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Peter Burke

Exciting times on the HYPER Live! Stage

Posted on by Peter Burke

The HYPER Live! Stage is in many ways the beating heart of HYPER JAPAN and all of our HYPER Live! guests at Festival 2019 were totally fantastic. We were entertained all weekend by idols, rockers, visual kei and traditional Japanese musicians, movie stars and artists, games and anime, CosPlay, J-Fashion and of course the HYPER Bon Odori!

The HYPER Live! Stage had a crowd around it all weekend and gave us some of the biggest highlights of another eclectic celebration of everything Japanese at Olympia London.

The opening act of the HYPER Live! Stage for HYPER JAPAN Festival was the exciting and very popular rugby-based anime ALL OUT!!
The story of the Jinko High School Rugby Club has touched hearts and found a big following in Japan and around the world and was definitely a big hit with the HYPER JAPAN audience too. Keep following ALL OUT!! as we’re sure it’s going to keep going from strength to strength.

Staying with the Rugby theme, we were delighted that one of the special ambassadors for the Rugby World Cup host city of Fukuoka, Naomi Suzuki, could join us in this Rugby World Cup year. Naomi is a very talented singer and performer and gave us a moving rendition of Rugby World Cup anthem, World in Union. She also shared her passion for Japan with the HYPER Live! audience as well as her dream of creating a long-lasting legacy for next year’s Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Later on Friday afternoon, and again on Saturday too, NINTENDO took over the HYPER Live! Stage with a workshop on their fantastic Super Mario Maker 2. NINTENDO’s excellent presenters kept the audience entertained throughout and even invited some lucky visitors to join them on stage and take part in exploring this amazing new game.

Friday afternoon also saw the first HYPER JAPAN appearance for acclaimed Japanese artist and illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita. The HYPER Live! Stage had a predictably big crowd to welcome Arita-sensei to London and he entertained all-comers with stories from his long, varied and successful career as an artist in Japan, highlights including his work on the Pokemon Trading Card Game, Final Fantasy XI and Berserk: The Golden Ages. Arita-sensei was definitely a very popular addition to this year’s HYPER Live! Stage and he kindly appeared on all three days of the HYPER JAPAN weekend.

We all got our first glimpse of this year’s most mysterious guest on the HYPER Live! Stage on Friday when IJEN KAI took to the stage for their first show.
IJEN KAI entertained an adoring HYPER Live! Stage audience with their unique and exciting show, complete with smoke, banging beats and of course, masks. Their show was back for more to close the HYPER Live! Stage on Saturday evening and IJEN KAI once again brought the house down!

HYPER JAPAN was thrilled to welcome Japanese movie star, Harumi Shuhama, one of the leads of the massive hit One Cut of the Dead, to the HYPER Live! Stage on both Friday and Saturday.
Harumi talked about her experiences as an actor in Japan and answered some fascinating and insightful questions about the making of One Cut of the Dead, which unexpectedly became the Japanese hit movie of 2018.
We are very grateful to Third Window Films for arranging for Harumi to come to London and talk on the HYPER Live! Stage.

Friday’s final big performance was from ultradark Tokyo-based idol group NECRONOMIDOL, who returned on Sunday afternoon to close the HYPER Live! Stage.
NECRONOMIDOL’s performance was much anticipated and they had a large following at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019, with some of the biggest crowds of the whole weekend coming to see them on the HYPER Live! Stage and they certainly didn’t disappoint!
NECRONOMIDOL brought their unique, dark charm to the HYPER Live! Stage and the fans loved it!

The first HYPER Bon Odori of 2019 closed the show on Friday on the HYPER Live! Stage and it was as big a hit as ever.
This Japanese matsuri festival dance is easy to learn, and with the help of our resident Bon Odori experts Akari Mochizuki and Haruka Kuroda we were delighted to see so many people take part in the Bon Odori and enjoy the Japanese summer spirit to the sweet sounds of DJ Takeru Sunamori’s special 2019 Tokyo Ondo remix on each day of HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.

Back fresh on Saturday morning for the second day of HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 we were pleased to welcome, all the way from Karatsu in Saga prefecture, singer and performer choco.
choco, who is a massive manga and anime fan as well as a CosPlayer and a trained voice actor, thrilled the HYPER Live! Stage audience on Saturday, and again on Sunday, with her sweet music, inspired by the beautiful countryside of Kyushu in western Japan.

Saturday on the HYPER Live! Stage also saw the UK debut show for Japanese Shamisen Rock Band, KUNI-KEN. The brothers from Mie prefecture did a wonderful job of getting the HYPER Live! Stage excited, and the crowd were definitely in the mood for this fabulous show. KUNI-KEN’s unique and very interesting and appealing blend of rock music and the traditional Japanese instrument was a big hit at HYPER JAPAN, with their second show on Sunday even more popular than the first.

Later, as Saturday afternoon turned into evening, we welcomed an old friend of HYPER JAPAN back to Olympia London. Visual kei artist Miura Ayme visited and performed at HYPER JAPAN when he lived in London and we were very excited to have him join us for a show this year on the HYPER Live! Stage. The audience were also very excited and thoroughly enjoyed his high-energy, dazzling performances both on Saturday and again on Sunday.

Just before the session change on Saturday, the HYPER Live! Stage was packed with a crowd of fans of Japanese fashion and kawaii culture for the HYPER J-Style Collection Fashion Show!
There was a wonderful selection of styles and trends on display, celebrating the diversity and range of the Japanese fashion scene.

Saturday afternoon at HYPER JAPAN Festival is the time when CosPlayers and CosPlay fans get to shine on the HYPER Live! Stage as its time for the COSParade!
This year’s COSParade contestants put on an amazing show of imagination and talent and the audience were blown away by the high standard on display by the CosPlayers on the HYPER Live! Stage.

Sunday’s HYPER Live! Stage welcomed CosPlayers back to the limelight with the COSTest!
This chance for serious and experienced CosPlayers to show off their talent and skill is always an amazing show and a very popular part of HYPER JAPAN. This year was no exception and the CosPlayers blew us away with their outfits.


There will be more information on the Fashion Show and the CosPlay events in separate posts later this week so stay tuned CosPlayers and fashionistas!

Shop ‘til you drop on The Gallery

Posted on by Peter Burke

For all the shoppers at HYPER JAPAN, The Gallery was the place to be at Festival 2019!
This summer the HYPER JAPAN Market and HYPER Fringe Market were all located on The Gallery at Olympia London, creating a shopper’s paradise where you could find pretty much anything you might have been looking for.

The HYPER JAPAN Market had an amazing selection of merchandise, goods and Japan-inspired products on show all around The Gallery from over 80 exhibitors, each with their own unique style and vision.

On the other side of The Gallery, there was a more artistic vibe in the HYPER Fringe Market. Over 40 artists in different media displayed and offered their work for sale in one of the most interesting areas of HYPER JAPAN, where it’s entirely possible to really get lost in the artistic atmosphere.

We were also pleased to welcome legendary Japanese artist and illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita to The Gallery, where he had a booth signing autographs and talking to fans of his incredible canon of work over the last 30 years.

In the opposite corner of The Gallery, this year’s HYPER Street Live was buzzing with talented singers and performers all weekend. The HYPER Street Live got an upgrade for Festival 2019 with dedicated time slots and power available for performers who brought their own equipment. The variety of talent on display, their hard work, effort and dedication to their craft make this a very special part of our event and we are always delighted to provide a platform for so many talented people with dreams and ambition to perform at HYPER JAPAN.

HADO at HYPER JAPAN

Posted on by Peter Burke

HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 saw lots of new ideas and innovations come and sit alongside the ever-popular parts of the weekend that we would never change. One of our most exciting new additions for this summer was the HYPER HADO Tournament!

HADO is a super-popular, augmented-reality sports gaming system from Japan which has been launched in the UK over the past couple of years and is steadily gaining lots of dedicated followers.

HADO was available to play all weekend for free at Festival 2019, with the HYPER HADO Tournament beginning later each day.  Over 1,100 people played HADO at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 and 28 teams took part in the competitive HYPER HADO Tournament.

There were lots of entries to take part in the HYPER HADO Tournament and all the teams of three battled it out to take the crown in each of the Friday, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday tournaments. The winner of each session will now go on to take part in the UK qualifying competition for the HADO World Cup in Japan.

We would like to thank everyone who was so enthusiastic about HADO and took part in any of the practice sessions or tournaments throughout Festival 2019. And, of course, we want to congratulate the four teams who won the HYPER HADO Tournament each day and wish them the best of luck as they move closer to representing the UK at the World Cup!

Friday’s HYPER HADO Winners were Sugoi Pinoy.

On Saturday’s first session, Rahmen’s Ramen took the HYPER HADO crown!

Saturday afternoon saw Project Zeus triumph in the HYPER HADO Tournament.

In Sunday’s final, and biggest yet, HYPER HADO Tournament of Festival 2019, the winners were Fighting Mongooses.

Four Fantastic Zones for Festival 2019

Posted on by Peter Burke

For the first time ever at HYPER JAPAN, we had four main zones at this summer’s Festival 2019. HARAJUKU for Fashion & Kawaii, ASAKUSA for Culture, AKIHABARA for Games & Anime and ODAIBA for CosPlay. The four zones were packed with fun and interesting exhibitors and each had its own distinct flavour. They were all very popular with visitors moving around the zones enjoying all that Japan has to offer all weekend.

The HARAJUKU Zone was the HYPER JAPAN hub for all things Fashion & Kawaii and definitely lived up to its name with a huge range of different Japanese-inspired fashions and kawaii goods available throughout the zone from fantastic brands including AOI clothing, Tofu Cute, Tainted Prince and kaomoji.


The brand new Kawaii Photo Studio proved a massive hit with visitors taking photos with cute scenery and props right through the weekend.


The Maids of England also made their home in the HARAJUKU Zone, serving customers with their unique style and welcoming atmosphere.
The finalists of the first HYPER Kawaii Contest were also on display in the HARAJUKU Zone and we were thrilled that so many of you took the time to support your favourite!

Next door in the ASAKUSA Culture Zone, many different aspects of Japan’s wealth of culture were on display and lots of opportunities for visitors to experience it themselves. From beautifully designed and created Japanese ceramics, jewellery and musical instruments to delicious tea and Japanese sweets, there were plenty of things to view and take home as well as rare chances to see stunning Japanese gardens, bonsai and flower arrangements.


For those thinking about or planning a trip to Japan, there was plenty of help and advice available from the experts in the tourism area next as well as our friendly and helpful robot, giving out useful information about Japan to whoever asked. All of this was right next to the centrepiece of the ASAKUSA Zone, the fantastic Yagura Matsuri Tower.


We saw some amazing displays of martial arts and Japanese dance in the J-Culture Showcase along with all kinds of fascinating workshops in the Activity Area where visitors of all ages could create their own arts and crafts to take home and treasure.


BOCCIA gave visitors the chance to have a go at this Paralympic sport and the Aichi Institute of Technology brought their almost magical new ideas to life with the CG Koi Pond and Amazing 3D Sketchbook.


Voting was going on in the ASAKUSA Zone for the finalists of the HYPER Anime Contest, which saw huge support for all the finalists.  All this and much more really brought the ASAKUSA Zone to life and filled with excited visitors all weekend.

Over in the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone, we were delighted to welcome back Nintendo to HYPER JAPAN. Festival 2019 was the first chance for anyone, anywhere in the UK to have a go at playing Nintendo’s new Switch games Pokemon Sword, Pokemon Shield, Luigi’s Mansion and Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, which were all of course very popular.


HYPER JAPAN was also thrilled that Dragon Ball Super was able to join us in the AKIHABARA Zone along with mayamada GamePad and The Brotherhood Games. All of this, as well as the Retro Gaming and Table Top Gaming Areas, kept the AKIHABARA Zone busy from the start of Friday right through to the end of Sunday!

The debut of a dedicated CosPlay zone at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 was certainly a popular move, with many CosPlayers enjoying everything the ODAIBA Cosplay Zone had to offer. There were CosPlay panel discussions, repair stations, a CosPlay Fan Space, and HYPER Wall Photo Spaces, designed to provide everything CosPlayers could want at HYPER JAPAN.


The ODAIBA Zone was an inclusive, welcoming space for all Coslayers, from beginners to seasoned veterans and we hope to make it even bigger and better in the future.

The four main zones at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 were all fascinating, welcoming, exciting and interesting and filled with people exploring all sides of Japanese culture all weekend. We hope you enjoyed them all and we look forward to seeing you again at more HYPER JAPAN events.

A weekend of delicious food in the HYPER Kitchen

Posted on by Peter Burke

HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 saw the launch of the HYPER Kitchen, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with how popular it became right from the start of the weekend.

The HYPER Kitchen played host to food and drink demonstrations and workshops about all kinds of different of Japanese food genres, with each chef bringing their own unique style to this new HYPER JAPAN stage and delighting the audiences with their delicious creations.

YO! Sushi brought the stage to life on Friday afternoon with the first-ever HYPER Kitchen workshop.  YO! Sushi’s talented chef showed us how to make some of their most popular tasty treats including the infamous J-Dog, classic dynamite roll and vegan-favourite inari taco.

Later on Friday afternoon Jay Morjaria took to the HYPER Kitchen stage for a fascinating demonstration of cooking skills with Clearspring. British-Japanese chef Andrew Kojima was the host of the Clearspring demonstration on Saturday where he wowed the HYPER Kitchen audience with his yummy signature dishes.

After lunch on Friday, the HYPER Kitchen was the place to be for refreshing and delicious treats thanks to the  TSUJIRI workshop.
TSUJIRI’s green tea experts showed us how to create the perfect matcha latte along with other yummy green tea based sweet bites.

HYPER JAPAN was delighted to welcome the UK’s leading Japanese cooking school, SOZAI, to the HYPER Kitchen for two sushi-based workshops. SOZAI’s incredible chefs brought Japanese cooking to life for the fascinated HYPER Kitchen audience, who took all kinds of handy hints and tips home with them.

WAGASHI Japanese Bakery were another very welcome addition to the HYPER Kitchen, bringing their beautiful and delicious creations to the very appreciative audience.
WAGASHI’s incredible artisans showed us an amazing selection of seasonal wagashi for every occasion.
These Japanese sweets were really something special and so stunning that they were almost, almost, too pretty to eat!

Friday’s HYPER Kitchen was brought to a close by Kikkoman, who were back on both Saturday and Sunday, bringing the taste of Hawaii to HYPER JAPAN with their Picnic Poke Workshop.
In the HYPER Kitchen, Kikkoman’s chefs explored the possibilities with their versatile new Poke sauce and served up some delicious samples for the hungry audience.

On Saturday and Sunday, the HYPER Kitchen hosted a fascinating seminar by Sake expert Natsuki Kikuya, whose family have a long history with this iconic Japanese drink. Natsuki introduced us to some delicious sake cocktails perfect for the summer and made with some of the sake available throughout HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.

Miso experts, Marukome, took to the HYPER Kitchen stage to present a Miso Masterclass, showing the audience the incredible depth and range of this delicious Japanese ingredient which they have been producing and selling for over 150 years. The charming and humorous style of the Marukome Miso Masterclass filled the HYPER Kitchen on Saturday afternoon.

S&B Foods brought two delicious workshops based around Japanese comfort foods to this first HYPER Kitchen. On Saturday, the S&B Curry Workshop gave us a new take on this Japanese favourite with the curry frittata while Sunday’s Wasabi Workshop helped dispel some myths about wasabi and introduced us all to tasty wasabi dirty fries!

The HYPER Kitchen will surely be back at the next HYPER JAPAN and we look forward to welcoming more demonstrators and more of you to explore the delicious and fascinating intricacies of Japanese food in the future.

Super HYPER Live! Sunday

Posted on by Peter Burke

Sunday on the HYPER Live! Stage continued the awesome guests and fantastic crowds we saw on Friday and Saturday at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.
We welcomed choco from Saga prefecture in western Japan back to the HYPER Live! Stage again this morning.
She showed us the beauty of her rural hometown of Karatsu through her music.

Miura Ayme brought his boundless energy back to the HYPER Live! Stage just before lunch for another roof-raising performance in front of his adoring fans as well as the many new fans he surely made at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.

The final HYPER Bon Odori of the weekend was another big hit with lots of visitors joining in the summer mood of the sociable and light-hearted Japanese matsuri dance.

Mitsuhiro Arita talked more about his life as an artist and had lots of fascinating stories to tell about his incredible career.

Later in the afternoon KUNI-KEN were back on the HYPER Live! Stage, getting the crowd excited and on their feet with the fun sounds of their Japanese Shamisen Rock.

NECRONOMIDOL brought the HYPER Live! Stage to a close with Ultradark Idol vibes to the delight of the waiting crowd.

We’ll see you for more HYPER Live! Stage next time!

HYPER Live! Saturday

Posted on by Peter Burke

Saturday’s HYPER Live! Stage has seen huge crowds and amazing guests from start to finish!

In the first session, Kyushu-native choco serenaded the crowd with her beautiful music before Naomi Suzuki took to the stage for the second time at Festival 2019 and later KUNI-KEN got everyone to their feet with their Japanese Shamisen Rock!

The J-Style Collection Fashion Show brought Saturday’s first session to a close with a bang and a celebration of Japanese fashion.

In the second session, Miura Ayme gave us an awesome, high-energy show and was adored by the HYPER Live! Stage crowd followed by another mysterious performance by IJEN KAI

Don’t miss more HYPER Live! Awesomeness on Sunday at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019!

 

Food, Fans and Fashion on Saturday at HYPER JAPAN

Posted on by Peter Burke

The ODAIBA CosPlay Zone has had a busy day with repair, panel discussions and loads of CosPlayers taking pictures and enjoying their dedicated space.

Its been great to see everyone taking pictures at the HYPER Walls all around the ODAIBA Zone across the event.

The COSParade was a massive hit with a huge HYPER Live! Stage crowd supporting the
super-talented CosPlayers showing off their skills on stage.

Over in the EAT-JAPAN Live! Food Court, the smells of Japanese street food have been too tempting to resist all day. ZEN-NOH Wagyu‘s delicious Japanese grilled beef was a bit hit with everyone.

We were treated to a wonderful wagashi workshop by WAGASHI Japanese Bakery in the HYPER Kitchen demonstrating their beautiful Japanese sweets.

Don’t miss lots more amazing Japanese-ness tomorrow at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019!

Great Games & Cool Culture at Festival 2019

Posted on by Peter Burke

HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 has been delighted to welcome Dragon Ball Super for the first time this year. As expected, Dragon Ball Super has proved to be one of the most popular destinations in the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone.

Next door, mayamada GamePad was full of enthusiastic players for their inclusive social gaming platform and the HYPER HADO Tournament continued apace with three winning teams now moving forward towards the qualifying tournament for the HADO World Cup in Japan!

Across in the ASAKUSA Culture Zone, the ever-popular MIO Station has been giving out samples of delicious MIO Sparkling Sake, which is also on sale at a special price.

The J-Culture Activities Area is full of interesting Japanese cultural workshops. In the Fox Painting workshop, you can paint a traditional Japanese mask to take home.

Join us for Sunday at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 where we will have all this and much more too!

 

Super Saturday @ HYPER JAPAN

Posted on by Peter Burke

We’ve had an amazing Saturday at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 full of fantastic Japanese fun in every zone and all corners of London Olympia!

Mitsuhiro Arita entertained the HYPER Live! Stage with tales of his life as an artist and signed hundreds of autographs at his booth on the gallery.

Aichi Institute of Technology brought their beautiful CG Koi Pond to Festival 2019 and have been entrancing visitors with its ethereal beauty and peace.

In the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone, vintage kimono-inspired fashion from AOI Clothing proved as popular as ever and has been a really busy part of HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.

The HYPER Kawaii Contest are on display all weekend in the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone and we’re delighted that so many people have taken the time to vote.
Come along to the HYPER Kawaii Contest booth at C10 and vote for your favourite tomorrow.
Join us for more Japanese fun all day!

 

HYPER Kitchen Sake Seminar

Posted on by Peter Burke

The HYPER Kitchen is busy all weekend with fabulous demonstrations and workshops on all kinds of Japanese food culture.

One of the most interesting and special of the HYPER Kitchen events over the HYPER JAPAN weekend is our famous Sake Seminar where you can learn about this delicious Japanese drink and try these fabulous sake cocktails.

Nigori sake and Tonic
made with Kikusui perfect snow
Mio sparkling Peach Ice Tea
made with Mio sparkling
Umeshu cocktail
made with Urakasumi Umeshu

Check the HYPER Kitchen schedule and enjoy some delicious sake at the HYPER JAPAN Sake Seminar

Book Your Tickets Now!

We’re getting all HYPER JAPAN at Olympia London

Posted on by Peter Burke

HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 will be opening in just a few short hours and right now Olympia London is super busy with everyone getting ready for tomorrow!
After a lot of hard work today, London Olympia is starting to look like HYPER JAPAN and it’s going to be amazing by the time we open at noon tomorrow!

The HYPER Live! Stage is almost ready for all incredible artists who will be gracing it throughout the HYPER JAPAN weekend.

In the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone, our friends from Nintendo are getting ready to show off some fantastic new games from tomorrow afternoon.

Dragon Ball Super are busy getting their area ready too and we are all very excited to see what’s happening there tomorrow!

Over in the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone, TOFU CUTE‘s booth is coming together nicely and looks like it will be awesome by tomorrow!

See you all at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 from tomorrow at 12noon!!!

 

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So much great food on Day One of HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019

Posted on by Peter Burke

With so much to see and do at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019, we all got really, really hungry!!!
Luckily, we had loads of delicious food and fantastic food workshops and demonstrations at EAT-JAPAN Live!

SOZAI Cooking School‘s Sashimi & Sushi Workshop was a full house with everyone treated to a masterclass on how to create delicious and beautiful Japanese dishes at home. Kikkoman introduced their new Poke Sauce in a Picnic Poke Workshop and YO! Sushi showed the HYPER Kitchen how to create some of their most popular dishes to a fantastic reception.

The EAT-JAPAN Live! Food Court was filled with delicious smells of yummy Japanese street food and snacks.

There is lots more waiting for you tomorrow so come with an appetite!

 

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Busy First HYPER Day at Olympia

Posted on by Peter Burke

In the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone, brand new Japanese sports gaming system HADO launched the first HYPER HADO Tournament at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019. Everyone is welcome to play HADO so come and have a practice game or even join the HYPER HADO Tournament for the chance to go to the HADO World Cup in Japan.

Nintendo have had a busy day in the AKIHABARA Zone too with lots of people trying their hand at some new games as well as enjoying old favourites!
HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 is the first chance in the UK anyone has had to play Pokémon Sword, Pokémon Shield, Luigi’s Mansion 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Come and have a try of these amazing new titles.

The HYPER Markets have been buzzing since they opened at midday and have some wonderful things to offer. Check out the HYPER JAPAN Market and the HYPER Fringe Market on the Gallery when you get here.

In the ASAKUSA Culture Zone, there were delicious sweets available as well as awesome Japanese culture demonstrations in the J-Culture Showcase and workshops from POSCA and many others.

Saturday and Sunday both have packed schedules in all areas of HYPER JAPAN so come along and explore what Japan has to offer!

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How To HYPER JAPAN for Festival 2019

Posted on by Peter Burke

With HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 almost upon us, we have put together this handy guide to help you navigate the weekend and find exactly what you’re looking for.

Tickets

Depending on availability, some tickets may be sold on the door, but to ensure you get in for your preferred session we strongly recommend buying your tickets before you arrive.
Tickets can be purchased by clicking here or just visit the HYPER JAPAN website.
It’s always better to have your tickets before you arrive – and its cheaper than buying on the door too!

Arrival

With all the excitement and crowds of people around Olympia London for HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019, it can sometimes be a bit confusing to find your way.
For a smooth and painless entry, please follow the signs and listen to announcements. We have prepared this simple queueing guide to help you get inside as quickly as possible.
If you are ever unsure, there will always be plenty of HYPER JAPAN Staff, Volunteers and Security Staff on hand to help you find your way to where you want to be.

You’ll need to present the square-shaped QR Code on your ticket email to get into HYPER JAPAN.
If you can access this on your mobile phone and present the QR Code on screen to our staff at the entrance you don’t need to bring the paper copy.

Inside HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019

Once you’re inside HYPER JAPAN, whilst many of you will know exactly what you’re looking for, many more may be a little unsure of where to go.

This HYPER JAPAN showguide should help you navigate your way around the four main zones of ASAKUSA (Culture), HARAJUKU (Kawaii & Fashion), ODAIBA  (CosPlay) and AKIHABARA (Anime & Games) as well as the other fascinating Japanese attractions around HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.

Feeling peckish?

With so much to do and see at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019, you’re bound to feel hungry at some point. There is a great selection of yummy treats waiting for you at the EAT-JAPAN Live! Food Court!

What better to follow your food than a visit to this year’s incredible Sake Experience. Check out our biggest-ever selection of sakes from nine different breweries all over Japan.
Tickets are still available for some sessions but they are going fast and have already sold out for some.
Get your Sake Experience tickets together with your HYPER JAPAN tickets here.

Whether you are more interested in eating Japanese food or making it for yourself, the HYPER Kitchen is another part of Festival 2019 that has to be on your must-see list.
With demonstrations and workshops from Japanese food giants and incredible chefs, this is an amazing opportunity to find out their secrets and come away with handy hints and tips.

Harro Foods presents The Japan Food Show at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 and it a fantastic festival of food designed for foodies by foodies. With over 40 producers of delicious Japanese food, drinks and ingredients you will definitely find something yummy to keep you coming back.

HYPER JAPAN Markets

The HYPER Market and HYPER Fringe Market at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 are located on the Gallery, Level One of the Olympia Grand Hall. Make sure to take a stroll though this special part of HYPER JAPAN explore the many interesting, charming and artistic works on display.

HYPER Live! Stage

The HYPER Live! Stage will be buzzing from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening with all kinds of fabulous entertainment. From Shamisen Rock to Dark Idols, visual-kei artists to Japanese movie stars and iconic artists to total mystery, we really do have something for everyone!

Check the performance schedule and don’t miss out on something really special!

Dresscode Japanese!

For HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 we really want to encourage everyone to wear or bring something Japanese to the Festival. We’re calling this Dresscode Japanese! and any kind of Japanese clothes, accessories, teddys, bags or anything is welcome. Give us your best Japanese and join us in Dresscode Japanese!

We’re really looking forward to welcoming everyone to Festival 2019 to celebrate 10 of HYPER JAPAN toegether!
Come early! Stay late! and really make the most of Japan in London this weekend.

See you soon at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019!!!

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Wow! On the HYPER Live! Stage

Posted on by Peter Burke

The HYPER Live! Stage has been on fire today with amazing performances from fantastic artists!

We saw the first ever European performance from our mystery guests IJEN KAI and they proved a massive hit with the HYPER Live! Stage crowd.

NECRONOMIDOL took to the stage later and blew the crowd away with their dark idol sounds!

The first HYPER Bon Odori of the summer followed on the HYPER Live! Stage and everyone enjoyed the summer feeling of the iconic dance.
We have loads more exciting stuff on the HYPER Live! Stage all weekend so check it out!

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What a Kawaii Friday!

Posted on by Peter Burke

HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 has got off to a flying start today!
We are thrilled to have welcomed so many visitors to Olympia London on the first day of our celebration of all things Japanese!

The HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone saw huge crowds explore all kinds of cuteness and fantastic fashions inspired by Japan.


One of today’s most popular spots has been the Kawaii Photo Studio with all kinds of cute props and a special sofa which everyone has been using to take some amazing pictures.

The Maids of England have been serving their special brand of hospitality all afternoon to lots of very satisfied guests. We had the pleasure to meet them this afternoon and they are such a sweet bunch!
MOE will be waiting to welcome Go-shujin-sama and O-jou-sama all weekend long so drop by whenever you come.

There’s loads of kawaii cuteness waiting for you in the HARAJUKU Zone the whole weekend. We’ree looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

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HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone

Posted on by Peter Burke

HYPER JAPAN loves kawaii and fashion and we have an amazing selection of both for you in the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019!

Some of the most popular and busy exhibitors at HYPER JAPAN are in the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone including our very good friends Tofu Cute, ARTBOX and Dreamy Bows who will be bringing their amazing ranges of character goods, kawaii products, Japanese fashions, snacks and so much more.

For the fashionistas at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019, you are sure to find something to your taste with Japan-inspired fashion brands Aoi Clothing, Tainted Prince and kaomoji in the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone.

This spring saw the launch of the first HYPER Kawaii Contest and we were overwhelmed with the sheer number and high quality of the entries we received. Our judges had a tough job deciding on the eight finalists who were announced earlier this week, and all eight will be on display in the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone all weekend.
We would love everybody who comes to Festival 2019 to check out the HYPER Kawaii Contest finalists and vote for your favourite. The winner will be announced a few days later.

The HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone is also home to Maids of England and their fabulous Maid and Bulter Cafe.
Come down to MOE in the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone and meet their friendly staff of maids and butlers who will be waiting to entertain and serve you for the whole HYPER JAPAN weekend.

The pinnacle of all things fashion and kawaii at HYPER JAPAN is surely the HYPER J-Style Collection Fashion Show. Don’t miss this celebration of Japan’s fabulous and eclectic fashion scene on the HYPER Live! Stage.

We are very pleased to be welcoming The Custom Cupcake Company to the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone with some divine and delicious treats to sustain you as you explore the fabulous fashions and kawaii cuteness at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.

Join us in the HARAJUKU Fashion & Kawaii Zone at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 and fall in love with Japanese fashion and kawaii culture either for the first time or all over again.
We are waiting to welcome you to the HARAJUKU Fashion and Kawaii Zone all weekend.

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AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone

Posted on by Peter Burke

Games and Anime are a massive part of every HYPER JAPAN event and Festival 2019 has some sensational stuff waiting for you in the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone.

We are super excited to welcome NINTENDO back to HYPER JAPAN for Festival 2019 and this year they are bringing some amazing new games which will be available for the first time ever in the UK at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.
Pokémon Sword, Pokémon Shield, Luigi’s Mansion 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening will all be playable for the first time in the UK in the AKIHABARA Zone and other Nintendo Switch titles will be available to play at the show including Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Daemon X Machina, Super Mario Maker 2 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!
Find out more about NINTENDO at Festival 2019 here.

This summer’s HYPER JAPAN Festival is also delighted that Dragon Ball Super
will be joining us for the first time ever. We will have over 100 sq. metres of Dragon Ball Super fun in the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone so make sure to check out this fantastic anime and manga series.

The AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone will be hosting incredible illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita, creator of iconic characters with over thirty years experience as an artist in Japan.
Arita-sensei will be also presenting on the HYPER Live! Stage as well as signing autographs and taking commissions throughout the HYPER JAPAN weekend.

The brand new HYPER HADO Tournament will be taking place in the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone and we are really looking forward to it!
This new and exciting Augmented Reality sports gaming system has become very popular in Japan and will surely be huge here in Europe in coming years. Everyone is welcome to join in the HYPER HADO Tournament for a chance to win some brilliant prizes including a place in the UK qualifying competition for the HADO World Cup in Japan.
Don’t miss the first ever HYPER HADO Tournament, you can sign up here to ensure you get a place over the weekend.

HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 is also delighted to welcome inclusive social gaming from mayamada GamePad to the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone along with the HYPER JAPAN debut of The Brotherhood Games who will be located just by the Table Top Gaming Area where you can start a pick-up game and enjoy your HYPER JAPAN purchases.

The AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone will also be the HYPER JAPAN home of the fabulously nostalgic Retro Gaming Area and our friends at Tokyo Toys and Japan Craft as well as so much more.
We can’t wait to welcome you to the AKIHABARA Game & Anime Zone at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019!

See you soon!!!

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Design and create your own rugby ball with POSCA at Festival 2019

Posted on by Peter Burke

Come down to the Activity Area at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 and bring all your creative instincts with you to design and make your very own rugby ball with POSCA.
Everyone is welcome at this workshop, especially all the children at Festival 2019.

We have pens in all the colours of the rainbow thanks to POSCA and we’re waiting for you to come and show us all your creativity as you design and draw on your own rugby ball in the Activity Area.

We will also be welcoming two very special guest artists to show off their skills and give you some ideas for your own design.
Spzero76 will be in the Activity Area with POSCA between 12PM and 4PM on Friday 12th July demonstrating what is possible with a rugby ball and POSCA pens.

https://www.instagram.com/p/By7QC5_FM38/

Award-Winning manga creator, international speaker, Manga Big Bang! Editor-in-Chief and mentor to professional manga creators, Vivian Wijaya, will also be in the Activity Area as a manga instructor all weekend.

Join POSCA and their artists with your children in the Activity Area and bring home your personal rugby ball from HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.

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Get your hands on a fabulous BBQ grill courtesy of Broil King

Posted on by Peter Burke

Now that the summer is finally here, most of us can’t spend enough of our days out under the clear blue sunny skies in the garden, the park or the beach
What better way to enjoy the weather while it stays with us than a delicious BBQ on a summer’s day!

With that in mind, we are very pleased to to announce that Broil King, who are sponsoring the HYPER Kitchen at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019, have kindly donated one of their top of the range BBQ grills to the lucky winner of a HYPER JAPAN competition.

Everybody who buys any kind of ticket for HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 will be automatically entered into this competition and the lucky winner will be contacted after the event to arrange delivery of the BBQ grill directly to them.

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize from Broil King you have to be a HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 ticket holder, so please come down and enjoy HYPER JAPAN with us and be in with a chance of enjoying BBQing all summer long on your top of the line Broil King grill.

 

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Finalists announced for the HYPER Kawaii Contest

Posted on by Peter Burke

We’ve had many, many fabulous entries to this year’s first ever HYPER Kawaii Contest and we’ve had a really difficult time whittling them down to the finalists over the past few days. We are delighted to be able to now announce the eight finalists, whose super-kawaii entries will be on display for all HYPER JAPAN visitors to see and vote for at Festival 2019.

All eight of the HYPER Kawaii Contest finalists are announced below and will be displayed in a dedicated kawaii contest area of the HARAJUKU Kawaii Zone at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.
Visitors can view all of the finalists at their leisure and will be able to vote once for their favourite all weekend.
The winner will be the entry which receives the most votes at Festival 2019 and will be announced in the days following the event.
We promised some kawaii prizes for the winner of the HYPER Kawaii Contest and we are thrilled to announce that the winner will receive a fabulous selection of kawaii prizes and presents courtesy of our very generous sponsors Kawaii Box, whose monthly kawaii delivery service brings a little parcel of happiness to doorsteps around the world every month and Lomography, who are kindly giving away one of their fantastic instant cameras as one of the prizes so the winner of the HYPER Kawaii Contest can continue capturing their kawaii creations on film.

The finalists are all so amazingly kawaii I’m sure it will be really hard to choose which one you want to vote for, but take a look at the finalists below see if you have a favourite!

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByrYyF8hDS0/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByOCfVkloRK/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxsdDROHr2Q/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi-F5zanZQe/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByobG_KgEcv/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxEtYqZlSZX/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByLnXFznZuE/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/By3HHxcImt7/

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The ODAIBA CosPlay Zone

Posted on by Peter Burke

HYPER JAPAN loves our CosPlay friends and visitors and we have been working hard together this summer to make HYPER JAPAN the home of CosPlay in London! Take a look at our CosPlay pages to see more about what is happening at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 for CosPlayers,

HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 is proud to present the ODAIBA CosPlay Zone, bringing everything CosPlay together in its own dedicated zone for the first time ever at a HYPER JAPAN event.
The ODAIBA CosPlay Zone is the place to be to meet and hangout with all your CosPlayer friends, compare and compliment eachother’s costumes and get new ideas for the future. We will also be hosting CosPlay Panel Discussions, with CosPlay experts and leading CosPlayers speaking about the latest important issues in the CosPlay community.

The ODAIBA CosPlay Zone will also be home to our new repair stations, with advice and help on hand and everything you might need to deal with any kind of CosPlay disaster or emergency that might happen to your costume at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019.

Exploring the ODAIBA CosPlay Zone, as well as finding CosPlayer friends and rivals, the repair stations and panel discussions,  you will also find various sections of the HYPER Wall photo spots to take pictures looking fabulous togeter and the CosPlay Fan Space where you will be able to relax and enjoy CosPlaying all weekend.

The CosPlay calendar at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019 would of course not be complete without our signature CosPlay events, the COSTest and COSParade. Don’t miss the amazing talent, dedication and skill on display from our awesome CosPlayers at these very popular events.

CosPlay is a key part of who we are as HYPER JAPAN and from first-timers and those who are still wondering how to move forward with their CosPlay dreams, right through to experienceced CosTest veterans and CosPlayers who can become experts and pass on their skills and knowledge, we welcome every CosPlayer to come and enjoy the ODAIBA CosPlay Zone at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2019!

 

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The biggest and best ever Sake Experience for 2019

Posted on by Peter Burke

 

The HYPER JAPAN Sake Experience for 2019 the biggest and best yet with nine breweries representing all different areas of Japan bringing 27 different drinks for you to taste.

Take a look below for more information on all the sakes you can try and also details of the fabulous Sake Seminar that will be taking place too. Tickets are going fast so do yet yours while they are still available.
Get ready to Kanpai!

 





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