Japan is a country bathed in tradition and renowned for its incredible food, art, and culture. Luckily for us Londoners, HYPER JAPAN (now in its thirteenth year) is back next month and bringing a taste of Tokyo all the way to central London for us to fully immerse ourselves in Japanese culture.
For one weekend only (July 21 – July 23), the UK’s largest Japanese festival is jam-packing Olympia London with over 300 exhibitors that will showcase the very best that Japan has to offer – now that’s a lot to get through in just three days so maki sure you Ja-plan ahead (see what I did there?).
Prepare to stuff your face with all the authentic Japanese cuisine you could possibly dream of, from sushi and scallop skewers to yuzu and yakisoba. You can then proceed to wash away your food coma with some sensational sake at the Sake Experience (new for 2023), where you’ll be able to sample a whopping 21 types of sake from 8 different breweries.
The entertainment schedule is also bursting at the seams with some of the most popular Japanese artists such as fan favourites, FEMM (who will be sharing their final ever performance on the Saturday), visual rocker, Miura Ayme, and operatic power ballad songstress, Mika Kobayashi. If you’d rather just show off your own skills; be sure to visit the karaoke booth where you can belt out Japanese pop songs to your heart’s content.
Admire some awesome anime and marvelous manga, attend one of the wonderful workshops on offer, get competitive with some retro games, or strut your stuff at the Japanese fashion show and cosplay contest.
The cherry (blossom) on top of this rather scrumptious cake is, quite literally, the Cherry Blossom Tree photo booth that will be available for you and your pals to snap some pics so that you can remember the weekend forever.
Get ready for your senses to be transported all the way to East Asia whilst you only have to travel as far as West Kensington because at the end of the day, who needs a long haul flight when you’ve got the London Overground?
Read more and plan your visit here.
Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX