Following a successful concert with matsuri’25 earlier in the year, the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA) held their second stateside event to close off 2025. ennichi’25 took place on December 2 at the edge of Los Angeles at the Aurora Warehouse.
The title “ennichi (縁日)” includes “en,” meaning “destiny.” For the event’s organizers, this was intentional to symbolize the fateful meeting between LA attendees and Japanese artists and Japanese culture. Closing down Aurora Street and converting it into a replica of a classic Japanese summer festival, the event featured games, food and drink vendors, food demonstrations on a small outdoor stage, and a musical concert featuring a diverse array of artists: Awich, f5ve, JP THE WAVY, and Psychic Fever.
Pop group fv5e kicked things off with their eccentric fashion style consisting of patterned baby tees, short bubble skirts, colorful tights, unique head bands, and a striking blue lipstick. This contrasted greatly with JP THE WAVY and Awich, two hip hop artists who wore simpler, darker colors, and Psychic Fever, who went with street style casual outfits for their stages that portrayed their fusion style of Japanese and Western culture. While each of the performing artists had their dedicated time on stage to perform their curated setlists, part of what makes a music festival different from a regular concert is the collaborations and special stages.
Photo Credit: YURI HASEGAWA
During f5ve’s performance of “Underground,” Psychic Fever’s TSURUGI joined them onstage during the final dance break. The fans exploded into loud cheers as TSURUGI executed the dance moves with sass, fitting right in with the girl group. Meanwhile, Psychic Fever had JP THE WAVY join them onstage for their performance of “Just Like Dat,” just as they did during the LA stop of their U.S. tour earlier in the year. As for Awich, she brought double the collaborators: JP THE WAVY for “GILA GILA” and Lupe Fiasco for “Wax On Wax Off.” Rather than collaborate with a guest, JP THE WAVY opted to pay homage to a popular classic, rapping to Teriyaki Boyz’s “Tokyo Drift.” These performances made for memorable moments throughout the night.
Although Aurora Street and the Aurora Warehouse were not extremely large spaces, they offered just enough for ennichi’25 to pull off that festival vibe. The quaint warehouse was split into two sections for fans to stand and had a bar serving Suntory Whiskey, creating a comfortably intimate atmosphere. On the street outside, the left side had booths with activities such as scooping for goldfish and water balloons, as well as face painting. The booths on the right side offered an assortment of Japanese food and beverages, including karaage, takoyaki, yakitori, toro, and matcha available. Even before approaching any of the stands, the smell of the food permeated through the walls and wafted through the air. The sights, sounds, and smells made it feel like walking down the street during a festival in front of a temple filled with food stalls in Tokyo. For an event that aimed to bridge Japanese culture and Western culture, this harmonious existence exemplified exactly what it looked like to combine the two worlds into one.
Photo Credit: YURI HASEGAWA
