In 2015, the world-famous Ninagawa Company performed Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Barbican in London, to the delight of fans. Two years later and one year after the death of Yukio Ninagawa, the acclaimed Japanese theatre director well-known for his Japanese productions of Shakespearian plays, the Ninagawa Company returned to London. This time, it was to … Continue reading
Hyper Japan is, well, it’s in the name. I went to my first Hyper Japan in what felt like a very long time earlier this month and was genuinely surprised by how much the organisers manage to fit into one weekend! First things first, here’s a short video to give you a bit of a … Continue reading
I recently came back from my summer holiday in Venice, which is a beautiful and romantic city everyone should visit at least once in their lives. My boyfriend and I happened to be in the city during the Biennale 57th International Art Exhibition, a bi-annual art exhibition that hosts artists from 51 countries across Venice. … Continue reading
Katushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is one of Japan’s most internationally renowned artists. From mythical beasts to landscapes to the divine, he was painting right until his death. In fact, his career peaked when he was in his sixties, after which his most important works were produced. The British Museum’s ‘Hokusai: the Great Wave’ exhibition is the … Continue reading
The first UK exhibition of background illustrations for classic sci-fi anime films launched at London’s House of Illustration a few days ago, and it’s a must-see for anime fans. Anime Architecture: Backgrounds of Japan features drawings and paintings from some of the most influential anime films from the late 1980s and 1990s: Akira (1988), Patlabor: The … Continue reading
Last weekend, Japanese pianist Chihiro Yamanaka returned to Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho for a third time. I’m always on the lookout for new Japanese artists to discover and am also an uninitiated jazz fan, so this was one performance I didn’t want to miss. Japanese-born, New York-based Chihiro Yamanaka is a firm favourite … Continue reading
If all those photos of blooming cherry blossom trees in Japan are giving you serious travel envy, you really need to pop along to Proud East in Haggerston sharpish! On Thursday 6th April, Pop Up Japan launched for a 12 week stint in this lovely venue on Regent’s Canal, and it’s probably the closest thing you … Continue reading
The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945 is the first major UK exhibition to focus on Japanese domestic architecture from the end of the Second World War to present day. The exhibition is running at Barbican Art Gallery until 25 June and it is well worth a visit, even if you don’t know the … Continue reading
If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you will hopefully have seen that I spent the best of last month organising and promoting a Japan-themed charity pub quiz and raffle to fundraise for the British Heart Foundation. Thanks to your donations and attendance on the night, we raised £243 in total! You can still … Continue reading
Last weekend, Central Hall Westminster in London was graced by the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour. The first Kingdom Hearts game was released on the Playstation 2 in 2002 and has since sold over 25 million copies and released over 8 games. Developed jointly by Square Enix and Disney, one of its key selling … Continue reading
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