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If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. Cypress Park is one of those LA neighborhoods that belies most of the city’s most pervasive stereotypes. The stretch of Figueroa Boulevard running through it is busy, but not flashy; metaphorically a world away from sparkly awards ceremonies and deal-making, crocodile smile power lunches, and paparazzi. Footsies is a bar that fits here. It’s anything but pretentious or boastful. It presents itself with quiet dignity. Like the street it sits on, it’s long and narrow. There’s a sign out front that does little more than confirm you’re in the right place. Entertainment industry types who show up usually work behind the camera and a long way from the red carpet. There’s no velvet rope. More modest still is the trailer in the back parking lot. Small, minimalist, something that might’ve sheltered you and your family on a childhood camping trip. You would be forgiven for double-checking the calendar invitation to confirm this is the staging area for someone whose group has eight No. 1 hits on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart. JUNON carries himself with a soft, calm presence. As part of the J-Pop group BE:FIRST, he has featured on two albums to date, BE:1 and 2:BE, both of which hit number one on the Japanese charts. Last year, BE:FIRST opened for K-pop band ATEEZ, following the group’s collaborations on the tracks “Hush-Hush” and “Royal”. Building on that momentum, BE:FIRST recently completed their first world tour, which included stops across the U.S. “ATEEZ, as a group, they bond with each other a lot,” says JUNON. “And they have a similar kind of vibe to us. So it was really fun working with them.” JUNON was not a trained singer or dancer before trying out for BE:FIRST, but he always had a passion for music. Early influences included Tube, the Japanese pop band with a nearly 40-year run of hits that he grew up listening to with his family. “Since I was a child, music has always been part of my life. Every day I sing, I listen to music, and now it feels more like music is coming into my life. It’s the way I express myself, the highs and lows.” As BE:FIRST’s fame has grown and JUNON’s star continues to rise, so has the pressure. “The stages got bigger, the audiences got bigger. The importance of how I present myself to the audience has changed,” he says. Through BE:FIRST’s US performances, JUNON has had a chance to see how fans from disparate cultures, separated by nearly 5,500 miles, react. “There is a difference between how Japanese audiences and American audiences enjoy music. Japanese people focus on the music and lyrics, and American audiences enjoy the music together and sing along. And that’s the simple difference.” Beyond his interest in growing the J-Pop category in the US, JUNON has a passion for sharing other aspects of Japanese culture with Western audiences, including shochu, Japan’s national drink. “I love Japan a lot, so I want to be a way to share the Japanese culture with the world. I want to be one of the routes for that to happen.” Shochu, for the uninitiated, is a distilled spirit typically made from grains and vegetables like sweet potato, barley, or rice. It’s commonly enjoyed with umeboshi, a pickled plum — JUNON’s favorite way to drink it. Compared to sake and Japanese whisky, shochu has largely flown under the radar in the US — so far. The distilled spirit has already overtaken sake in popularity in Japan, and it’s on the cusp of a global boom. As for the best time to drink shochu? “Always. Anytime!” JUNON says. Nikaido, a nearly 160-year-old family-owned company known for its 100% barley shochu, is leading the charge into the Western hemisphere. In 2025, Nikaido became the first official shochu of Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers. Fans can find the spirit neat, on the rocks, or as a classic highball at Dodger Stadium. There’s even a custom cocktail, the Nikaido Home Run, a refreshing blend of shochu, green tea, and lemonade. As part of Nikaido’s push into the US market, JUNON is serving as its U.S. brand ambassador. After our chat, we exchanged salutations, and he was off. For what, it was unclear — until later that evening. For baseball fans, Dodger Stadium is a cathedral. With its Midcentury Modern aesthetic, sweeping, postcard views of Downtown Los Angeles, and dramatic sunsets, it can take your breath away. With Japanese superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the team has forged bonds with the city’s vibrant Japanese-American population. Nikaido invited us to join them in the Bank of America Suite an hour or so before a game in September. Snacks were noshed, frosty shochu highballs were sipped. About 15 minutes before the start of the game, the stadium’s public address announcer called the crowd to attention. “We’re honored to welcome a special guest, all the way from Japan – JUNON.” With the same quiet confidence he displayed during our conversation, this unassuming, budding global superstar and ambassador for the culture he loves, strode to the mound to deliver the ceremonial first pitch and introduce himself to a new audience, one he hopes will embrace him just as his home country has.
