We had a great time at Hyper Japan last weekend! It’s the UK’s biggest Japanese culture event, which takes place in London every year. You can see all the photos and videos we shared on Instagram stories, or check out my Flickr photo album.
We managed to get along on both Friday and Sunday so here’s our highlights.
CosTest
There aren’t many big cons in Scotland so this was my first time seeing a real cosplay contest. I was so impressed by everyone’s outfits and performances, even though I had no idea who most of the characters are (I need to watch more anime!). Sunday definitely had a more exciting feel than Friday, thanks to all the cosplayers wandering around.
Teru Teru Bozu Workshop
One of the best changes since my last visit to Hyper Japan is that the craft workshops are now drop-in so you can wander over for a break and create something cute. There were lots of fun things to try but we both wanted to make a teru teru bozu (a Japanese good weather charm).
It was really easy to do and there was plenty opportunity to add your own twist so we both made completely different charms that are equally cute. Mine has the pink hair bow and Nicolette’s is the strawberry cat. The workshop was run by Jessica at flapjac and you should look out for her at other events as it was a lot of fun.
Kawaii Shopping
We dedicated the Friday to checking out all the shops as it’s always amazing to browse all the cute plushies, stationery, snacks and more in person at our favourite stores. ARTBOX was the highlight as always, and we spent a lot of time and money there, but we also loved Tofu Cute, Dreamy Bows, Tokyo Toys, Aoi Clothing and Doki Japanese Tableware.
Kawaii Artists & Makers
Hyper Japan is also a great chance to discover some new artists and smaller shops as there was a huge gallery packed with stalls. It was lovely to meet Imouto in person as well as familiar faces like Magical Maidens, Geri Draws Japan and Ellen Stubbings. My favourite new discovery was Geeniejay who had some adorable stickers and pins. Look out for a post with our favourite purchases next week.
Nintendo
Nintendo UK had a big area to showcase their new games and it was very exciting to see more of Link’s Awakening and Pokemon Sword & Shield. Nicolette got to meet Mario too!
Japanese Food & Drink
There were lots of great snacks and drinks to try too. I especially enjoyed the fruit tea from Yi-Fang, fried foods from Peko Peko and lemon cheesekake dorayaki from Wagashi Japanese Bakery).
Big thanks to Hyper Japan for another super cute event! They’ll be back in November with a brand new event, EDO MATSURI NIGHTS so follow them on Facebook or Instagram to find out more about that.
SCK was provided with free entry to Hyper Japan but all photos and opinions are my own.
Marceline is the co-founder and editor of Super Cute Kawaii and the author of The Super Cute Book of Kawaii. She lives by the seaside in Scotland in a flat full of kawaii, creating cute character goods as Asking For Trouble, working on endless craft projects and playing Nintendo.
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