Hyper Japan: well worth your yen

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s here. Clear crystal skies, warm west winds. Ditch your books, palm your cats off on neighbours and roll up at the airport for summer vacancies in an island paradise or neon metropolitan web – jetsetters apply at the front desk.

With summer finally in full swing, dreams of faraway cultures are forefront in our minds. The year has been a hard slog – I feel for you, really – and we’re all in the same fragile vessel, (tightly-packed, legs tucked in with someone’s sweaty pits in direct line of our noses) hoping ocean currents will sweep us a world away, to the glistening, exotic shores of Utopia, so far and fast that our worries are left behind in the waves.

Hyper Japan is great place for those just dipping their feet in the culture for one of the first times

But big dreams often come with big price tags, and I don’t know about you but the moths have been hovering around my purse of late. However, that cultural fix needn’t be half way across the world (nor cost an arm and a leg.) If you’re counting your pennies, while it’s not always possible to go on a journey of continental discovery, there’s always a way to bring a piece of world culture to you. A million and one experiences are here to be had right on your doorstep, in the form of the culture show.

Hyper Japan is one of these, a vibrant show held annually in London, bringing together aspects of media, fashion, art and traditional food from the Land of the Rising Sun. While a culture show will never be a substitute for the real thing, at £12 a ticket there would have to have been maggots in the miso to come home disappointed (and no… there weren’t.)

Having only been to one show before, a modest fundraiser for the tsunami survivors back in 2011, I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never visited Earl’s Court – where this year’s Hyper Japan was held, and which, just so you know, is enormous – but stalls and stages filled more than half the venue’s space. Suffice to say, it was jam-packed with anything and everything for the kawaii fan; alpaca plushies, steampunk platform Mary Janes, adorable phone accessories and Lolita dresses decked out in frills. Stages were set up for talks with videogame developers, martial arts demonstrations and kabuki theatre. For the traditionalist, art, bonsai and handmade wooden ornaments were on sale and clothing store Aoi sold second-hand silk kimonos previously owned by Japanese families. Of course, I had to have one!

I was disappointed with what seemed to be a relatively small selection of manga and anime to purchase, but to be fair, what was available was currently popular – Attack on Titan and Sailor Moon, of course, both made appearances. While I personally would have preferred more SAO or CLAMP, it would be unfair to knock the sellers for actually supplying the franchises that most visitors wanted. Meh, I’m just picky.

And if you still want the real deal eventually? Have no fear! Leading travel and tour agents were also present to give advice on planning that perfect getaway to the Land of the Rising Sun. I found this particularly useful as my partner and I are already saving for a trip in two years’ time. Inside Japan offered us a multitude of flexible tour packages to peruse, or a straight-cut, simple 24-hour support service in case audacity got the better of us and we decided to discover the country through a straight four-week hitchhike.

Overall, Hyper Japan is great place for those just dipping their feet in the culture for one of the first times. For the knowledgeable enthusiast, its food did leave something to be desired, as chicken katsu curry, though freshly prepared, seemed to be the adventurous option. This isn’t a huge problem, not when you remember that Chinatown and an abundance of sushi restaurants are just a tube-ride away.

If you still want the real deal eventually, leading travel and tour agents were also present to give advice on planning that perfect getaway

This year’s Hyper Japan was on a much larger scale than in previous years, but being a relatively new attraction it’s good to remember it’s still growing, still a work in progress, and what it currently lacks in unique cultural offerings will surely be built upon over the coming decade. True, the real Japan will always provide a better culture thrill, but if you’ve only a few hours on your hand, or a few coins in your purse, this is well worth it. At £12, can you really go wrong?

Reading this and getting goosebumps? Can’t wait until next summer? Well, Hyper Japan’s Christmas Market is running from the 14-16 November. You lucky thing.