Japan Matsuri 2016 London

Celebrating 125 years of Friendship!

Date: Sunday 25th September

Time: 10:00 – 20:00

Venue: Trafalgar Square

Admission: Free (no tickets)

http://www.japanmatsuri.com

Interview: Sebastian Masuda – Art Director and J-Pop Culture Pioneer

Internationally-renowned artist Sebastian Masuda brings global participatory art project to London with NHK WORLD TV for Hyper Japan!

In the run up to Hyper Japan, which took place on July 15 – 17 July, internationally-renowned artist and Japanese pop culture expert Sebastian Masuda – who is art director for Kawaii International  – brought his global art project to London with NHK WORLD TV.

Time After Time Capsule is a five-year participatory artwork in which Masuda, invites people to share their love of kawaii. It has been created in collaboration with NHK WORLD TV to

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 CUTS: Festival Of New Japanese Film Announces Full Slate Of NY Premieres

July 9-19, 2015 at Japan Society

Expanded 9th Edition Boasts Nearly 30 Features, Dozens of Shorts,

Classic Restorations and Most Special Guests Ever!

New York, NY – North America’s largest festival of Japanese

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

Press Release: Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014

Get ready for a pop culture explosion at the UK’s largest J-culture event!

Date: 14-16 November 
Venue; National Hall, Olympia, London

Music, street fashion and cosplay – 3 pillars of Japanese pop culture which have captivated audiences and amassed devoted fans across the globe. At our HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, we bring together the best of this trendy crowd and offer visitors the rare chance to experience a range of Japanese musical acts (both real and virtual), and to enjoy our HYPER J-style fashion show and

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

Press Release: Ai My Maid x Boba Jam – MIKO MIKO KYUN London Maid Cafe Event

A message from the organisers:

When: Saturday, 3 May 2014 (12.30 – 19.30)

Where: Boba Jam 61 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0NE               

“Dear goshujin-sama and ojou-sama (masters and mistresses), we are Ai My Maid, a group specialising in hosting maid cafe events. We are extremely excited to announce our 2nd standalone event ‘Ai My Maid x Boba Jam ~ MIKO MIKO KYUN’, this time with the help of one of London’s very first Bubble Tea shops, BOBA JAM ヾ(＠^∇^＠)ノ As the name of the event suggests, our maids are ‘miko’, or shrine maidens, so expect to see things inspired by miko and traditional Japan itself (but with a cute

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

J-pop Duo Die Milch To Make Their UK Live Debut At Milk Tea Day UK!

Calling all fashionistas and fans of J-rock and Visual Kei!

Event: Milk Tea Day UK Concert and J-fashion Event

Date: Sunday 8th December 2013

Time: Milk Tea Day 2pm – 4pm (FREE)/Die Milch concert 5pm – 7pm (Tickets: £24.00)

Location: The Nave in Islington, London