MCZ to Return to the Place Where It All Began

MCZ will take part in a special anniversary campaign celebrating the 40th anniversary of Kawasaki Azalea, an underground shopping complex directly connected to Kawasaki Station in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Kawasaki Azalea will mark its 40th anniversary on October 1, 2026. The facility is also a significant place in MCZ's history, as it was where Momoiro Clover first took the stage in front of an audience in 2008.

The 40th anniversary project will feature two main MCZ-related initiatives.

The first is a special event titled “40 Years Since That Day: MCZ Answers 40 Questions!”, which will be held at Azalea Sunlight Square on Saturday, October 3, with sessions at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Reni will appear as a special guest, while producer Kawakami Akira will serve as the special MC. The event will feature answers from MCZ to 40 questions submitted in advance.

The second initiative is a special anniversary poster featuring handwritten messages from the MCZ members. It is scheduled to be displayed inside the facility from late September.

For MCZ, the event has particular significance because Kawasaki Azalea was the group's starting point.

On May 17, 2008, the original six-member lineup of Momoiro Clover - Momota Kanako, Tamai Shiori, Takagi Reni, Takai Tsukina, Ikura Manami and Wagawa Miyu - held what is regarded as the group's official first public appearance at Kawasaki Azalea.

It was not a glamorous idol debut. Rather, the appearance was part of a training exercise intended to give the members experience performing in front of people.

Reni later recalled that there were only about five people actually watching, with a few passersby stopping to take a look. She also said she was much less nervous than she is today because she was not doing it with the expectation of becoming an idol.

At that first stage, the six members performed “Ano Sora e Mukatte (means 'Towards that sky'),” a song written by the members themselves.

There were no major guest appearances or elaborate production. The members simply performed, introduced themselves and finished the small event in an underground shopping complex.

Yet that modest appearance would become the starting point of Momoiro Clover, which would later develop into Momoiro Clover Z.

About two months later, in July 2008, the group began performing street live shows along Keyaki Street in Yoyogi Park.

Now, 18 years after that first appearance, MCZ will return to Kawasaki Azalea for its 40th anniversary, bringing the group back to the place where its story began.