A few weeks ago Bristol saw another fantastic Upfest street art festival take place. Upfest is Europe’s largest free street art and graffiti festival, and the event sees artists travelling from all over the world to take part. There was lots of great artwork there, but today I’d like to highlight a few Japan-inspired pieces … Continue reading
Today I’m posting a very much overdue review of Sticks & Broth in Bristol. A year ago (can it really be that long?!) this poster appeared in an empty shop near my office, and my colleagues and I all got incredibly excited! Sticks & Broth, Bristol’s first real ramen restaurant opened last summer, and I … Continue reading
Okonomiyaki is one of my all-time favourite Japanese streetfood dishes, so you can imagine how delighted I was to find out about Kansai Kitchen, a new Japanese street food stall in Bristol specialising in okonomiyaki! For those of you who don’t know, okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a kind of savoury pancake from the Kansai region of … Continue reading
When my friend and first Japanese teacher Chika先生 sent me a message to say that Kinoco Hotel were playing live in Bristol and I should go, I knew I should. I had never heard of Kinoco Hotel (キノコホテル), but soon discovered they were a “Japanese, 1960s hotel-themed all-girl group”. Hotel-themed?! I was intrigued. It’s been a … Continue reading
A couple of weeks ago I went to see Yamato, a taiko (太鼓) troupe from Japan, perform at the Hippodrome in Bristol. I’ve seen lots of taiko performances before, and I think I’ve seen Yamato perform once before in London, but I’m always excited to see another taiko performance. The show was great! They are … Continue reading
Sapporo born Fujiko Nakaya (中谷 芙二子) , whose father Ukichiro Nakaya (中谷 宇吉郎) is credited with making the first artificial snowflakes, has recently exhibited in Bristol. Nakaya is known for her use of fog as a sculptural medium, and in this recent exhibition she took one of Bristol’s landmarks, Pero’s Bridge, and surrounded it in fog. Her first installation … Continue reading
Last Sunday was the last Make Sunday Special event in Bristol this year. Make Sunday Special is a monthly summer event which sees the streets of central Bristol closed for the day and local businesses setting up stalls in town. There is street entertainment, and a general feel of local community. It’s a great event, … Continue reading
The other week I wandered down to the Sunday market at the Tobacco Factory here in Bedminster and was delighted to find fresh sushi on sale! I had to try some of course, and was really pleased to discover that it was not only delicious, but also a little unusual. It was the aburi salmon … Continue reading
“Mukashi mukashi, aru tokoro ni…” (昔々あるところに。。。) – Once upon a time, long long ago… That was how my Sunday evening at Café Kino in Bristol began. I attended an event called ‘Myth and Music of Old Japan‘ by Mukashi Mukashi, a group of four musicians with one storyteller. All around the small stage in the over-crowded café … Continue reading
Last night the Watershed cinema here in Bristol hosted a Lost in Translation evening which, naturally, I had to attend. Here’s how the evening was billed: Say ‘konnichiwa!’ to an evening of film, music and a pink wig or two. For one night only lose yourself in Tokyo with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson at … Continue reading
Haikugirl's Japan 