Japanese “Kokeshi” Dolls purportedly came into being during Japan’s Edo perod (1600–1868), and were originally sold as souvenirs to travellers visiting hot springs in the North-East of the country (the modern Miyagi prefecture). While we sadly don’t boast hot springs at this year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, our popular hands-on DIY kokeshi decorating workshop will return so that you can take home a hand-painted memento of your time at the event!

Among kokeshi types, the “Naruko” Kokeshi is the most common, with the main street of in Miyagi Prefecture’s Naruko Onsen Village being known as “Kokeshi Street” due to the many artisans and sellers! However, other styles, and even “creative” kokeshi also exist, not bound by any particular traditional design. Like all souvenirs, kokeshi are well-suited to being given as gifts, and exchanging kokeshi with a hand-written message as a token of friendship is not uncommon. If you’re stuck for what to give the Japanophile in your life this holiday season, consider making them one of these hand-made, one-off traditional Japanese craft gifts!

• £5 Per person
• All Ages
• Note: This activity involves paint so wear clothes you are willing to get dirty in the event of an accident.
• No advance bookings
• Classes can be paid for at the Creative Studio reception
• Please arrive at the Creative Studio 10 minutes before the start time for each activity
• 30-40 people per workshop

At this November’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, we’re once again offering visitors the opportunity to paint up their own “kitsune” fox mask as part of our HYPER Creative Studio! While the UK’s most famous fox is probably Basil Brush, Japan’s kitsune have a long and storied background in folklore. These masks are inspired by the ones appearing in Japanese “Noh” theatre, and will make for a lovely hand-finished gift, or to be kept as a memento of one’s time at HYPER JAPAN.

While Pokemon and Naruto fans will recognise the nine-tailed fox spirit, these are just very recent takes on a staple of Japanese myth, and most recently the band BABYMETAL have also associated themselves with the kitsune motif, both visually and in their lyrics. Intelligent trickster spirits, kitsune are known for being seductive shapeshifters who trick and confound men, although they can be as good an omen as they are ill. In mythology, white kitsune in particular (like the ones these masks represent) are the messenger servants of the deity Inari, appearing as protectors with the power to ward off evil spirits. Whatever your interpretation of the kitsune myth, you can have fun making one of these masks for either your own collection of cool J-culture items, or as a gift for a loved one this holiday season.

• £5 Per person
• All Ages
• Note: This activity involves paint so wear clothes you are willing to get dirty in the event of an accident.
• No advance bookings, purchase a token for the activity at the HJ shop (near the Creative Studio).
• You should be at the Creative Studio 10 minutes before the starting time for the activity.
• You can only purchase a token for an activity during the same session it is taking place.
• Approx 30-40 People max per activity.

If you have A) visited Japan, B) talked with a friend who visited Japan, C) seen photos of Japan, you’ll probably know that Japan has an incredible selection of candy and sweets. In fact there are so many that it’d take you at least a month of solid munching and chewing to make even a dent what’s available.

To help you reduce the amount of time and money otherwise spent finding your favourite Japanese candy, HYPER JAPAN and Tofu cute have once again joined forces to bring you the Tofu Cute x HYPER JAPAN Candy Festival area, where you can feast on a huge variety of exciting sweets and snacks, in handy sample-sized portions. These portions have carefully measured by master sweetsmeisters to ensure you enjoy maximum taste before the inevitable sugar crash hits you.

Special tokens called “Tofukens” will be available to purchase, which you can then trade in for a custom selection of sweet treats, ranging from delicious chewy candy to moreish crunchy biscuits, and even shots of ramune soda! We’ll have a large variety of flavours to tickle your taste buds, including strawberry, melon, grape, banana, chocolate, milk, matcha, soda and even wasabi or red bean. Look out for rare flavours of Pocky and Japanese Kit Kat too! Readers who need a quick sugar fix can also find some of these tasty morsels on the Tofu Cute website!

Tofu Cute
Started in 2010, Tofu Cute has grown in leaps and bounds to become of the UK’s premier online retailers of all things Japanese and cute! As if being the official retailer of Amuse products in the UK wasn’t good enough, they’ve also a large offering of Re-Ment, Kracie, UHA, and Monchhichi products as well. With many of their products hard to find elsewhere, it’s no surprise that they’ve come this far. As Tofu Cute operates not only the Candy Festival but also the Dreamy Bows booths, it’s safe to say this name is one to remember. Perhaps a visit to their shop in the port city of Portsmouth is something to plan for a weekend not far away?

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
http://www.tofucute.com/

Note: This page is from a previous year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market event, please see our schedule for an up-to-date list of performances and activities.

With sushi increasingly a familiar sight at shops and on dinner tables, it’s just a matter of time before you begin planning home parties featuring sushi platters piled high with fancy creations. With the holiday season just over the horizon, now would be the ideal time for you to add some serious oomph to your dinner table. HYPER Creative Studios has partnered with Sushi Art Surrey to present “Decorative Sushi“, a workshop on decorative “kazari” sushi to help you in this respect, so push up your sleeves and get ready to roll some sushi. It is almost a certainty that your dinner guests will be impressed.

Kazari sushi is the art of re-imagining sushi – of strategically placed ingredients at precise intervals so that when all rolled together, a cute design or character emerges. While some creations do take an incredible amount of skill and experience, there are many simple yet fancy creations even a sushi novice can master in the course of an hour! The best part is that once you grasp the basic techniques behind kazari sushi, you’re free to experiment to create totally unique designs! It’s safe to say that this type of sushi won’t be in your local supermarket or even your favorite Japanese restaurant any time soon.

Workshop participants will be introduced to the basic concepts and techniques used in decorative sushi-making, and will practice making a kazari sushi with a Christmas bell design. Participants will also be able to take home a decorative sushi roll of their own!

Please note that all Creative Studio activities have a limit of 50 participants, operating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sushi Art Surrey
Hailing from the historic town of Godalming, the creative team behind Sushi Art Surrey boasts a wealth of experience in making decorative sushi. Satomi, the lead instructor, studied decorative sushi in Japan, becoming a licensed JSIA instructor before moving to the UK. Sushi Art Surrey currently offer a range of lessons from introductory courses for beginners to certification courses for would-be instructors.

Official website: http://www.sushiartsurrey.com/

Note: This page is from a previous year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market event, please see our schedule for an up-to-date list of performances and activities.

Bringing the best of traditional Japanese culture to the UK as usual, we’re welcoming a very special guest to HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market this November, international Rakugo Master Katsura Sunshine! Sunshine is the first ever Western Rakugo storyteller in the history of the “Kamigata” Rakugo tradition, based in Osaka, and only the second ever in the history of Japan (the first was Australian Kairakutei Black (1858-1923), who performed in the Edo tradition, based in Tokyo). Sunshine is the only active Western professional Rakugo storyteller at this time.

Rakugo is a 400-year-old tradition of comic storytelling in Japan, a minimalistic performance art, that features a lone storyteller dressed in kimono, kneeling on a cushion, who, using only a fan and a hand towel for props, entertains the audience with a comic monologue followed by a traditional story. The storyteller differentiates characters in conversation by moving his head from left to right, as well as with subtle changes in tempo, posture, intonation, etc. Rakugo is an ancient art form, but it is still very much alive and well, with over 700 professional storytellers practicing today in the two main traditions of storytelling, that of Tokyo (Edo) and that of Osaka (Kamigata).

BIOGRAPHY

Katsura Sunshine was born in Toronto, Ontario, to parents of Slovenian origin. He studied classics at the University of Toronto, then came to Japan in 1999 to pursue studies in Noh and Kabuki Theatre, while working as an instructor of English Language at the prestigious Daigakushorin International Language Academy. He continued to write and produce musical theatre during this period.

In 2008, Sunshine was accepted as an apprentice to the great Rakugo storytelling master, Katsura Bunshi VI (then named Katsura Sanshi), and subsequently received the name Katsura Sunshine. In the Rakugo tradition, he received both his master’s last name and part of the first (his master, Sanshi combined the first part of his name, “San”, meaning “Three”, with the Japanese word for “Shine”, and gave it the Japanese pronunciation of the English word “Sunshine”). Making his professional debut in Singapore in 2009, he completed his three-year Rakugo apprenticeship in November, 2012.

Sunshine currently appears regularly on television in Japan, and has been the subject of several short documentaries made for television news. Sunshine has also been appointed Cultural Ambassador for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and Friendship Ambassador for Japan and the Republic of Slovenia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZYDDA2GwM

Note: This page is from a previous year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market event, please see our schedule for an up-to-date list of performances and activities.

This winter, rediscover the quintessentially British drink of tea with our HYPER Creative Studio workshop, “Tea Experience”. Delving deep into the tea experience, TeaHouse seeks to facilitate a conversation around the sensory experience of drinking tea, from the tantalizing aromas to the subtle flavours to even the lingering after taste. Please consider yourself warned as this will be no afternoon tea session; it will be a serious, in-depth exploratory journey.

Workshop guests will be tasting and discussing different types of tea, engaging in a dialogue with the workshop presenters and other guests, thus gaining new understanding and appreciation of this beloved British drink. Over the course of the workshop, three different types of tea will be available for sampling: a green tea, an oolong tea, and a sparkling jasmine tea.

Having gained the knowledge necessary to enjoy tea to the fullest, from the nature of the tiny tea leaf to the rich and ancient history of tea and on brewing the perfect cup of tea, guests will gain a new appreciation of each step of the artistic dance that is tea.

Please note that all Creative Studio activities have a limit of 50 participants, operating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Steam Punks
Well versed in the art of tea, having conducted tea tastings, seminars, and masterclasses for over ten years, Steam Punks aims to convey the deeper mystery that tea represents through an on-stage performance combined with an open, facilitated forum. Tea professionals and aficionados in every sense of the word, Steam Punks will guide you to a whole new understanding of tea.

Note: This page is from a previous year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market event, please see our schedule for an up-to-date list of performances and activities.

Over the years gift-wrapping in Japan has steadily progressed in both practicality and appearance to the point where it is a beautiful art of its own. Just in time for the winter holidays, HYPER Creative Studio’s Japanese-inspired  “Origami-style Gift-wrapping” workshop is here to help you add new creativity to your repertoire. Your gifts will be transformed from ordinary, everyday presents into beautiful works of art and will be remembered for years to come.

This will be your chance to learn how centuries of origami tradition have resulted in beautifully wrapped gifts that will transform any item into a delicate object of art. While the prospect may seem daunting at the onset, professional Japanese gift-wrappers from the boutique shop Rouge will be guiding you through every fold of the process, from paper selection to the final fold. With the knowledge gained in this workshop your holiday wrapping will no longer be the onerous chore it once was, instead becoming a quiet, perfect moment of zen.

In the workshop, participants will learn how to wrap gifts using methods inspired by Japanese gift-wrapping, as well as learn how to create small gift bags from leftover pieces of wrapping paper. Perfect for when you have a little left over and want to add that special touch to your gift. The techniques introduced in the workshop have been tailored so that participants of all abilities and levels can join in and start practicing with minimal instruction.

Please note that all Creative Studio activities have a limit of 50 participants, operating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Rouge UK
ROUGE is a furniture and gift shop in Stoke Newington London, founded by Lei Yang, a fashion designer, in November 2005.  ROUGE specialises in Northern Chinese furniture, Chinese and Japanese ceramics and gift accessories. As part of a month long series of celebrations “ROUGE is Ten”, ROUGE is running a programme of workshops and pop-up events during November and December.

Official Website: http://www.rouge-shop.co.uk

Note: This page is from a previous year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market event, please see our schedule for an up-to-date list of performances and activities.

Get ready for a blast of quirky-cuteness all the way from Japan, in the form of the lovely ladies of the chindonya group BENTENYA!

If at this point you don’t know what chindonya is, don’t worry. The art of chindonya is a decidedly odd yet cherished part of Japanese culture. In a nutshell, it is street advertising,  where gaudily-dressed performers hawk a product or service for a client, all while a cheerful musical ensemble plays in the background. The art of chindonya started in the waning days of the Edo shogunate and saw its peak in the postwar period. While TV and the internet have largely made street advertising a thing of the past, the movement has experienced a resurgence in recent years.

It is from this resurgence that Nagoya-based chindonya “BENTENYA” was born and they are coming to HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market to grace the LIVE.JAPAN stage this November! Bentenya is no ordinary chindonya group, oh no. Turning the traditional image of chindonya on its head, Bentenya boasts an all-female lineup lead by Suzie, bringing a hefty amount of style, glamour and kawaii cuteness to any stage. Be it their bright kimonos, outlandishly-colored hair, or their unabashedly upbeat performances – BENTENYA will grab your inner child and get you moving like there’s no tomorrow. You’ll definitely see them coming, and hear them coming even before that!

BIOGRAPHY

Formed in 2008 as an amateur group, BENTENYA went professional in 2011. Over the past four years, they’ve built an impressive streak of wins in both local and national competitions. They’ve also appeared on stage events, television programs and as guests on radio programs. Did we mention they’ve been featured numerous times in newspapers across Japan? Culminating this steady stream of buzz is their win at the National Chindon Contest in May, and several appearances at the 2015 Milan Expo Japan Pavilion. With HYPER JAPAN this November, 2015 is sure to be a banner year for the amazingly talented ladies of BENTENYA.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:

http://bentenyajapan.wix.com/index

Note: This page is from a previous year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market event, please see our schedule for an up-to-date list of performances and activities.

Hatsune Miku™ is a registered trademark of Crypton Future Media, INC.

You spoke and We. Have. Heard.

For all you Vocaloid and cosplay enthusiasts out there who are simply mad about Miku, it’s back! At our Christmas Market this November, thanks once again to an unofficial concert put on by mega-Miku-fan-group “Mirai no Neiro”, the world-famous pigtailed girl in green will once again be gracing our stage! Fans will be able to watch a large-scale Hatsune Miku singing and dancing to a selection of fan-made songs, naturally accompanied by glow sticks available to audience members to perfect the Miku fan-event atmosphere. Anyone else suddenly feel like dancing for joy? Mirai no Neiro’s Hatsune Miku performances will be showing on all three days of the event, at the LIVE.JAPAN stage, so make sure you drop by!

Vocaloid

Vocaloid is a technology for singing voice synthesis developed by Yamaha. Users combine melody and lyrics into a synthesized singing performance. In other words, with this technology, singing can be produced without a singer. Singing voice synthesis is produced by using fragments of voices recorded from actual singers. Since its release, users of Vocaloid have uploaded millions of fan songs to sites such as Youtube and Niconico, cementing it’s place in music history.

Mirai no Neiro (Sound of the Future) is a grass-roots volunteer group who aim to introduce Japan’s Vocaloid culture to countries around the world. So far they’re doing a pretty amazing job – having pulled off highly successful unofficial Vocaloid concerts in the US, Germany, Taiwan, Denmark, Switzerland, Mexico and Chile! After their wildly successful first UK performance at last year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, Mirai no Neiro will once again being their A-game to the UK.

Hatsune Miku™ is a registered trademark of Crypton Future Media, INC.
www.piapro.net

Note: This page is from a previous year’s HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market event, please see our schedule for an up-to-date list of performances and activities.

It’s that exciting time of year again: Our first amazing guest announcement! Fans and followers of gothic and Lolita fashion will be overjoyed to hear that Shironuri artist and fashion icon MINORI will be gracing HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market with her presence.

As a young girl, she stepped out into the Tokyo streets with hand-picked Lolita dresses resplendent with beautiful, intricate detailing and an abundance of frills. The dresses were perfect, but there was a lingering doubt that her skin tone didn’t always work with the outfits. Although she couldn’t have known at the time, the many hours she would spend tweaking her hairstyle and her makeup would go on to be the first steps to discovering her own, unique style.

Fast-forward to 2015. The girl in front of the mirror is now MINORI, a fashion sensation and an artist in her own right with an international fan base, and a recognised authority on shironuri (lit. “white-painted”). Shironuri, while drawing inspiration from classical Japanese makeup styles as seen on geisha and kabuki theatre, has been completely reinvented by MINORI. Her art is heavily influenced by the natural surroundings she grew up in.

At HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, MINORI will not only be gracing the catwalk and showing off her amazing hand-made outfits and beautiful makeup – she will also be giving away tips on shironuri makeup! If you’re any kind of fan of the Lolita fashion movement, or plain curious as to how she does what she does, be sure to check out MINORI. Set against the beautiful Tobacco Dock, MINORI’s art will be on every visitor’s “to-see” list.

BIOGRAPHY

MINORI first became involved in shironuri art in 2009. After appearing on the fashion snap page on Tokyo Fashion.com in Harajuku, her art became popular on the internet, and her Facebook followers currently total around 50,000. Her Youtube video demonstrating the application of Shironuri make up, “Shironuri Makeup Tutorial by Minori” has been played approx. 400,000 times.

Her work is strongly inspired by nature.  Starting with her first original work “Ajisai (hydrangea)” in 2011, she has showcased series of work including a “language of flowers” collection and a “nature” collection.

Her first appearance at overseas events was in 2014. She has been featured in the International Business Times in the UK, amongst others, and her original costume and photos are to be in the collection of Honolulu Museum of Art. In August 2015, she showcased collaboration work with well-known Sanrio character My Melody at the manga expo in Taiwan.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

http://minori.co

The Sake Cocktail Awards are a rare opportunity for visitors to watch a selection of professional mixologists shake up original cocktails right in front of them, which they then have the opportunity to sample. A winner is crowned at the end of each day, based on visitors’ votes. The competing mixologists are a diverse assortment, including Japanese sake experts and award-winning London talent. Each day will feature three different contestants, so every Sake Cocktail Awards visitor gets to sample three exciting sake-based drinks!

Visitors can also purchase the sake used by the participating mixologists at HYPER JAPAN’s sake shop, just next to the awards area.

• FRIDAY, SATURDAY SESSION 1 and SATURDAY SESSION 2 – SOLD OUT!!

Book Your Tickets Now!

• For visitors over 18 only
• Please be aware that last entry is 45 mins before each session.

Tickets can be added on at the end of the normal ticket purchasing process. For those who have already purchased their entrance tickets and would like to purchase Sake Cocktail Awards tickets as well, please contact Ticketweb customer service at 033 3321 9990.

Nominated Mixologists

FRIDAY 24 November

• WINNER

  Nathan Ho

  Buddha-Bar London

  Nathan’s initial ambitions in bartending were fairly modest; he wanted to be able to pour a pint and vault the bar in order to stop a fight, but since then he has far exceeded them and has impressed patrons at a string of venues across London with his cocktail prowess, including the iconic gastropub The Gun in Docklands. He currently works at London’s Buddha Bar, the high-end pan-Asian venue where he brings his British-Chinese heritage to bear on his creations.

  
• Thomas Ryan

  Doctor Ink’s Curiosities

  Having initially seen bartending as just as another job, Thomas soon developed a passion for creating cocktails. He gets a buzz when a customer tries a drink for the first time and their face lights up in amazement. Having worked in a number of bars in London, Thomas is now causing a stir in Exeter at the quirky Doctor Ink’s Curiosities. His mantra is, “I’m not trying to make your current favourite drink, I’m trying to find your next one.”

  
• Richard Bonus

  Taka Mayfair

  Many of us may have watched the movie Cocktail and wanted to be like Tom Cruise’s character, but Richard was so inspired by the film he decided to make bartending his career. Originally hailing from Hungary, he has already worked at the NY-LON lounge bar and Smith’s Brasserie, and his latest engagement is at the brand new Japanese restaurant Taka in Mayfair. Having achieved his bartending ambitions, Richard’s new goal is to have his own distillery and create custom spirits.

  

SATURDAY 25 November

• WINNER

  Michele Reina

  Smith & Whistle

  Michele learned his trade in hospitality from a firm teacher who rarely gave praise and set him near-impossible goals; his hotelier father! Michele found his calling behind the bar, where he could interact with customers and express himself creatively in cocktail form. He is a keen forager and self-taught chemist, and these pursuits are reflected in his use of rare botanical bitters and custom cocktail ingredients. He puts these skills to use at the Smith and Whistle on Park Lane.

  
• Cristian Fileccia

  Roka Charlotte Street

  Originally from Italy, Cristian has been a bartender for seven years. He was previously riding high at Oblix on the 32nd floor of the Shard, and now works at the award-winning ROKA in Charlotte Street, which has been one of the capital’s most popular Japanese eateries for many years. He says that behind the bar is the place he expresses his creativity best, and he’s motivated by always striving to exceed his guests’ expectations with truly stunning cocktail creations.

  
• Mihail Mihaylov

  Yen London

  Originally from Bulgaria, in his eight years as a bartender Mihail has worked at some of the coolest venues around London, including Tokimeite and Sartoria. His latest posting is at Yen, the fine-dining Japanese restaurant specialising in soba noodles that is opening this autumn in the Strand. To Mihail, the most rewarding aspect of being a bartender is to help people momentarily forget their worries and cares as they enjoy a drink, and put a smile on their face.

  

SUNDAY 26 November

• Dario Guaglione

  Worship Street Whistling Shop

  With fifteen years’ bartending experience under his belt, Dario knows how to please his clientele. Nothing is more rewarding than having a customer come over to shake his hand and thank him for the great time they’ve shared together. He currently amazes the punters at Shoreditch’s hip and happening Worship Street Whistling Shop. His mission is to change what people’s perception of a drink can be, by creating concoctions that surpass their wildest dreams and are really innovative.

  
• WINNER

  Ryu Okada

  Kampai Cocktails

  Ryu grew up in Japan and lived in Sydney before moving to London. He is a seasoned sommelier and mixologist with experience working at a number of top establishments from Tokyo to London. He is now director of a mobile cocktail bar company, Kampai Cocktails (named after the Japanese for cheers!), serving delicious cocktails for all occasions in London and the South East. His priority when mixing a cocktail is to create the correct balance of flavour, colour and appearance.

  
• Kévin Pastant

  Punch Room

  Kévin has travelled the world to learn his craft as a bartender, and in just five years he has worked in such far-flung destinations as Paris, Milan, Shanghai and London. He is currently resident at the Punch Room, an exclusive, reservation-only venue at the London Edition hotel in Soho. Having met many interesting people on his travels, he keenly feels the importance of human interaction when enjoying a drink, and feels it can be the basis of great memories.

  

FEATURED SAKE & SPONSORS

Gekkeikan Nigori

Type of Sake: Nigori
Rice Variety: –
Rice Polish Rao / ABV: – / 10.5%
Best Served: 5-15 °c

Nigori means ‘cloudy’ and this style of sake is thicker and creamier in texture, with a milk-like appearance. The ‘cloudiness’ comes from the rice sediment that remains aer passing through a special coarse-mesh filter. Sweet, medium-body, hints of honey and tropical fruit, with a long finish.

By Gekkeikan Sake

Gekkeikan was established in 1637 in the Fushimi district of Kyoto, where the water is as crisp and delicious as the natural surroundings are beauful. Today, Gekkeikan sake, brewed in me-honoured tradion, is enjoyed by drinkers in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Ozeki Kanjuku Umeshu

Type of Sake: Plum liqueur (Umeshu)
Best Served: On the rocks, chilled, mixed with soda
Alcohol: 14%

This ume plum liqueur is produced with tree-ripened Nanko-ume; the most famous, high quality plums from Japan’s Wakayama prefecture. Mellowness, richness and natural sweetness are achieved by bringing out the maximum flavour of the ingredients.

By Ozeki

The history of Ozeki dates back to 1711, when it began to brew sake in the Imazu area of Nada in Hyogo, making the most of the mineral-rich local spring water. Over three centuries later, the brewery connues to pursue innovaon while upholding tradion.

SHIRA KABE GURA Kimoto Junmai

Type of Sake: Junmai
Rice Variety: Gohyakumangoku
Rice Polish Rao / ABV: 70% / 15%
Best Served: 10-20 °c

Made with the tradional kimoto method. This method enables the yeast and lacc acid bacteria in the yeast starter (shubo) to work well to produce a unique complex and concentrated, yet smooth and elegant texture.

By SHIRA KABE GURA

This brewery is located in Nada, one of Japan’s foremost sake making regions. Their unique approach combines modern facilies with tradional methods. Here, a passionate team uses arsanal techniques to brew stunning sake, almost enrely by hand.

Where to buy

Atari-Ya www.atariya.co.uk
Japan Centre www.japancentre.com
T.K. Trading www.japan-foods.co.uk
Rice Wine Shop www.ricewineshop.com

YOSHIKI from X JAPAN has announced his participation in this summer’s HYPER JAPAN. YOSHIKI AND TOSHI will give a SPECIAL UN-PLUGGED PERFORMANCE, and have a X JAPAN booth. They will bring a very surprise gift to HYPER JAPAN !

YOSHIKI and TOSHI of X JAPAN have recently announced that they will be attending the 2015 HYPER JAPAN Festival, a Cool Japan event held in London. Band leader YOSHIKI and vocalist TOSHI will present the “YOSHIKI x TOSHI from X JAPAN special live showcase” at the 2,700 capacity concert house inside the venue. Fans of X JAPAN will be overjoyed to hear that X JAPAN will be holding a concert at Wembley Arena on March 12, 2016! To commemorate this announcement, YOSHIKI and TOSHI will be performing a selection of their songs and making an appearance at the X JAPAN booth that day. Furthermore, they will be making another appearance at the booth on the 12th, from 15:00 to 16:00. At the X JAPAN booth, YOSHIKI’s beloved crystal drum set will be on display, and fans will be able to purchase Wembley Arena advance tickets, T-shirts and other goods.

YOSHIKI x TOSHI from X JAPAN Special Live Showcase

Date and time: 15:45-16:45 on Saturday July 11^th 2015
Venue: HYPER Live! Stage

Special Live Showcase Entrance: A general entry ticket (Saturday Second Session/Dual ticket/3-Day ticket) is necessary to enter. Entrance on the day will be decided on a first-come-first-served basis, and the number of audience members will be limited. Queueing for the live showcase will open at 15:00.

YOSHIKI x TOSHI from X JAPAN Special Appearance

Date and time: 17:00-18:00 on Saturday July 11^th 2015

Date and time: 15:00-16:00 on Sunday July 12^th 2015

Venue: X JAPAN Booth, Area 2

The X JAPAN booth will be in the HYPER JAPAN exhibition area for the duration of the event. At this booth, YOSHIKI’s much-loved crystal drum set will be on display. There will also be an X JAPAN photo gallery, as well as DVDs, T-shirts and other original merchandise for sale.

Tickets for the Wembley Arena concert will also be on sale at the X JAPAN booth! If you’re lucky to obtain tickets for the Wembley concert, YOSHIKI and TOSHI will be there to give you a High-Five! If the duo aren’t at the booth when you purchase your ticket, you’ll receive a voucher which you can use to get a High-Five with them at Wembley Arena. The seats allocated for purchases made at HYPER JAPAN are specially selected seats with good views, so be sure to get yours!

X JAPAN Biography
X Japan is the most successful rock band in Japanese history, and that is not a statement made lightly. The band has sold more than 30 million albums; singles and videos combined, sold out Japan’s 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times – so far – and have played to tens of thousands of fans outside of Japan. In the band’s early days their look and sound sparked a global interest in entertainment, especially with the Japanese cultural rock phenomenon, “Visual-Kei,” a movement X Japan pioneered that spread globally.

X Japan formed in 1982 (calling themselves X) by Yoshiki and Toshi while they were still teenagers. Over the next 13 years, the band released five studio albums – Vanishing Vision (1988), Blue Blood (1989), Jealousy (1991), Art of Life (1993) and Dahlia (1996), as well as six live albums, ten best hits albums and 20 DVD releases. X Japan was the first Japanese band to achieve mainstream success while signed to an independent label. The band was so popular they became a cultural phenomenon.

In the fall of 1997, at the height of their success, the band broke up. Four months later, Hide, X Japan’s original lead guitarist, was found dead in his Tokyo apartment. At his funeral, more than 50,000 fans came to mourn his passing. In early 2007 Yoshiki and Toshi resumed communication and later that year X Japan officially reformed. The band launched its reunion in 2008 with 3 nights at the Tokyo Dome. 2 years later, X Japan filmed a music video on the rooftop of Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre with a throng of some 8,000 U.S. fans taking part in the shoot on Hollywood Blvd. But it was on August 8, 2010 that X Japan performed in front of a mainstream American crowd for the first time at Lollapalooza. Immediately following the festival, X Japan played the biggest concert in its history, selling out two consecutive shows at Japan’s Nissan Stadium, filling 140,000 seats. The band’s first North American tour wrapped with a monumental New York date selling out The Roseland Ballroom on Oct. 11, 2010.

In June 2011, X Japan kicked off a European Tour at London’s Shepherd’s Bush (selling -out the venue in 30 minutes). The tour continued to Paris and Utrecht wrapping in Berlin before the band traveled back to Japan to play the famed Summer Sonic Festival. That same year the world tour took them to South America where they sold out shows playing to massive crowds in Santiago, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Lima and Mexico City. X Japan then returned to Asia playing arena shows in Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei and Bangkok. In 2012 X Japan was the first Japanese band to take home the prize for “Best International Band” at the Golden Gods Awards held in the U.S.

In 2014 X Japan headlined a colossal show at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden in the U.S.

Now, in 2015, X Japan is gearing up to announce the biggest event in the band’s history.

The current line up of X Japan is Yoshiki/drums, piano; Toshi/vocals; Pata/guitars; Heath/bass; and Sugizo/guitars, violin.