What do you get when you mix together one large canvas, bottles of paint, music with throbbing beats, street dance, and caricature drawings?
The resulting performance defies all definitions so we have no other choice but to call it “Colorhythm”. Coming to the HYPER Theatre stage this summer, it is the brainchild of “Colorhythm Risa”, a talented Japanese artist.
Watch seemingly random lines of paint take form and come to life before your very eyes on a 3 meter-long, superlarge canvas as Risa whirls around the stage, effortlessly pulling off fluid street-dance moves while painting. She’ll also be doing some caricatures while she’s at it, so raise your hand!
BIOGRAPHY
Colorhythm Risa began her art-dance performances in 2012 – first as part of a group then later on as a solo act. Her performances, both in name and in style, are a portmanteau of “colour” and “rhythm” and have won her accolades and even an award at a 2014 art competition. Her HYPER JAPAN Festival 2016 performances will mark her UK debut.
OFFICIAL SITE
Many Japanese sake brewers will be present at the event to introduce their wares and guide participants through the characteristics and flavours of each brew. A unique opportunity for sake lovers to try delicious samples straight from the brewers themselves, even those not so familiar with sake can learn and experience first-hand how this traditional Japanese drink has gained well-deserved popularity across the world!
Scenario 1: You’ve got your cosplay outfit all sorted but the styrofoam sword you made doesn’t quite fit…
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), a trend that continues to this day. While we sadly don’t boast hot springs at this year’s HYPER JAPAN Festival, one of our popular Creative Studio activities from our Christmas Market returns as we’ll have a hands-on DIY kokeshi decorating workshop!
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!
This Christmas we’re bringing back a smash hit activity, offering visitors the opportunity to paint 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 those 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.
Zenbeiyu Japan Rice Export (JRE) has spared no expense in its latest effort to promote Japanese food and sake abroad. Under the HYPER Creative Studio umbrella, Zenbeiyu JRE will be holding the “maze by Gordon Ramsay food and sake tasting show supported by Zenbeiyu Japan Rice Export.
This is a rare and extraordinary opportunity to learn about how to pair Japanese food and sake from none other than Chef Gohei Kishi of maze by Gordon Ramsay, who has himself prepared the dishes participants will be sampling. In addition, sake industry experts from Japan will be on hand to explain the intricate and delicate art of pairing food and sake. Space is limited to 50 participants per session so make sure you arrive early!
Chef Gohei Kishi
Tokyu Hands is a Japanese store known for its wide range of cool, quirky stock, making them an excellent choice for gift shopping. This November, they’re bringing a selection of goods to HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market.
From high-quality Thermos flasks and alarm clocks, to a cool automatic toothbrush to a whimsical “sits-on-the-rim-of-your-cup” figurine, there’s a wide range of products which have “gift” written clearly all over them. Also available will be various Japanese Bento Boxes, laser-cut paper dioramas, animal post-its, character-print facemasks, decorative tape and much more!
Shengjian Lin (eat TOKYO)
“Utsushi-e” is a form of animation that first appeared over 200 years ago in Edo (Tokyo). While little more than a series of of glass slides set in front of a crude candle projector, the result was nevertheless a spectacle the likes of which the Japanese people had never seen before. Now, after more than 200 years since the first show was performed, HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market will play host to the UK’s very first performance of utsushi-e at the Live.Japan stage, performed by Minzawa.
Showing will be the 1929 masterpiece “Kobutori” (lit: “plump”) which was directed by the visionary director Yasuji Murata. Also showing will be “Akai Rosoku To Ningyo” (“The Mermaid and the Red Candle”) by children’s storybook writer Mimei Ogawa. These two works of art will surely warm the heart of any anime fan with their retro feel and warm lines.
HYPER JAPAN is throwing down a challenge and dares any to accept in an all-new, first time event: The Arabiki Hot Dog Eating Challenge!
Book-binding
Needle Felting
The workshop, “Festival Macarons with Supercute Macarons” will lead the group through the basics of macaron decorating, including seasonal designs and which materials to use. The second half of the workshop will have each participant try their hand at decorating their own set of macarons. Designs introduced and taught during the workshop will include:
Loretta Liu, Supercute Macarons
Hiroko Tanaka began learning Nihon Buyo at the age of 6 in Kyoto, where she was born and raised, and has been dancing for nearly 60 years. She has been teaching this elegant Japanese dance form Nihon Buyo in London since 2003. Her students are a mix of various backgrounds and nationalities ranging from office workers and business people to chefs and actresses. The students showcase their skills in twice yearly reviews and are proud to be able showcase their skills at public events.
A fantastic fusion of martial prowess and acrobatic display will be coming to HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market with SHINOBI-TRY, a performance ninja group. Swords will flash and bodies will twist and turn through the air to an upbeat pop track as the members show off the limits of the human body. The action will be nonstop and viewers will find themselves watching with bated breath for the next incredible feat!
inawa is a unique and quite mysterious place within Japan, with a distinct culture and proud heritage of its own. Fortunately, to share some of Okinawa’s unique culture, the “Ryukyu Buku Buku Tea Ceremony Akeshinono Kai” association will be taking to the J-Culture stage for a demonstration of Okinawa’s unique tea ceremony. Distinctly unique from Japanese tea ceremony, this is an opportunity seldom chanced upon outside Japan – seldom witnessed even within Japan.
Select from a variety of sushi from the restaurant’s extensive menu, including the winner of the Sushi Awards 2013, “HYPER ROLL” roll and see them take form as you wait!
The sushi bar will be open on the Friday and Saturday sessions, so be sure to get your delectables then!
A twist on the traditionally-judged event system, the winner of the “Sushi of the Year” title will be decided not by a panel of culinary heavyweights but by Sushi Award visitors themselves! Thus you not only witness sushi created in front of your eyes, but taste each entry and vote for your favourite. Consider it London’s largest act of “foodemocracy”.
Founded in the ramen-loving city of Hakata in 1985 by Shigemi Kawahara, Ippudo has rapidly expanded within Japan to now boast over 80 stores. Reaching a milestone in 2008 with its first international store in New York, the chain has enjoyed international success with stores opening in multiple countries across South East Asia, as well as here in the UK.
The Japanese art of flower arrangement, ikebana is much, much more than the simple act of arranging flowers. Through the arrangement of flowers, practitioners of ikebana feel a sense of closeness with nature, all the while contemplating the simple beauty of a flower. Many professionals practice ikebana in silence, as contemplation and meditation are closely related disciplines. We are happy to announce that ikebana will once again be on the schedule for the Creative Studio.
Ms. Hanako Motoya has had a lifelong passion for flowers, having first been introduced to flower arrangement by her mother before going on to study flower arrangement at university. This passion only grew after graduation, with her starting work as a floral designer for an exhibition and display company. In her search for more knowledge and greater experience, Ms. Motoya began working at a florist, and it was through her work there that she was introduced to the Ohara school of ikebana. After almost ten years of devoted study and work involving flowers and ikebana, she arrived in the UK in 2008 to start her own flower business. Currently, Ms. Motoya conducts a monthly ikebana class open to ikebana enthusiasts and flower novices alike.
