Written by Sky
Can you keep a secret? Meet himi♡chuu‘s four members: Amanda, Chino, BERRY, and shoyun. All four members of this West Coast-based idol group performed at the Anime Expo 2026 Welcome Ceremony, as well as Idol Summer Escape. We met with himi♡chuu during Anime Expo 2026 to learn a bit more about them and discuss idol culture in both the United States and Japan.
1) How did you discover idols/idol culture?
Chino: Idol culture has been a part of my life since I was very little. I have loved dancing and singing since I was little, and I was inspired by their happiness. I think idols have given me strength ever since.
BERRY: When I was younger, an online friend of mine introduced me to the idols from “Johnny’s” idol agency, and that was my first exposure to idols. The costumes and the stages were so grand and I fell in love with them.
Amanda: For me, it actually happened very randomly because I originally worked in Artist Alley. I saw, “Oh, there’s an idol convention. What is it?” I didn’t know anything about idols, but I wanted to apply for Artist Alley. The Artist Alley applications were already closed, but I saw there was a performer application, so I YOLO applied. I just submitted a karaoke video, and then I got accepted.
shoyun: When I was little, I watched Ojamajo Doremi and Shugo Chara and that lit a spark. Then on Nico Nico Douga, I discovered J-pop through The Idolm@ster and Vocaloid and that became how I expressed myself.
2) How long have you been performing?
Chino: I would estimate more than 10 years, almost 20years. Growing up, I really loved singing and whenever I watched cartoons with music and dance, I would copy and perform them for my parents. I also learned hula dance and I really enjoyed that as well.
BERRY: I think I’ve been on stage for 95 percent of my life because I started doing every type of dance and theater you can imagine as a kid. I think I started my first ballet class when I was 2. I’ve been performing in the convention scene for a little less than 10 years.
Amanda: I came from the festival and lots of raves scene, so I’ve been dancing for a while, but not necessarily performing. When I randomly applied for Northwest Idol Fest in 2022, that was the first time I actually got on stage and performed.
shoyun: I’ve been singing pretty consistently for at least 15 years. In school, I did choir and a cappella. I’ve performed on and off in the community for a while, but the first performance where I fully embraced being an idol was when I debuted at Anime Expo 2025 after a bit of a hiatus.
3) Where did your stage name come from if you use one?
Chino: In the beginning, my stage name was based on Chimu, a maid at At Home Maid Cafe. So I went by Chiyu, inspired by her name, when I was a maid. But when I became an idol, I wanted to change it a little. Chino is the name my best friend used as her online gaming name, so I just took it from her.
BERRY: My username everywhere is blooberrytrain which is a reference to the Love Live! song. I worked at a maid cafe, but Maid Blueberry was too long, so the head maid suggested that I go by Maid Berry. My real name isn’t very nicknamable, so I didn’t grow up with a cute nickname or shortened version of my name. When the maids started calling me Berry, it felt good to finally have one.
Amanda: Hi, I’m Amanda. That’s my name. I don’t have an idol name or nickname. That’s my real name
shoyun: I have a weird backstory. I was a chuunibyou and my online handle for everything was “Shokatsuryou Koumei,” which is the Japanese name for Zhuge Liang Kongming, a Chinese general. When I started going to conventions and telling people, “Oh, my handle is Shokatsuryou Koumei,” they’d respond, “Bless you.”
Then, in a sleep-deprived stupor, not drunk, just very sleep deprived, I was like, “Shokatsuryou Koumei… oh, Shoyu Katsudon,” because I like food. That was still too long, so it eventually became shoyun. The soy theme kind of stuck with me because my parents used to call me “豆 豆” (dòu dòu)”, which is bean, specifically soybean without the flower radical, because my mom had soy milk cravings when she was pregnant with me.
4) What does “idol” mean to you?
Chino: I think an idol is someone who is full of joy, giving people smiles, happiness, and even power. I’m very happy about that because I often get complimented on my smile. This is a happy thing for me and being an idol has also been a new journey for me. It’s fun to have a lot of opportunities to experience and I get a spark of joy every time.
BERRY: To me, “idol” is so much more than the textbook definition. My favorite idols have been there for me when I was at my lowest and gave me a reason to keep going and keep doing my best. Getting to become the kind of “idol” my idols were for me is something I strive for every day.
Amanda: I’m personally still trying to figure out what “idol” is. But for me, it’s being somebody who that other people can be inspired by to do good in the world. My idol journey is also a different form of self-expression because this type of performance, singing and dancing, especially as part of a group, gives me a completely different kind of joy and connects me with the audience. Then the audience sees you shining and sparkling and they think, “Maybe I want to join or do similar things out there”.
shoyun: My idols were always seiyuu and singer types, such as Nana Mizuki, Rie Kugimiya, and Saori Hayami. I’m not a huge fangirl who buys all the merch. For me, this is more of a personal journey of challenge and discovery. If it helps inspire anybody to try new things, discover themselves, or connect with other creatives, then to me, that’s what it means to be an idol.
5) What advice would you give to people looking to become an idol or improve if they already are an idol?
Chino: I recommend having a self-talk because being an idol is kind of freestyle, so you need to do a lot of exploring to find out what you genuinely enjoy. Once you know how to express yourself, you will improve and people will connect with you. Have fun and enjoy your idol life!
BERRY: When it comes to getting started, I would recommend putting yourself out there as often as you can. Try to get on stage as much as possible because the more you’re up there, the more comfortable you’ll become, and the more you’ll get yourself known.
Amanda: My personal advice is to connect with yourself. Ask yourself questions, “What makes you happy? What makes you excited? How do you want to express yourself?” Your people will gravitate toward you if you stay true to yourself.
shoyun: One, is practice, but also talk to people. There are a lot of resources that people have published. Some people might not have time to mentor, but you can ask questions, and they will probably want to help you. I’m personally open to quick questions, especially about recording setups.
One, is practice, but also talk to people. There’s a lot of resources people publish. Some people might not have time to mentor, but you can ask questions and they will probably want to help you. I am personally open to quick questions, especially about recording setups.
6) What are the biggest differences between performing in Japan vs. the U.S. and any other countries you might have performed in?
Chino: Right now, the idol fans here in the United States are enjoying the culture itself regardless of whether they have one favorite group. Everyone is willing to chant and do wotagei, but in Japan, sometimes people can be really strict with their love and only start chanting for their favorite group.
BERRY: Japan has a lot of professional setups in terms of lighting and sound. They give you a piece of paper and you write down exactly how the flow of your set goes, even down to when you say, “Let’s go!” to start the next song. I’ve also seen a wide variety and diversity of idols here in the States.
Amanda: I’ve only performed in Japan once, so based on that one experience, I think Japan’s idol culture is more established and they have their own protocols for how things should be run. In the West, idols aren’t as established, so we flavor it with our own individualities.
shoyun: In the States, kaigai idols are more fan and community based. There’s a lot of self-expression, cosplay influence, VTuber influence, and some people just like the wotagei culture. In Japan, a lot of idol activities exist only through the entertainment industry.
7) What kind of roles or duties does each member of himi♡chuu fill?
Chino: Amanda is kind of the leader of himi♡chuu. Without her, we cannot exist. She is an organizer, a designer, and a good cook, and she also feeds us. She is our brain. I make position videos for us, and I became the leader when we’re in Japan.
BERRY: Chino can handle Japanese business talk. She also has recorded individual parts for everyone to learn from so everyone knows what parts they’re doing.
Amanda: I mostly do logistics. Things don’t run if nobody’s making decisions, right? I do merch as well.
shoyun: I record backing tracks, demos for songs, harmony guides, and very occasionally help with artwork. I’m a fake mixer, but I know enough to be dangerous. Amanda and I share financial and merchandise management. Chino does a lot of the graphic design for us and helps with choreography. BERRY handles social media management and choreography.
I record backing tracks, demos for songs,harmony guides and very occasionally help with artwork. I’m a fake mixer, but I know enough to be dangerous. Amanda and I share financial and merchandise management. Chino does a lot of the graphic design for us and helps with choreography. BERRY does social media management and choreography.
8) What does himi♡chuu do best because of its members’ synergy?
Chino: We have a lot of fun together, but the problem is that we have too much fun when we’re practicing. Sometimes we spend it yapping, but I think it contributes to our synergy.
BERRY: Each member of himi♡chuu has their own charm. Some people are stronger dancers, some people are stronger vocalists, and everyone’s stage presence is really strong. We all have different flavors, but I think that’s what makes himi♡chuu so harmonious. In the areas where someone might be a little weaker, someone else shines and pulls them up to the same level, so we all balance each other out. We’ve built very strong friendships that we get along super well offstage, and those relationships make our chemistry onstage feel natural, because it is.
Amanda: That’s why our stage presence is so golden.
shoyun: We don’t have a lot of practice time together, but we’re all able to practice on our own, get together, and then somehow not bump into each other. We’re all watching each other’s backs in one way or another. In a way, it’s kind of like we all share the same brain cell.
Hopefully everyone has gotten to know himi♡chuu a little better. Their final message to everyone is to please look forward to the release of their original music! They’re working hard behind the scenes to make their music available for streaming.
himi♡chuu
himi♡chuu is a J-pop group based in the USA, comprised of 4 members: Amanda, BERRY, shoyun, and Chino.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/himichuu.info/
X: https://x.com/himichuu_info
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/himichuu
Images from Idol Summer Escape by https://www.instagram.com/ssalazar.media/
0 Comments