KISS Expo Takes Over Tokyo, Japan [Photo Gallery]
Tokyo, Japan, is the home the official KISS Expo at the La Foret Museum in the heart of the Harajuku area, and we had the opportunity to check it out. The first item in the expo as soon as fans walk in is a framed formation contract signed by each of the members in the 1970’s.
The exhibit includes a lot of Gene Simmons' personal items, such as childhood family photos, dozens of different backstage passes from tours over the decades and even demo cassette tapes with Simmons and Bob Dylan. Fans can even sit down and take a virtual reality tour of the homes of Simmons and Paul Stanley.
There are items specifically from touring Japan as well as items from the KISS Japan fan club that started in 1975. Elaborate tour outfits, body suits, tour instruments and the history of broken guitars from 1976 to 2015 were all on display.
One of the coolest features has to be a stage with fake fire and a KISS backdrop in the middle of the expo where fans can get behind instruments and pose for photos. There’s also a station “backstage” where fans can get professional KISS makeup done which takes an hour to 90 minutes to do.
The end of the expo rounds out with an collaborative exhibit between Gene Simmons and Yoshiki (of X Japan).
One of the masterminds behind the exhibit, Mark Stroman, stated that in the future he would want this exhibit to expand and tour all over the world. The KISS Expo in Tokyo is a treat for Halloween fans as it runs until Oct 31.
Check out the gallery above of our exclusive photos, along with official photos provided by the KISS Expo.
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