This New Idol Unit is Helping to Revitalize the Nuclear Ghost Town of Namie.

When the Tohoku Earthquake shook northeastern Japan on March 11th, 2011, it generated a Tsunami which devastated the coastal area of Fukushima. This triggered the meltdown of two Power Plants, one in Daiichi and the other in Daini. As radiation levels rose, a state of emergency was declared and nearby residents were evacuated. In the years that followed the aftermath of the disaster, many towns have been rebuilt and life has returned to normal. However, the town of Namie has never been the same.

After the meltdown of the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, all 100,000 of Namie's residents were evacuated. When radiation levels had fallen to a safe level in September 2015, the government allowed the people to return on a permanent basis. Despite reconstruction efforts, very few have made the decision to return. The public lost trust in government officials over the benefits of nuclear power. Their fears of radiation have become too deeply rooted and many have already built new lives elsewhere since the evacuation. As of June 1, 2019, Namie had a population of zero, making it a true ghost town.

Enter the "Namie Women's Association" (JA Namie for short), the new Idol Unit from Stardust Planet, the Idol Division of Stardust Entertainment. The abbreviation takes the first letter of "Joshi-hatsu (from Girls)" and the English word for "Kumiai (Association)".

(L to R - Hana, Moeka, Chiho, Arin, Aira, Luna, and Yuduki)

Produced and led by Momoiro Clover Z's Sasaki Ayaka (nickname: Arin), the group was formed in an attempt to encourage people to return to Namie. Joining Arin in the 7 member Unit are all four members from Amefurasshi and two members from B.O.L.T, both new groups in Stardust Planet.

Their image color is taken from the town's flower "Cosmos". The group aims to convey the current situation in Namie through the unique stance of girls. Their motto is "I hope it reaches you with the wind from Namie". JA Namie made their debut on November 24th at the Tokaichi Festival, an annual event held in the town which was dedicated to it's reconstruction this year. Momoiro Clover Z also performed to help bring in fans from all over Japan.

They performed an originally song titled "Namie no wa". The song starts around 3:15.

From this point forward, the Unit will perform once a month exclusively in the town of Namie. After performing with Momoclo at the Festival, Arin said that they had consulted with the people of the town on what kind of Unit to make. She went on to say that she wanted to work so that she can feel closer to Namie. We'll have to wait and see if the group has any impact on the situation or if Namie is destined to remain a ghost town.

Debut at the Tokaichi Festival

JA Namie Official Site

Momoiro Clover Z's Epic Stage Sets

Momoiro Clover Z is known for putting on great live shows. After seeing what their management company, Stardust Promotion, came up for their Summer concert this year, I thought I'd take a look back at some of the epic sets that have graced Momoclo's stages the years.

Tohjin-sai

Starting in 2014, they raised the bar for their annual summer concerts by adding themes. They incorporated elements from traditional Japanese culture and mythology and were subtitled "Tohjin-sai (桃神祭)". This is a stage mix from all 3 concerts.

The theme of 2014's concert was a "Japanese Festival". A 20 meter (65 foot) Shinto Shrine was erected in the center of the stage. It was estimated to have cost 500 Million Yen (about 4.5 Million dollars). 630 people from festival organizations all over the country gathered to help create the best Summer Festival in Japan.

They also included a bridge on both sides.

The stage lit up at night.

Tojinsai 2016 ~ Onigashima ~

Onigashima is the mythical land of Ogres that was visited by the folk character Momotaro. The real life location is the island of Megijima. Here's some background from Wikipeidia:

"Momotarō was born from a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been bestowed by the Gods to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family).

When he matured into adolescence, Momotarō left his parents to fight a band of Oni (demons or ogres) who marauded over their land, by seeking them out in the distant island where they dwelled (a place called Onigashima or "Demon Island"). En route, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest in exchange for a portion of his rations (kibi dango or "millet dumplings"). At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the band of demons into surrendering. Momotarō and his new friends returned home with the demons' plundered treasure and the demon chief as a captive. "

You can just make out some Oni drummers in the background.

The members entered the stage through the door underneath the giant Oni.

There was also a water show using fountains.

And they rode a Dragon.

Performance of "We Are Born"

MomocloMania

Starting in 2018, MomocloMania took over as the title for their summer concerts. The inspiration for the name came from the WWE's annual WrestleMania event that started back in 1985. Officially titled "MomocloMania 2018 - Road to 2020-", they based the theme for the concert around Extreme Sports and featured events like Skateboarding, BMX, and 3x3 Basketball.

(*The theme of Momoclomania is specifically "the integration of Idol and Sports")

(**In 2017, Momoiro Clover Z started adding "Road to 2020" to their concerts in anticipation of the 2020 Olympics and began incorporated athletic themes into their live shows and MVs)

The centerpiece of the stage set was a replica of Mount Rushmore featuring the heads of the 4 members.

In addition to the athletic events, Momoiro Clover Z also collaborated with Samurai Rock Orchestra. Tamai Shiori starred in Samurai Rock Orchestra's "Muscle Musical" which was an acrobatic stage production of the Wizard of Oz that actually wasn't a musical. Because of her experience with the troupe, she stepped in to participate.

This is a digest video from the concert.

For the second year under the MomocloMania banner, MCZ raised the bar yet again. Titled "MomocloMania 2019 - ROAD TO 2020 - Shijou Saidai Pure Kaikai Shiki (The biggest pre-opening ceremony ever)", the stage set resembled a Roman Colosseum, complete with 4 giant Gladiator Helmets at the top.

The helmets were designed with a unique lighting rig so the eyes flicker in time to the music. They opened up to reveal each member as they were introduced, and they road down to the stage from inside them.

The concert also featured 217 cheerleaders, a 38 member marching band, and 47 Japanese dancers. Special guests included Former Takarazuka Revue performer Hinami Fu and Pro Wrestler the Great Muta.

Hinami played the Goddess of Victory in the story that unfolds during the concert.

Unfortunately, only one official video has been uploaded from the concert so far and it doesn't showcase the stage very well, so I'll end the retrospective with this.