San Francisco will soon see a new attraction in Japantown, coming from the minds at Viz Pictures and the J-pop Center Project. NEW PEOPLE is a entertainment destination (shown above) that houses Japanese pop culture expressed through film, art, fashion, botiques and more. This 20,000 square foot, three-floor glass building will open sometime this summer, with details on that opening to be announced soon. 

The basement level floor will house a 143-seat high-definition THX certified cinema that will show films from Japan, anime, documentaries, and more. Another floor will be for fashion, housing several Japanese labels that will make their retail debut in the United States here. Several Harajuku imports are to be included. There will also be a cafe, Japanese delicatessen, a retail store, an art gallery and more. 

“NEW PEOPLE is a truly unique space devoted to creativity and self expression, and will become a cultural destination unlike any other in the United States,” says Seiji Horibuchi, the founder and CEO of VIZ Pictures and the founder of VIZ Media as well as the J-pop Center Project.

“NEW PEOPLE will help nurture Japanese pop culture and also connect the public with its diverse creators. As North America continues to embrace a variety of hip trends from Japan, we look forward to expanding the vision of NEW PEOPLE globally through film, art and other multimedia and forging innovative cross-cultural creative partnerships.”

This sounds pretty cool! The official website doesn't show much yet, but it does have some more detail on the shops and construction process. 

We'll do our best to make it out there when it finally opens to give you our impressions.