Event: Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2016 In Pictures

A colourful weekend full of music, food and fun!

Photo feature by James Fielding.

This years’ Hyper Japan Christmas Market took place at Tobacco Dock between the 25th-27th of November.   Although it was three day event, sadly Diverse Japan could only attend on the Saturday.

As usual at Hyper Japan, a wide range of activities took place over the weekend along with some great stage performances.

Interview: Hibiki Ichikawa Talks Shami-sensational

Master tsugaru shamisen player Hibiki Ichikawa returns with his latest CD release Shami-sensational!

The blend of traditional and contemporary music across 8 tracks never sounds misplaced, both remarkably intertwine giving the listener a whole new shamisen experience.

Diverse Japan is honoured and delighted that the UK-based Japanese maestro, officially recognized as a world-leading talent of tsugaru shamisen, has taken time out of his busy schedule to chat with us about the ins and outs of

Music Review: Molice – 5

It’s hard to resist Molice’s charm on their latest album 5, named as such because it is the band’s fifth release in Japan. It’s been two years since the release of the band’s previous album Resonance Love, and the indie-rock three-piece are on top-form in their latest outing. Filled with infectious tunes, emotional ballads, and even a cover of The Police’s “Bring the Night”, it’s an album that has something for everyone.

There is something familiar about Molice’s sound on their fifth album. Singer and rhythm guitarist Rinko has expressed a love for

Music Review: No Cars – YOKO GOES TO BOLLYWOOD

The album gives people lots of smiles, and one can’t resist laughing, thinking ‘they are bonkers’!

Follow NO CARS (read Diverse Japan’s interview with the band) as they travel down the Silk Road to India; their journey is not an easy one as hunger, thirst, and vast amounts of tip-ex await them but it is certainly enjoyable. Luckily for us these intrepid travellers have recorded their adventures as infectious pop-punk melodies in the album YOKO GOES TO BOLLYWOOD.

These three Japanese girls and their Raccoon drummer have created a rather fun story in their latest album. It gives you the chance to imagine the quartet as they walk all the way to

Memorial Concert For Japan Earthquake & Tsunami 2016

Kakehashi Project: “The Unity Bridge Project”

11^th March 2011 was a devastating day in Japanese history. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the most powerful to ever be recorded in Japan, hit the country’s east coast and triggered a massive tsunami that devastated the Tōhoku region. The wave travelled 10km inland in some areas of the country, and over 15,000 people were killed by the event. To this day, Japan is still in shock about the disaster but they are determined to remain brave in the

Interview: NO CARS Talk Samosa, Cress, And The Mystery of Yoko

A tongue-in-cheek pub-rock band that merges jazz, punk and even Punjabi!

NO CARS are having the time of their lives on stage as they play their headline show at the Spice of Life in London. Dressed in brightly coloured Saris and a racoon onesie, the band is getting the audience to chant “Samosa” alongside them before they dive head first into their comic set of songs. If there’s one thing that should be taken from this performance, it’s that NO CARS know how to put on an entertaining

No Cars Announce Date For Third Album Launch Party London

PRESS RELEASE – “Yoko Goes To Bollywood”

No Cars are 3 girls and a raccoon!

Date: Friday 4th December 2015
Venue: Paper Dress Vintage Bar & Boutique, London
Doors: 7.30pm / Support acts: 7.45pm / NO CARS: 9.45pm
Address: 352A Mare Street, E8 1HR
Nearest station: Hackney Central (Overground Zone 2)

Audience members are asked to dress up in the theme of India or Bollywood to participate in the 

Halloween Party 2015 With Japanese Music 18+

An evening of live music and fancy dress!

Date: Thursday 29th Oct 2015

Venue: BETHNAL GREEN WORKING MEN’S CLUB 42-44 POLLARD ROW LONDON E2 6NB

http://workersplaytime.net/CONTACTUS.html

Time: Opens 7:30pm Starts 8pm til 1am

Price: ADV £4 / DOOR´£5

Event: Hyper Japan 2015 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Hyper Japan, the UK’s biggest and best-loved annual J-Culture convention, returned on 11th – 13th July for another weekend extravaganza of all things Japanese from the authentic and traditional to the contemporary. Thousands of Japanophiles descended upon London’s O2 in Greenwich over the three days for an exciting time of live music, fashion shows, videogames, manga/anime activities, martial arts demonstrations and

JAPAN NIGHT Comes To The O2 London July 2015

A strong line-up incorporating fresh and established talent!

JAPAN NIGHT – MOVE WITH THE MUSIC OF JAPAN announces its first London shows taking place on 10 & 11 July bringing the best talent from Japan to

Event: Memorial Concert For Japan Earthquake And Tsunami

A message of hope and of friendship between Britain and Japan!

To mark the fourth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on 11^th March 2011, a concert performed by the Hokusai Orchestra, with conductor Akiko Ohtomo-Smith at the helm, and singer Naomi Suzuki was held on 5^th March in the Attlee Suite of the Houses of Parliament hosted by the

FestivalAsia 2015 – Three Days Of Exotic Fun & Excitement

London’s largest indoor festival on all things Asia!

Date: 15 – 17 May 2015

Venue: Tobacco Dock, 50 Porters Walk, London E1W 2SF

Tickets: Adult £12.50 adv – £15 door

Children (up to 10 years old, accompanied by one adult with an Adult Ticket) £8 adv – £10 door

Indulge your senses and experience the exotic cultures of Asia under one roof.

Event: Japan Matsuri 2014 London Trafalgar Square

The spectacular annual Japan festival returns for more fun and excitement!

Date: Saturday, 27th September 2014

Location: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN

Time: 11 am – 9 pm

Interview: Mayuko – Singer/Songwriter

A child in a cocoon!

Since making her debut back in 2001, Mayuko’s popularity as a singer and songwriter in Japan and abroad has been steadily growing and she has been gaining much interest from the media since her collaborations with talent like Daniel Wang (Balihu Records) and DJ Kensei as well as Shynola who designed the cover artwork for her first mini-album

Hyper Japan 2014 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Every year since it first began back in 2010, the annual London event Hyper Japan keeps getting better and better, not to mention bigger and bigger, and this year’s extravaganza held on 25 – 27 July at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre was no exception.

The fantastic line-up catered to all tastes in Japanese pop-culture from traditional dancers and musicians like the very popular Hyper Japan regulars Hibiki Ichikawa and Akari Mochizuki, who this time around were accompanied by guitarist Hide Takemoto, to contemporary

Interview: YANAKIKU – Female J-pop Duo With A Difference

Their mission is to share the wonders of Japan with the world!

Japanese duo YANAKIKU are more than just a pop group. They do KIMONO cosplay and represent Japanese pop & decora culture!

Since forming in 2012, dynamic J-pop duo YANAKIKU have been causing much excitement with their catchy tunes and cool decorative costumes and entertaining performances at packed venues like the Tokyo Dome, the

Homage To Composer Miyagi Michio

Koto Anniversary Concert at the Embassy of Japan, London Friday 20^th June 2014!

Attended by about 100 invited guests, the Embassy of Japan hosted a memorial recital of the koto music of Miyagi Michio, musician and essayist, on Friday 20 June 2014 to celebrate and commemorate the 120^th anniversary of his birth. Born in Kobe in 1894 and brought up by his grandmother, by the age of eight he had become blind as a result of eye disease at which point he began to train on the koto under the auspices of Nakamura Kengyo II. He moved to Korea aged 13 and remained there until 1917 when, at the age of 23 he moved to Tōkyō. He was to have been sponsored by Itō Hirobumi, the Prime Minister of

Music Event: JAPAN NIGHT Kokuritsu Kyogijo May 28 & 29 2014

Line-up includes Perfume and L’Arc-en-Ciel!

Japan’s leading artists, L’Arc-en-Ciel, Perfume, UKASUKA-G (Kazutoshi Sakurai ＆ GAKU-MC), and SEKAI NO OWARI will perform (full details below)!

This will be the last show at Kokuritsu Kyogijo, which will be undergoing renovations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Don’t miss this event!

Interview: Yoshiki – Rock Star And Co-Founder Of X Japan

“My philosophy is anything is possible, nothing can stop me!” – Yoshiki

Born on 20th November 1965, the immensely talented classically trained musician Yoshiki is one of Japan’s most formidable superstars. In 1982 he co-founded the visual kei pioneering super rock group X Japan (originally called X) who have sold 30 million records and have played sell-out tours all across the world, including the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome an incredible record-breaking 18 times. As a soloist