Events

London’s very own festival of Japanese culture – Japan Matsuri – returns to Trafalgar Square in the centre of the city. A regular fixture now in the London calendar, this free annual festival brings people together to enjoy Japanese food, music, dance, and activities for all the family.

Everything kicks off at 10.00am and runs through till 8.00pm. With two stages, there is plenty to see all day. The programme of stage performance for this year is still being finalised and will feature exciting new acts as well as the return of favourites from previous Matsuri.

Enjoy the atmosphere with Japanese festival food from the numerous stalls. Join in the fun in the family activities area with games and dressing in kimono. Try your hand at Japanese cartoons on the manga wall.

Come and meet Japan Society staff at our stall on the north terrace in front of the National Gallery (opposite St. Martin in the Fields).

Japan Matsuri is organised jointly by the Japan Association, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Japan Society and Nippon Club, with support from the Embassy of Japan.

Follow Japan Matsuri on Facebook (Japan Matsuri), Twitter (https://twitter.com/japanmatsuri) or on www.japanmatsuri.com for all the latest news.

In association with:

Nippon Club
Japan Association
Embassy of Japan
JCCI UK

Japanese pop with a UK jazz-funk twist performed by the critically acclaimed James Taylor Quartet and UK-based singer Naomi Suzuki. The evening celebrates the Japan-UK Year of Culture with the Bridge Together Project – presenting much-loved J-pop classics specially re-arranged for an incredible night highlighting a shared love of great music and connections between the two cultures.

Special guest stars make this concert an unmissable experience. Yuriko Kotani, the BBC New Comedy Award-winning comedian, opens the event and superstar actress and singer Mari Natsuki is travelling from Japan especially to give an exclusive performance. There will also be a traditional daikagura routine by Michiyo Kagami – a unique combination of talents!

Hotei will be performing a special live show at Hoxton Square Bar and Grill on Sat 26th October.

Tomoyasu Hotei, best known internationally for his original song, ‘Battle Without Honor or Humanity’, instantly recognisable as the theme from Quentin Tarantino’s film Kill Bill, boasts a stellar career spanning more than three decades.

During the early years of his career, Hotei received inspiration from music and artists around the world and developed his own unique guitar style which would then revolutionize the aesthetics of music in his native Japan, generate multimillion selling albums, record-breaking chart releases, and inspire future generations of musicians.

A much sought-after collaborator both in the studio and live on stage, Hotei has joined forces with numerous and diverse international artists including David Bowie, Andy Mackay (Roxy Music), Jesus Jones, Brian Setzer, INXS, Blondie, Mike Stern, Asia, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers), Ray Cooper, Joni Mitchell, David Sanborn, Darren Price (Underworld), Apocolyptica, Chris Spedding, Chicago, and many others.

Hotei has also received worldwide recognition for his work on film scores, most notably for the soundtrack of Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and for his original composition of the song ‘Battle Without Honor or Humanity’ which Quentin Tarantino personally proposed to use as the main theme song for his film Kill Bill. In 2011 he arranged the theme to the box office hit Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, attending the Japan premier alongside Tom Cruise and performing live at the event.

Hotei’s career originally began as a guitarist in the legendary Japanese rock band BOØWY (pronounced Boy) in 1981, enjoying phenomenal success as one of Japan’s most popular rock bands in history. In 1988, Hotei established himself as a solo artist, kicking off with the album Guitarhythm, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. This was the beginning of a series of albums achieving multimillion sales. In 1989-1990, Hotei formed the rock duo COMPLEX, releasing two albums which both went to number one in the charts.

An iconic and legendary star in his native Japan, Hotei currently lives in London and continues to be a forerunner in the industry, exploring new momentum in the global music scene.

www.hotei.com