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Minae's Guide to Hyper Japan ♥

Hi everyone! 
How is your week going? Is the weather good in your country right now? 
Here in the UK, we're now experiencing "off" weather, where it's sunny one second, and raining the next! Usually in this condition we would see rainbows, but it's so cloudy that there's none in the sky~!


Hyper Japan is around the corner with only a few days left until the event! I'm extremely excited! 
For those of you who don't know, Hyper Japan is an annual event that celebrates all things Japanese including food, art, culture, fashion, anime and video games, which runs on the last weekend of July and occasionally the end of November for a Christmas market.
I've been to Hyper Japan twice now, and it's a lot different to other similar conventions in the UK such as MCM Expo or London Anime and Comic Con so I want to talk about the event during this post, and give a few tips on what to expect when going there, what to bring with you, and important things to remember while you're there! 

So let's get to it! 

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Let's start with the important things to remember while you're there! 


The convention is not all about Anime! 
The majority of people are there for the anime of course, and there are tons of Anime Cosplayers which are amazing, but that's not all the event is for, so naturally, there will only be a small percentage of anime related things (well, there is a heck of a lot of it to be fair). There is booths for Japanese music (including Idol groups), Manga artists, Confectionery, Gaming, Culture and sooo much more it's unbelievable!! Don't expect every single thing to be Anime galore, this isn't Akihabara.

A lot of the people at the stalls and talk shows speak one language, Japanese 
Of course a lot of those people who do host the talk shows and run the stalls may speak English, but sometimes you may come across the one person who doesn't. When that happens, don't complain about them not knowing English since they probably tried really hard to be able to attend this event. When talking to the workers be prepared to run into the awkward conversation where you try to explain to each other what you're trying to say. Make light of the situation and make them feel comfortable. 

Don't go there thinking you're an expert at all things Japanese, you're not. 
There are so many people going to this con who probably know a lot more about a certain aspect of Japan than you. Don't run in there thinking that you know everything about AKB48 when someone else could tell you all about AKB, SKE, NMB and HKT48. That being said, people love to know more about things, so if you bump into someone who knows less about the topic than you, feel free to talk to them about it, you might make a new friend in the process! 

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What to bring to the convention


Hand Sanitizers/Wipes!!! 
There are over thousands of people at these conventions so germs will be flying everywhere, please make sure to actually bring some sort of cleanser to keep your hands clean. It will benefit not only you, but others too. On the topic of hygiene, remember to shower before you go! With body heat being at its highest, the stench of people will be strong, save the person behind you the horrors of smelling your body odor. By smelling nice, you also attract people which could lead to a conversation to make some friends lmao 

Water and Medication
Of course water is a must to keep yourself hydrated as it does get hot with so many people, and although this years Hyper Japan will be at the O2 which has air conditioning, the body heat radiating off people will still make the area humid. Medication is also a must, you never know what could happen and you might save someone else if the situation came up! 

Camera 
Trust me when I say you will be taking a lot of photos, a LOT. there are so many things to do at these conventions and so many great artists coming to showcase their work or perform. Remembering the experience is great, but having a photo to enhance the memory is even better! I didn't take nearly enough photo's during my first HJ, but I learnt to take a lot more for the next years one! 

Money! 
Again, trust me when I say that you will spend everything in your bank account when you go to these events. A few simple tips from me would be to 1) Budget your money, make a list of all the things you might want and set a limit to how much you will spend. 2) Take money out of your bank account BEFORE you enter the venue so that you're not standing in line for the cash machine for up to 30 minutes. 3) Make sure you have enough money for food, which leads to the next point! 

Food! 
Conventions like Hyper Japan have a lot of delicious food to try out, but it can get very expensive, so if you're not feeling the price, bringing your own lunch with you might be the better option. I usually tend to bring a small lunch with me, and then towards the end of the con if i'm still hungry i'll get something to eat at the food stalls because that's when they half the price!! 

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What to expect at Hyper Japan


Lots of people 
I already mentioned this like 3 times now, but here in the UK we don't get many conventions catered to Japanese things annually compared to France, the Philippines or the US, so these events are crowded with people! Make sure you plan your day so that you're not shuffling through crowds to look at a stall, repeatedly saying "excuse me please" to get to the next game conference or singing, and so you can get the best view during live shows! 

Amazing Live shows! 
Hyper Japan is probably the best convention for bringing really good Japanese artists to perform here in the UK. Last year they had YanaKiku, Shiro-X, and Yun*Chi as headliners, and this year they're going to have Tokyo Girls Style, May J, Yoshiki & Toshi from X-Japan and Dempagumi.inc!! 

Lots of Stalls, Artists rows and Gaming booths
There are tons of places for you to look around and buy merch from your favorite anime or drama, and you can also buy indie artists books/manga directly from them (this is very nice to do, seeing their happy faces when you buy a copy of their work is just amazing!) and draw with them too! The gaming booths range from the latest games to be released from Bandai, Nintendo, Playstation and more so you get a first hand try at the games before they're released, as well as a huge amount of retro games to play! 

To have a generally good time! 
The event is here to join people who have the same interests together in one place to celebrate the things we enjoy so much. Whether it's Japanese Games, Music, Anime, the Histoy and Culture, or just the experience of learning about Japan, there are lots of people that you can relate to and enjoy the event with, so try not to be too shy and just have as much fun as you possibly can, because this event only happens once a year! 

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I hope you enjoyed this little post, and I hope my guide to hyper japan has helped you plan a little more about how you'll be spending your weekend, or next years event! 

As mentioned above, the next Hyper Japan is from the 10th July (THIS FRIDAY) to the 12th of July, after that we'll have to wait for the Christmas Market in November! If you haven't purchased a ticket yet, you can still do so online but hurry because it's limited! 

That's all for today, thanks for reading! 

Are you going to hyper japan? If so, what are you excited to see? 
Leave me a comment in the comments section below or send me a tweet through twitter! 


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