How to have a Japanese-inspired Day out in London

01/10/2022

Kyoto Gardens
Enjoying Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park



My kids and I, like many people, have a deep love and fascination for everything Japanese and while we would love to jump on a plane to Japan (hopefully we will one day) right now with ongoing travel restrictions that are still in place in Asia means that's not the most feasible option. So how do we learn more about Japan and experience some of the culture without actually travelling there? First of all, we have been reading a lot of books, watching documentaries and films and learning how to cook some Japanese-inspired food at home. But then my son asked if we would have a Japanese-inspired day out in London for his birthday and like any major city London is a melting pot of cultures and influences, so we set out to see what we could find.


Kyoto Gardens



1. Kyoto Garden, Holland Park

We started the day with a relaxing walk around the beautiful Kyoto Garden in Holland Park. Kyoto Garden was a gift from the city of Kyoto to commemorate the friendship between Japan and the United Kingdom. As soon as you walk into the carefully planned and landscaped garden you feel a sense of tranquillity and calm especially as you approach the tiered waterfalls and pond full of koi carp, surrounded by stone lanterns and Japanese maple trees. We also spotted a rather majestic peacock wandering around the garden which only added to the unique atmosphere. The Kyoto Garden is free to explore, open daily from 7:30am and is a lovely spot to start the day. 


Japan House London
Exploring the exhibition at Japan House



2. Japan House London

The cultural home of Japan in London, Japan house was created in 2018 by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign affairs to showcase the best of Japanese culture, crafts and food. Here you will find Akira Restaurant (we didn't eat here but I've heard it's excellent) on the upper floor, the ground floor offers an emporium selling a curated collection of crafts from different Japanese artists and designers. The ground floor also has The Stand, take away drinks and snack bar stocking authentic teas such as iced matcha and sencha teas as well as a small seasonal menu. Downstairs is an exhibition space, we explored a free exhibition called "Windowology: New Architectural Views" which was really interesting, they also host film screenings and talks here. 

3. V&A Japanese Collection

The V&A houses a permanent and free Japanese collection in The Toshiba Gallery that is well worth visiting and will be of interest to both children and adults. The collection includes paintings, textiles, armour, woodwork, sculptures and ceramics, as well as modern and contemporary crafts and gives a good grounding into the history of art and culture in Japan. 

If you have time you can also pop over to the Natural History museum and head to the Volcano exhibition and experience what it's like to be in the middle of an earthquake in Japan - it's interactive and my kids found it really interesting. 

Mochi Donut
Trying a Mochi Donut at Japan Centre



4. Japan Centre and Mochi Bar, Leicester Square

Both my kids and I were keen to pick up some tasty snacks. to take home and Japan Centre in Leicester Square has everything you need and more making it an authentic Japanese dining and shopping experience with open kitchens and a central dine-in basement courtyard. On ground level they also have the Mochi Bar, a Japanese bakery serving up freshly hand-baked delights such as mochi donuts, mochi ice cream and bubble tea, we, of course, had to try some Mochi donuts and they were delicious. 


Yokocho



5. Experience Tokyo Ramen at Yokocho

Luckily over the time we visited Heddon Yokocho near Regent Street was having a special Godzilla event and as both my kids and I love retro Godzilla we had to make a visit and taste their amazing Ramen and Godzilla-inspired cocktails (for me, not the kids). Both the interior and food transport you to the alleys ways of Tokyo, "Yokocho" actually means alleyways which are hidden off the main streets of every city of Japan and offer delicious restaurants and street food. I cannot recommend this place enough, the food was amazing and the kids ate every last bite of theirs as well which is always a win! It was a great way to end a Japanese inspired day out in London.

We had also planned to visit Kew Gardens which has a large Japanese garden, Bamboo Garden and Minka house but unfortunately, we ran out of time but that is another place to put on your list.


Yokocho


15 comments:

  1. My daughter found a love of Japan when she was little, she loved it. We did spend a Japanese themed day in London years ago, but not sure we went to the places you visited.

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  2. I am also obsesses with Japanese culture so I loved this post. Thank you for the recommendations, the places look absolutely great!

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  3. Those were all such great spots. I love that you ended the day with a photo with Godzilla. OLD SCHOOL Godzilla, I might add.

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  4. My son loves Japanese culture and his dream is to visit Japan one day. Unfortunately doing so is not in his immediate future so having a Japanese inspired day in London sounds like a wonderful experience that he can enjoy whilst waiting to go to Japan in the future. Thanks so sharing all of these lovely places.

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  5. This looks like a great way to spend time with the family. The Kyoto garden is breathtakingly beautiful.

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  6. That sounds like so much fun. I have been wanting to go to the Kyoto Garden for some time now, it's supposed to be lovely. The kids would be keen to try a mochi donut.

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  7. WOW how cool are all of these places. What a fun day!

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  8. Ooh this looks like such a fabulous place to visit! What a fun day out you had. Id love to experience the food and culture the machi donut looks delightful!

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  9. Well that looks like a good time. I love the look of that area, I want to see it in person someday.

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  10. Looks like a wonderful time had! I would love to visit myself one day.

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  11. It’s amazing what you can find in your own area. Your day out looks like a fun and educational day.

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  12. I loooove Japanese cuisine and would have it every day if I could. I also love the culture itself. It is awesome that you get to experience all of that while in London.

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  13. Oh wow what a fun adventure! I love the Japanese Centre in London too - it's always so fun for shopping.

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  14. Some fabulous ideas here which I would love to do myself as it looks so fun and educational for kids. Looking forward to visiting Kyoto Garden next time I visit London

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  15. A mochi donut sounds amazing! This would be a great place to explore, not to mention London would be so cool to check out.

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Lovely comments

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