“Standing out from Japan's myriad of girl bands can be a daunting task, but one group, the “Kamen Joshi”, or “Masked Girls” in Japanese, has found the answer by hiding behind masks. As many as 15,000 people flocked to a concert by the band late last year, showing how its fan base has grown in the three years since it first started, when it struggled to fill a 400-seat theatre. One of its first breakthrough songs, “Genkidane”, hit the top of the charts in January 2015, with more than 200,000 records sold in the first week of release, said music company Oricon Style, setting a record for a female indie band in Japan. The band, made up of 18 members in three separate groups, is based in Tokyo and performs across Japan and in some Asian cities. The masks enhance the band's appeal, said fans who attended a recent concert in the Japanese capital. Not all of the band's songs are performed in masks, but band members say they prefer to keep their faces hidden. What began as a promotional gimmick for the band has evolved into a kind of raison d'être”. – Chris Meyers and Toru Hanai via Reuters



Members of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) pose for a photo after a rehearsal for a concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 17, 2016. For countless girl and pop-idol bands in Japan, standing out from the crowd can be daunting, but one group – “Kamen Joshi” – seems to have found the answer by hiding behind masks. The Tokyo-based all female band has 18 members, split into three groups that perform across Japan and elsewhere in Asia. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Moa Tsukino (C), a member of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls), performs on a raft as fans hold light-sticks during a concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 13, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) perform during a concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 13, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Members of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) are seen through a gap between mirrors as they perform during a rehearsal at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 17, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Members of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) perform during a concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 13, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Producer Masaki Nagata (front R) and members of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) talk during a rehearsal for their concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 17, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Fans swing light-sticks as Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) perform during a concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 13, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Members of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) perform during a rehearsal ahead of a concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 17, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) perform during a concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 13, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Members of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) perform during their dance training session for their live concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 17, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Producer Masaki Nagata (front) watches Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) peform during a rehearsal in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 17, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Moa Tsukino (C), a member of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) performs during a concert at their theatre in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 13, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





People walk past an advertisement for Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 17, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)





Moa Tsukino, a member of Japanese idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls), walks to attend a dance rehearsal in Tokyo's Akihabara district, Japan March 17, 2016. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)