held at the Kanda Myojin Museum, the Kanda Myojin CG Space will make the history of Kanda Myojin and its collection of materials, including rare ukiyo-e prints, available online for anyone to access. Through these exhibits, people both in Japan and abroad can experience Edo culture through their web browsers!

The second Sakura Miku pop-up shop will be held at AMNIBUS STORE at MAGNET by SHIBUYA109 from April 8, 2022 for a limited time!

The special shop will feature exclusive illustrations of Sakura Miku and her friends by illustrator kuro. The AMNIBUS STORE will also exclusive purchase bonuses as well, so don’t miss these spring-inspired items!

Given the intense popularity of the Hatsune Miku Symphony 2022, an additional evening performance has been added after the afternoon performance sold out! Tickets are now on sale. Additionally, to celebrate the new event, the performance of Daughter of Evil ~ Servant of Evil from the 2020 Hatsune Miku Symphony has been uploaded to YouTube!

Hatsune Miku Symphony 2020 ~5th Anniversary ~ September 21, 2022 at Suntory Hall / Daughter of Evil ~ Servant of Evil（mothy_Akuno P）

The complete main visual for the event, drawn by illustrator Rella, has been unveiled, showing Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, and Kagamine Len! 

Keina Suda, also known as the Vocaloid producer Balloon, is ready to contribute music to the popular mobile game Project Sekai: Colorful Stage!  The creator initially began making Vocaloid music back in 2013, and his hit song Charles has been covered by many other singers.

The song will be added to the game in a future update, and more details will be revealed soon.

One of Balloon’s best-known songs, Rain and Petra, will also be added to the rhythm game. The artist will hold a solo concert in both Tokyo and Osaka as well, with presale tickets now available on the official homepage.

The artist will hold a solo concert in both Tokyo and Osaka as well, with presale tickets now available on the official homepage. The Osaka show will be held on May 6 at the Orix Theater, and in Tokyo on May 14 at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall. 

Comment from Balloon

I’m Balloon. My new song for the unit 25:00 at the Night Code is coming soon. I wrote the music while thinking of the group’s story and combining that with my own feelings. I hope you listen and interpret it in your own way.

© SEGA / © Colorful Palette Inc. / © Crypton Future Media, INC. www.piapro.net