Last weekend marked the grand openning of the NEW PEOPLE J-Pop culture complex in San Fransisco's Japan Town. Reportedly there were lines of people waiting to get in. The openning itself wasn't until 11 AM on Saturday, but people started showing up as early as 4 AM. That's some serious dedication--it's just a mall after all. An awesome otaku mall, but it's still a mall. The complex houses a number of stores, including the first American flag ship store for the popular gothic lolita fashion label Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, and Black Peace Now. To commerate the occasion, a fashion show was held to show off some of their latest gothic lolita outfits from Japan.

The Complex is also home to the Viz Cinema, a SUPERFROG gallery that's currently hosting a Yoshitaka Amano exhibit,  a NEW PEOPLE store, a cafe that serves bento boxes, and more. A full list of the shops can be found on the website at NewPeopleWorld.com. I can't wait to buy a ticket to San Fransisco just to check this place out. Thankfully it doesn't cost too much to go up and down the California coast for me--I might even be able to do it in a day. If anyone does get a chance to go, please take some pictures and post it on your c-blog. I doubt they'll let you take pictures of the Amano exhibit though.