Berry's idol life could be an anime

About this episode

Berry, an idol from California, shares her journey of becoming an idol and performing in Japan.

Meet Berry, an idol from California performing in the group himi♡chuu. She sits down to talk to us about chasing her childhood dream of becoming an idol, turning an internet hate mob into an opportunity, and finally coming to perform in Japan.--0:00 Intro0:44 Meet Berry 5:07 Berry's idol dream8:08 The SORB3T incident15:58 Turning her setback into an opportunity24:01 Debut as a soloist28:45 Are Japanese interested in overseas idols?32:39 Performing in taiban35:47 Interacting with fans39:13 Performing in Japan40:05 Achieving her dreams42:35 How much creative control does Berry have?47:44 Balancing her persona and real self51:38 Transitioning to being based in Japan56:16 Collaborating with other idols58:24 Berry's plans for 20261:00:01 How to start as an idol--Follow Berry: @blooberrytrain https://www.instagram.com/blooberrytrainhttps://www.tiktok.com/@blooberrytrainFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions…

People in this episode

Guest: Berry

Topics covered

• idol culture
• personal dreams
• internet backlash
• performing in Japan
• fan interaction
• creative control

Keywords

• idol
• Berry
• himi♡chuu
• Japan
• California
• internet hate
• soloist
• fan interaction
• creative control

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: himi♡chuu

Places: California, Japan

More episodes of Unpacking Japan

• From salaryman to drag bar: a conversation with Japan's biggest diva · June 12, 2026 · 1h 12m
• The reality of being gay in Japan ft. Will from Japan Gay Guide · June 9, 2026 · 51 min
• The British comedian who became an honorary Kansai Japanese · June 5, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Genoa's very unique journey to Japan · June 2, 2026 · 1h 2m
• What it's like growing up in a "foreign bubble" in Japan · May 29, 2026 · 58 min
• Sitting down with Japan's most unconventional influencer · May 26, 2026 · 1h 20m