If Japan became a spaceship, its next stop would be Vilnius old town. It is there that on September 8-9, the unexpected culture festival nowJapan will celebrate its 10th birthday and will invite you to see, experience and taste the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun.
nowJapan is moving into unexpected spaces
For the first time in the history of the festival, Japanese culture reigns in the heart of the old town: in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, Vilnius Town Hall, the Artists' Union Gallery and in the town hall square. Japanese culture abounds in experimentation and bold dialogue, so these contrasting spaces won't last long either.
The festival program is maturing and expanding
This year, the program is even more diverse - from colorful and bold pop to subtle examples of traditional culture and unexpected breakthroughs in modern culture. Therefore, everyone will find something interesting at nowJapan's 10th birthday: gourmets of contemporary culture, fans of experimental music, fans of pop culture, food enthusiasts and families with young visitors.
Japanese culture has not yet been seen in Lithuania
During the festival, the Philharmonic will be rocked by Saulius Petreikis and Japanese drums concert, modern dance performances, calligraphy performances and, of course, the most colorful part of the festival – cosplay. In addition, here you can learn how to draw in Microsoft Excel with the artist Tatsuo Horiuchi, who is known as the Michelangelo of Excel.
Lithuanian and Japanese jazz virtuosos will meet on the stage of the Vilnius Town Hall in an improvisation concert, where the impressive "found objects percussionist" Tomos Yamaguchi will also perform. In addition, there will be exhibitions and meetings with creators, improvisational and creative workshops, trade of crafts, digital installations, games. In the unexpected spaces of the town hall, you will see Hiroto Ikeuchi's futuristic Cyberpunk fashions, watch Hiroyuki Mitsume Takahashi create a live projection in a VJ show.
In the gallery of the artists' union, cultural experts will give presentations and invite discussion on various topical topics. By the way, cosplayprofessionals will prepare presentations about this unique culture of character embodiment. The experience will be shared by Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Czech Republic cosplay representatives. The world-famous Jonas Zibartas, the master of animatronic costumes, and Skymone, the creator of costumes for the most famous video game characters, will present their creations and their path to fame to those curious about the festival.
There will be plenty of variety at the open fair of Japanese cuisine delicacies in Town Hall Square - here you can taste delicate Japanese sweets, traditional cuisine, ramen, sushi and unexpected experiments of East Asian cuisine.
Special attention to food
Visitors to the Japanese food festival, which is especially loved by world gourmands, will be able to taste it not only at the culinary fair, but also at the tasting dinners on September 5-6 in a restaurant "Fish". This is perhaps the only opportunity in Lithuania to participate in a traditional one omakase in a style dinner, which the chef of the Japanese Embassy in Lithuania, Taku Imaizumi, will serve to an extremely limited number of gourmets. Omakaseis a tasting dinner where the guests completely rely on the chef's culinary intuition and leave it to him to choose the dishes from the menu, thus embarking on a journey of pleasant and unexpected flavors.
Main festival events will be waiting for you on September 8-9 at even 4 locations in the old town. September 5-6 Tasting sessions will be held in the "Žuvinė" restaurant omakase dinner - the number of places is extremely limited. September 8 the evening is dedicated to fans of modern jazz - improvisations will be performed by Liudas Mockūnas, Tomo Yamaguchi, Ryoji Hojito and Linas Rimša, and on the evening of September 9, the festival will be crowned by a concert of Japanese Taiko drums with melodious improvisations by Saulius Petreikis.
Tickets for the weekend trip to Japan are now on sale! A unique cultural experience awaits you in the heart of the old town. More information about the festival can be found at: www.nowjapan.lt
