New People a crash course in 'J-Pop' culture

New People, a center for Japanese pop culture, opened it's doors just over other a month ago on Aug. 15, 2009, and is seeking to position itself as a staple destination in Japantown and a source of stimulation for both San Francisco locals and tourists, the New People Web site declares. 

The four-story building, informally called the "J-Pop Center," is located at 1746 Post St., and contains a Japanese art gallery,  fashion boutiques, and the United State's first movie theater dedicated solely to Japanese animated and live-action films. I stopped by recently to see what the J-Pop Center was all about. Here is what I found:

Through the center's beckoning red doorframe on Post Street is the small movie theatre lobby where snacks and drinks are offered for filmgoers. On the second floor is New People: the Store, commonly referred to as simply 'the Store.'  Japanese dance music plays while customers make their way around the interspaced tables and stands, which display Japanese graphic novels, toys, jewelry, and clothing accessories. 

"It's for people who grew up watching Japanese animation," said  Chinatsu Komori, a New People employee . "Or for people who grew up here and didn't have a chance to familiarize themselves with it." Over 90% of the products offered at the store are Japanese-made, Komori said. "We're introducing stuff that's not available in the U.S., and we concentrate on Japanese pop culture." 

For someone like San Francisco resident Jeffrey Tunches, that exposure to Japanese culture was a driving force behind his visit to the J-Pop Center. As he browsed through items in the Store he praised the change that New People offers. 

"It's different, it's cultural, and it's not mundane," said Tunches, a video producer for the Web site changestartsathome.com. "Plus, my girlfriend is really enjoying it." 

With customers like Mr. Tunches, the J-Pop Center is achieving its stated goal of "attract[ing] those eager [to] explore new cultural inspirations or who would like a crash course in Japanese popular culture."

The crash course continues on the third floor with Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, which features clothing products that are a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Captain Jack Sparrow. 

A more technical description is provided by Angelica Lyons, a Baby, the Stars Shine Bright employee and a third-year History student at San Francisco State University. The correct label is either Roccoco, an 18th Century France, Victorian England hybrid, or Lolita. The latter has no connection to the Vladimir Nabokov novel of the same name, Lyons assured me as I eyed the revealing and rather suggestive clothing. 

Next to Baby, the Stars Shine Bright is BPN, an acronym for Black Peace Now. It features an array of Gothic styles and an ultralimited selection of colors: black. 

The fourth and final floor of New People is reserved solely for the Superfrog Gallery, which features "Jap Pop Art." It is currently featuring the "Deva Loka USA" exhibition by Yoshitaka Amano, known for his character designs for the video game Final Fantasy. 

Finally, there's the underground, 143-seat cinema, which continues the Jap-pop theme by showing new films from Japan, as well as Japanese classics, documentaries and anime. 

New People can be an explosion of Japanese pop-culture for those in need of a crash course. And it presents a new lens with which to examine our preconceptions of Japan. Indeed, it is a long way from the samurai exhibit that recently ended at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. Rather than being a relic of the past, the J-Pop Center is looking to the future and accomplishing its goal of "bringing a new cultural energy to an area filled with history."