Friday Favourites - Hyper Japan

At the top of nearly everyone at The Amazing Blog’s bucket list is to travel to Japan, soak in the culture, food, sights and music. However, Japan isn't just down the road and prices for trips easily enter the thousands, so we have an exciting way for you to get your J-culture fix closer to home; Hyper Japan. Since 2010 this 3-day festival has been giving Londoners a much-needed jolt of Japanese culture. This year it is running from 14th to 16th July.

With over 100 exhibitors at Hyper Japan, expect a sensory overload. You can revel in both Japanese nostalgia and edgy futurism while watching self-produced chiptune TORIENA, who programs her music using two game boys. TOROIENA will even be teaching a class, so you’ll be able to create some unique sounds using your favourite retro devices.  Or if this isn’t your cup of saki why not enjoy KAIEN’s musical performance that incorporates dance, video and 3D holograms for an experience like nothing else you’ve ever seen. Marvel at the Kawaii fashion show, and discover and then shop the cute anime-inspired looks, or explore the Game & Anime Park with an area dedicated to the much loved Nintendo. Japan is famous for its advanced technology, and you can catch a glimpse of it here with the Handroid (hand robot!) demonstration. If you want something a little more traditional, you can try your hand doing some calligraphy, learning origami and making authentic kokeshi dolls. 

If Japanese cuisine gets your taste buds tingling, you'll be thrilled to hear that Hyper Japan has a whole designated EAT-JAPAN section. The food court offers much to choose from, from katsu curry, to maki, to poke bowls, to Sticky Bundits (those rice burgers you may have seen circling Instagram), you really will be spoilt for choice. You can even learn the art of cooking Japanese food here, with a wasabi pizza workshop and a curry workshop, or if you're a dab hand at Japanese cuisine, there is a sushi roll competition.

For your fill of Japanese fun and food click here and purchase your tickets. General entry tickets for Friday and Saturday are £15.00. Tickets for entry after 2.30pm and all Sunday are £17.00. A 3-day pass for the full weekend will cost £43.00. We look forward to seeing you there. 

Hyper Japan

Sticking with our Japanese theme from yesterday’s blog post, we thought it would be appropriate to feature the UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture and cuisine, HYPER JAPAN 2012 Christmas . From 23^rd - 25^th November at Earls Court, this huge event will contain numerous aspects of Japanese tradition and culture to explore. We at The Amazing Blog think this would be the perfect event to change up the pace of your traditional weekend activities; go enjoy the latest popular Japanese trends, catch some unique performances, and even taste some delightful cuisine. HYPER JAPAN is also a great place to pick up some exciting and unusual Christmas gifts too!

The event includes many exhibitors there to present traditional Japanese cuisine, teach workshops such as learning how to make your own sushi, and even perform for you. You can immerse yourself in the Japanese culture first hand depending on where your interests lie. They have numerous cultural activities such as martial arts, kimono making, and even calligraphy- all popular traditions in the Japanese culture. If that doesn’t spark your interest, you can hit up the HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market. There is a large selection of Christmas gift ideas that your family and friends can enjoy all year round. From bargain kawaii accessories to toys and Japanese sweets.

There will also be artwork, crafts, and tableware pieces available for purchase for the more discerning customer. No matter who you are shopping for, you're sure to find something special for them at the HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market. With so much to do and see, make sure you take some time to appreciate and try some Japanese Cuisine. Eat-Japan will have some phenomenal opportunities for customers. From the Sake Experience where you can try different types of Sake and even vote on your favourite one, to a Tea Bar and Sushi Workshop, there is something to keep everyone’s taste buds wanting more! Youcan not only sample some of this amazing food, but there will also be stalls set up where you can purchase Japanese drinks, candy, snacks and more.

A general entry ticket purchased online costs £12. More information on event times and ticket prices can be found on their website here. We at The Amazing Blog cannot wait to head to HYPER JAPAN 2012 Christmas event this weekend and hope you’ll find time in your schedule to stop by too!

Saitaku Sushi Kit

One of my favourite types of food is Japanese. It is one of those delights I will randomly crave, whether it is sushi or chicken teriyaki, you can never go wrong with a good Japanese meal. At The Amazing Blog, we love trying new foods, especially new brands that allow you to easily cook international food in our own homes! We recently stumbled upon Saitaku, a global brand of authentic Japanese ingredients, which recently launched a line of “cook-from-scratch” products.

Our favourites are their Sushi Kit, the Tempura Batter Mix, and Teriyaki Sauce. The Sushi Kit contains everything you need to make sushi at home. For beginners this is a great kit to ‘wet your feet’ and learn how to make the perfect sushi rolls in several easy steps. The kit includes sushi rice, sushi vinegar, soy sauce, sushi nori, sushi ginger, wasabi paste, a rolling mat, chopsticks, and most importantly your very own leaflet with step-by-step instructions along with images to wrap your first ever sushi. The Sushi Kit is by far my favourite one of their products! Along with create-your-own kits they also sell an array of sauces and noodles. My favourite sauce, Teriyaki, is delicious on meats and vegetables. It is a mixture of naturally brewed soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. The Tempura Batter Mix includes all of the ingredients to make the perfect batter to put over chicken and even shrimp. Saitaku’s Tempura is absolutely delicious. All of Saitaku’s products are made with high quality ingredients to authentic Japanese recipes, and all products are wrapped up in a distinctive and eye catching Japanese packaging.

These products can be purchased on numerous online retailers, a list of which can be found here which currently has discounts on all of Saitaku’s products. The Sushi Kit retails for £6.99 and a 150ml bottle of the Teriyaki sauce retails for £1.29. For more information on the brand and other products visit their website here. We at The Amazing Blog thing Saitaku’s Japanese food products are great and definitely worth a try!