Fun things to do in London this Summer - Hyper Japan

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a little bit of a geek. I love to game with the other half (Final Fantasy is one of my favourites if you're wondering), I'm a sucker for foreign film, I enjoy cooking food with a few choice ingredients and I genuinely get a kick from doing something a little bit different.

If you're like me, it might be worth you checking out Hyper Japan this summer. This summer it will be on from the 10th-12th July at the O2 and I believe that they will be touring again over Christmas as well if you're not about this time.

So, what is Hyper Japan? In a nutshell, it's an enormous celebration of  all things Japanese! So if you're a sucker for Japanese cuisine, you'll love this, think delicious food and drink ranging from a good old Katsu curry right through to bubble tea and even Saki tasting. How about Japanese culture? Then there will be martial arts demonstrations and the year I attended, there were also dance demo's and even some real Geisha!

There's also loads of weird and wonderful innovations for you to take in with artisans showing their wares and their skill such as with the mini-van above.

Of course, when you think Japan, the mind does wonder to Manga, and when Ad and I attended a couple of years ago, there were artists showing us their skills and producing some gorgeous sketches for visitors to have a peek at.

It was fascinating to watch these people at work! If you're a big fan of Manga and Anime then Hyper Japan will most definitely appeal to you. There will be stall upon stall laden with all sorts of goodies from books, figurines from your favourite shows and other paraphernalia which can often be hard to source in the UK.  

On top of this there will be live performances from many famous J-Pop stars such as May J. When Ad and I attended, the Japanese Version of the Blue Man Group Siro-A were performing. How they managed this in such huge hats, I have no frikken idea.

Naturally, the most exciting bit for me was the opportunity to dress up and embrace my love of cos-play! It's so much fun and in all honesty, you'll feel a little left out if you don't embrace the inner urge to dress up.

My costume was fairly basic considering, there were some serious cos-play enthusiasts and if you're looking to grow your costume collection, then you'd be in luck! This year there will be cos-player tables which allow you to pick up hints and tips such as sourcing materials for your costume from professional cos-players.

What was amazing was seeing just how much effort people put into their costumes. Don't worry if, like me, your outfit is cobbled together from bits and pieces or it's been hand sewn, there's such a sense of community that it's only the effort that counts (unless you're entering the cos-play competition of course, you've got to go all out if that's the case!).

If cos-play isn't your thing, then how about some kawaii Japanese fashions? Namely some serious j-style in the form of wigs, accessories, dresses and make-up. There are even stalls which will show you how to apply your make-up to embrace the trend. I'm not sure Amy would manage though!

If none of the above sounds like something you'd like, then perhaps you'd be better of sticking with the Game Park. In this area you'll have the opportunity to play some gaming gems and even some new releases which are yet to hit the high street!

If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, then please do make sure you grab a couple of tickets which you can get HERE. It really is such great fun and if you're a bit of a geek then this will be an absolute riot!

Have you been to Hyper Japan before? What's your favourite section? Did you dress up?