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Hyper Japan Christmas 2012 Photos

We had a fantastic time at Hyper Japan this weekend at Earl’s Court in London! Thank you to everyone who came along to the stall, it was really lovely to meet you all, and amazing that some people already knew us from the previous Hyper Japan, Facebook or MCM!

There was a huge traffic jam on the motorway so we arrived with not much time to unload and set up. It was a squeeze getting everything onto one table (I wished I’d booked a bigger stand!) so a few things had to stay at home, and we had to show off the brand new chopping boards! I originally drew the Chop design with the cute veggies for a chopping board competition. It didn’t win but has become the most popular A4 print, and I finally found somewhere that could print it onto chopping boards for me. They arrived the day before Hyper Japan and went down really well.

Chopping Board

I also had packs of Christmas cards and the new How to Make Sushi comic books, which were available on their own or as a set with a rolling mat and two pairs of reusable chopsticks (also available here). I hope lots of people who bought it will be enjoying their homemade sushi soon! So much better than supermarket sushi….

Sushi Comic

Our neighbours were Tofu Cute (sooo many cute things..!) and on the other side Kelley’s Deli and Kam Creates with their boutique fashion and jewellery, who were really friendly. It was also great to be in the same section as our friends Two Bad Bananas, who do super-cute jewellery – check them out for Christmas presents (especially if they’re for me!!).

There was a really good stage programme – with the stall keeping me busy I couldn’t watch that much but I did catch Oishii Ichigo and Beckii Cruel. They were really fun to watch, so full of energy – I wish I could dance like that. Later on Beckii came and said hi at the stall when she was looking round – it was great that she remembered us from last time!

Beckii Cruel at Hyper Japan

Beckii Cruel

Visual kei band Ninjaman Japan were also amazing, loud and full of energy, with extravagant outfits and ninja-style fighting on stage! It was impressive that the stage programme included performances by genuine artists from Japan. I got a closer look at their costumes when they appeared at the meet and greet section, which was right in front of our stall.

Ninjaman Japan

It made me really happy to spot a few people wearing Cakes with Faces t-shirts, and a few people we recognised from MCM Expo last month! There were also lots of people dressed in colourful Harajuku style, and lots of beautiful lolitas – including one wearing a red and green Christmas lolita dress, with christmassy accessories. I got a new dress with cakes on from ACDC London, who have a shop in Takeshita Dori in Harajuku, which I’ll definitely be looking out for when I visit Tokyo next year! Again, it was great to see a genuine Japanese shop, which you wouldn’t normally get to visit.

Lolita Fashion at Hyper Japan

One of the other highlights of Hyper Japan is the Japanese food stalls. I enjoyed some veggie sushi, then had okonomiyaki two days in a row because it was so yummy! Will have to look up how to make it at home, as it’s not often on the menu at Japanese restaurants… (not that there are any where I live, sniff!)

I picked up some leaflets about visiting Japan from the super-friendly people on the tourism stalls, including a booklet of hand-drawn maps of districts in Tokyo, pointing out cool places to visit. There was also an area where you could make your own chopsticks for free, origami workshops, sushi making and sake tasting.

So that’s it for shows this year – but for now you can still order online in the shop.

You can see the rest of my photos on my Facebook page…