Entertainment Schedule and Bios

Special Guest Emcee – Hula!

Our special guest emcee for the first ever San Diego Ramen Festival will be our fantabulous friend and radio personality, Hula!

Hula is not only on air on The AJ Show on Energy 103.7, he is a HUGE foodie! You can catch him on Instagram and Snapchat (HulaSD), on his #FoodVentures trying out and reviewing new food items all over San Diego for you!

He is excited and honored to join you as an emcee for the inaugural year of the Ramen Festival and hopes you all have a DELICIOUS time! #GoRamenCrazy

Entertainment Schedule

4:00 PM	Naruwan Taiko
4:30 PM	Mochi Cafe
5:00 PM	SD Kimono Club
5:30 PM	Kaichi
5:40 PM	The Happy Hoopers
6:00 PM	Ichiban
6:15 PM	Kendama USA
6:30 PM	Terry Matsuoka
7:00 PM	Ramen Eating Finals
7:30 PM	Genbu Daiko of San Diego

Performer Bios Below!

Naruwan Taiko

The name of “Naruwan Taiko” stems from the same word “naruw’an” from the indigenous Taiwanese Ami language meaning “Welcome [for] we are all in the same family.” Similarly,to live up to its name, Naruwan Taiko’s mission as a performance group is to welcome people of all ages and all levels to join (not just limited to the Taiwanese or Japanese community) and to learn the style of Japanese drumming. As a group, Naruwan Taiko hopes to encourage teamwork, creativity, physical activity, and confidence in expression for each individual.

Mochi Cafe

Mochi Cafe is an event based maid cafe in San Diego, California. Inspired by the maid cafes in Akihabara, Japan, Mochi Cafe entertains their guests at their events through games, dance, song, and cuisine. Serving guests with delicious treats while playing games and dancing for their guests on stage, Mochi Cafe is an eclectic blend of Japanese pop culture, cosplay, and the celebration of friendship and fun! Mochi Cafe strives to bring the delightfully unique experience of Japanese Maid cafes to the US so it can be enjoyed by everyone.

San Diego Kimono Club

San Diego Kimono club was formed in 2013. The members are all volunteers who love Japanese culture and want to carry on their Japanese heritage. They especially love wearing kimonos and have been invited to many different occasions to put on Kimono Shows. The kimonos are very special garments and some members have worn ones that are over one hundred years old. Some kimonos have been passed down from their grandmothers and their mothers. It is a beautiful family legacy.

Kaichi

Keisuke Inoue performs a tribute to Michael Jackson

Happy Hoopers

Chika has been teaching/performing at festivals, corporate companies, and more, for 9 years and she performs with students at local events lately.  She will be performing with young children at the ramen festival!

Ichiban

As a group Ichban has performed at high school pep rallies, at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park, and at any other events.  They will be performing the Soran Bushi, a traditional Japanese fisherman’s dance.

Kendama USA

We are a company made up of Kendama players. We have been sharing and spreading Kendama since 2006, and helping progress the sport with the most innovative players in the game. All of our products have been made putting players and their feedback first.

Terry Matuoka

Whether solo or with his 4-piece band, Terry Matsuoka’s live show is an entirely unique experience in itself. In addition to performing his songs with enthusiasm and passion, his shows can sometimes enter the realm of a variety show. In past performances, Matsuoka has performed stunts like drinking poison, getting possessed by Elvis’ ghost and doing dances choreographed by audience members. He also delivers hip hop spoken word and human beatboxes with remarkableability.

Genbu Daiko

Genbu Daiko’s instructor, Noel Garcia has been performing and teaching taiko for nearly 17 years. In Japan, he performed with and was an instructor for Uzu Wadaiko in Kyoto for two years. Returning to the U.S. in 2011, he performed with Taiko Center of the Pacific in Honolulu for almost a year before joining the prestigious Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble, performing and assisting with taiko classes there for nearly two years. Noel moved to San Diego in 2014 and has been performing and teaching classes since, with Unit Souzou, and various other groups.