If you’re ready for an explosion of kawaii overloads and everything Japanese. Then you will love Hyper Japan 2017. Do read on.
(Kawaii mean cuteness in Japanese.)
This is an annual festival which I go to every year. I have covered it a few time over the year: 2014, 2015 and 2016.
For a few years now I have adored anything Japanese. You can say my heart belong to the far east. I just adore their culture, the history, the people and everything else. It just a beautiful place and I would just absolutely love to visit.
But off course, traveling there is really expensive so I have to be contend with visiting a London based festival that celebrates everything Japanese.
And when I say everything Japanese, I really do mean – everything Japanese. You can get a taste of Japanese foods, wearing traditional kimono, sing along to some j-pop singer and play the latest Japanese video game.
It fair to say that I always have lots of fun and it something I always look forward to every year.
Hyper japan 2017 was at the weekend and off course I went along and went basically snap-happy as you will see from the photos.
This year it was held at the old Tobacco docks which if I’m frank – was the most rubbishes venue ever to hold a festival. Now I don’t want to hype it all up and tell you how amazing it is – which it normally is; only for me to turn round and to say that it was crap.
But who ever had the bright idea of holding a festival in an old tobacco factory really need to think a better venue in 2018.
What made it so rubbish, I hear you ask? Well as I said it was held in an old tobacco factory and it was all over the place and really disorganized. This year it looked more like an unorganized jumble sale then a festival celebrating Japan.
There was no structure and I genuinely couldn’t find anything I wanted. And when I did – I couldn’t find it again. For example, I came across an origami stand so I thought I buy some for Richard as he loves origami, it didn’t accept card – only cash. So I then went on a hunt for the cash machine. Found it – got some cash but could I find the origami stand. Nope. Disappeared into thin air.
Another thing on why it was a rubbish venue, you couldn’t move or look at anything. I have no hope in hell to look at any of anime comics as there was 20 thousand people all cramped into a tiny office space where the anime comic was. It was the same with the Japanese sweets section and the kimono.
Hyper Japan 2017 was supposed to be the second largest event in the UK over the weekend (don’t ask me what was number 1) and you could tell by the sheer number of crowds.
I spent more time this year trying to find where everything is – then actually looking at anything. A real big criticisms was that I could not find anywhere to get a simple bottle of water.
It sounds so silly, but there was nowhere to sit down and have a drink. Ok sure, there were stands where you can sample Japanese wine and beers. But I just wanted a plain bottle of water as I was dying of thirst! With the sheer number of attending – you would think there be somewhere to sit down and drink.
I don’t want to spend the whole time grumbling, but this year venue really let it down. However, Hyper Japan 2017 was still fun to see all the cosplay and as you will see from the photos I got to see some of the things there.
But this year I couldn’t celebrate Japan in a big way, so hopefully in 2018 they will pick a better venue.
Let look at some Kawaii photos from Hyper Japan 2017:
