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Celebrating Japan Culture day In London: Is it possible?

Absolutely. And let us show you how

If you’re looking to immerse yourself into Japanese culture there’s no better day than the 3rd of November which marks the national holiday of Culture day in Japan. The significance of this day is to celebrate the Arts, Culture, and Academic endeavours that have moulded Japanese society to the current day. 

Originally the 3rd of November was a holiday held in honour of the reigning emperor’s Birthday, Emperor Meiji, from the year 1868 to 1912. After his passing, it ceased to be celebrated, until 1948 when the government announced that the 3rd of November would be a day to celebrate Culture day.

Fun fact: it falls statistically on the clearest days of the year.

Therefore we have curated a trail in London that will transport you all the way over the pacific ocean and give you a Japan Culture day experience through Food, Culture and Hot Spots that we have planned out for you down below: 

Start your day off with a morning of Iconic Japanese art. The British Museum is showcasing Katsushika Hokusai’s, the famous Ukiyo-e and woodblock printer’s unpublished drawings. You may know him from his most popular prints, ‘The Great Wave of Kanagawa’. Grab yourself some tickets and experience the exceptional work of Hokusai and a chance to veer into 19th Century Japan.

This bespoke jacket is available at our pop-up store 88 Regent street, there’s only one of these so grab this while you can.

Japan’s popular festival treat and Street Food : Okonomiyaki

Only a short 4-minute walk from the British Museum you can find yourself salivating over The restaurant Abeno’s okonomiyaki restaurant where you can fashionably indulge over their popular savoury pancakes. Okonomiyaki is a street-food style dish and a festival favourite. 

credit: wiki commons

You can continue your evening with a walk through the Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park where you will be invited to the serenity of a Japanese garden accompanied by a gentle waterfall and a stone bridge to hop across.

Next stop: A scenic walk through Kyoto Gardens

The serene pond of Kyoto gardens (photo: Pollobi Ferdousi)
Resident peacock of Kyoto Garden (photo: Pollobi Ferdousi

Worry not: There’s more

If you want more, worry not, we have a bunch of suggestions down below of more places to eat, shop, and visit in London:

Get cosy with a visit to Japanese food and drink shop, The Rice Wine shop on Brewer street who not only specialise in a delicious assortment of sake and wines but continental essentials for Japanese cuisine that you will definitely want in your spice cupboards.

If you’re looking for a spot to satisfy a sweet tooth, look no further as RISE Japanese bakery and bar has a beautiful variety of Japanese Sweet and savoury bread. They specialise in serving the best Japanese bakery goods that you wouldn’t expect to find in London. 

Speaking of sweet, Tsujiri Matcha House is a compact cafe serving up an amazing spread of desserts ranging from matcha teas, icecreams and bubble tea. Everything you would want in one place. Only an 8 minute walk away you will find us at 88 Regent Street, so come find us along the trail of Japanese dessert shops and rice wine stores where we are situated near the heart of many Japanese hot spots. 

credit: @rise_bakery_bar

End the day with gratitude and a visit to our Pop-up store @ 88 Regent Street

We love culture and Art. They are the very aspects of life that mould our sensibilities and showcase our rich histories. It is important that all cultures are celebrated and championed without discrimination. If the pandemic has taught us something, it’s that Hate never prevails as community and culture REC-onnect us with the important things in life. Food, art and culture are sources of comfort, innovation and stories that root us down and lead to a more constructive future.  So no matter your background, you are rooted in the human-ness of being able to connect, construct and imagine a future with one another. In light of the past year, check out the link for resources to #StopAsianHate

We welcome you to our pop-up concept store 88 Regent Street where we can offer you onsite-customisations, a browse through our one-of-a-kind sustainable pieces or even a friendly Yoroshiku. 

There’s more: 

Did you miss our spooky post about Japanese Folklore? 

Check out our Spooky post on Japanese folklore: for Halloween

If you want more, we have a bunch of suggestions for more places to eat, shop, and visit in London in our next Blog: ‘Finding Japan In London: Community hotspots’. The blog will be coming soon. 

We believe in RE-connecting but also introducing you to new things as this helps build a cohesive society where we can enjoy things from different cultures. To rejuvenate yourself as we have more coming.