Japanese London

Since the Japanese sailors who sailed into London from the time of Elizabeth I onwards, it took till the Victorian period for Japanese culture to hit the social imagination and consciousness of inhabitants of the British Isle. While it remains low on pink cherry blossom and pachinko parlours, London now has a resident population of around 19, 000 Japanese, resulting in some very exciting Japanese venues, shopping experiences and potential adventures into Anglo-Japanese culture.

JAPANESE SHOPPING

Orbital Manga, 4C Orion House, Upper St Martin’s Lane, www.orbitalcomics.com.
Insanely fascinating Japanese comics, Manga and designer toys for sale …

Hideout, 7 Upper James Street, www.hideoutstore.com. Just about a first in terms of importing hot Japanese urban chic style clothes, Hideout carries the zaniest Shibuya must-haves.

Arigato Japanese Supermarket, 48-50 Brewer Street, Soho. Popular with students and shoppers, lots of Japanese brand names for sale. Complete with open-plan sushi bar and a promising-sounding sweets fridge, full of rare Japanese confectionary.

The Japan Centre, 212 Piccadilly, www.japancentre.com, is a three-story, breath-taking emporium of all things Japanese, including enough origami sets to send the most repressed origami-lover into a frenzy of delight - and you can eat in the fragrantly delicious Toku restaurant.

Cybercandy, 3 Garrick Street, Covent Garden, www.cybercandy.co.uk, has brilliantly coloured, named (Shizuku Baby Gum … why?), shaped and designed delectable Japanese candy. Try a Pocky!

JAPANESE EATING

Who wants charcoal-grilled Yakitori and Kushiyaki made by the legendary order of Ganko Ojisan, The Keepers of The Flame? If the answer is, ‘Yes!’ then try Bincho Yakitori, Old Compton Street, Soho, www.bincho.co.uk.

Offering a ‘kaiseki’, a Japanese taster menu, Umu is the only Kyoto-style restaurant in the U.K. at 4 - 16 Bruton Place, Mayfair, www.umurestaurant.com.

For Japanese-Peruvian food, there’s the famous Nobu, 19 Old Park Lane, www.noburestaurants.com.
Food to dine for …

Kaiten conveyor-belt Japanese food can be sampled at Kulu Kulu, 76 Brewer Street, W1 (020 7734 7316) and at Moshi Moshi Sushi, 24 Upper Level, Liverpool Street Station (020 7247 3227). Worth trying and popular with Japanese Londoners is the Centre Point Sushi Café, 20-21 St Giles High Street, Bloomsbury/Covent Garden. Nesting above the Korean Grocery Store Centre Point dishes up Sea Bass sushi, salmon in panko (gorgeous shards of Japanese breadcrumbs) Kirin beer, Bento boxes and Jasmine tea, (020 7240 6147), www.cpfs.co.uk

Asakusa, 265 Eversholt St, Camden Town offers core-value great Japanese fare and has some very convincing menus written in Japanese. Always a good sign, too, it’s very popular with Japanese Londoners.

JAPANESE EXPERIENCES

From the sublime to the ridiculous …

The Japanese Rooms at The British Museum, Great Russell Street, www.britishmuseum.org, are host to such things as samurai warrior swords, rare porcelain, and a reconstructed traditional teahouse.

Japan, Room 45 (Toshiba Gallery) at the V&A, Cromwell Road, holds Cloisonné enamels, glorious kimono and ukiyo-e Japanese prints.

The Horniman Museum, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, www.horniman.ac.uk, has incredible noh masks (these can take a lifetime to perfect), dolls and musical instruments.

Opened in 1991 and designed by a Japanese team (including the famous Japanese garden designer, Tanaka, the peaceful Kyoto Garden, in Holland Park, is most beautiful in spring and autumn.

The obscure but wonderful Soseki Museum hosts all things connected to the life and work of Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki, author of the famous ‘I Am A Cat’. Take a look at www.soseki.org.

The London Buddhist Centre, 51 Roman Road, www.lbc.org.uk, has an arts centre and a yoga health centre. And does great things like Full Moon Nights and offers mediation courses and retreats.

Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, www.asiahouse.org hosts over a 100 pan-Asia events annually.

The Japanese Peace Pagoda at Battersea Park (nearby Chelsea) is beautifully devised and saffron-robed Buddhist monks congregate here every morning for meditation.

Innes Lounge, 8 Shepherd Street, www.inneslounge.com, offers a retreat into Shiatsu massage starting at £1 a minute.

Playlounge, 19 Beak Street. Where do you begin? Macabre, miniaturist, vending-machine dinky toys and dolls of every ilk from Japan.

Lucky Voice Private Karaoke, 52 Poland Street, is among the best in Tokyo-brand karaoke craziness with (how brilliant is this?) 9 pods, gleamingly high-tech, for up to 12 people.

AND FINALLY

For more Japanese London advice, contact The Japan Society at www.japansociety.org.uk. Founded in 1891, The Japan Society hosts concerts, conversation classes and a richly diverse number of Anglo-Japanese events.

The Embassy of Japan in the UK has tons of Japanese London information on music, must-see events and even offers domestic Japanese news.