Japanese pop culture, ever popular in San Francisco, is getting even bigger in the city.
This year's J-Pop Summit has moved from Japantown to Fort Mason and has transformed from a free to a ticketed event. The Summit runs from August 7-9.
Tickets for Friday's opening event at the Castro Theater are sold out but admission to various events that are still available ranges from $13-30.
The Fort Mason festivities include music performances, interactive technology displays, fashion shows, (including a contest inspired by the colorful fashions seen in the Harajuku section of Tokyo), and a "J-Pop Idol" singing contest.
Offsite highlights outside of the main program of music, fashion and technology explorations at Fort Mason include a Sake Summit in Union Square and the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco back in Japantown.