Celebrating the Olympic Games with a marathon of its own, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre will present all thirty-seven Shakespeare plays, each performed by a different theatre company, in a different language, over six exciting weeks.

Japan Centre customers are able to witness this amazing linguistic event as The Globe have been kind enough to let our customers enjoy the breathtaking Japanese language performance of Coriolanus for a fraction of the price.

Chiten Presents Coriolanus 21st/22nd May 2o12 

The Chiten theatre company from Kyoto brings the first ever Japanese production to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, directed by one of Japan’s most imaginative artists, Motoi Miura. The company, renowned for its minimalist, avant-garde vision, brings this fresh take of Shakespeare to England for the first time.

Coriolanus is Shakespeare’s greatest political play. At its heart, however, there unfolds a personal tragedy of one man’s emotional blindness. Constant strife exists between the powerful aristocracy and the hungry citizens of Rome. Many in the city yearn for peace but influential politicians know that their positions at home are secured by military campaigns abroad. Into this ferment strides the inflexible patrician general Caius Martius, fresh from his victory over the hated Volscians.

Japan Centre discount tickets

Watch this unique performance in the modern reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe, Bankside London at amazing one-off prices exclusively for Japan Centre customers:

£10 Best Available Seats (a discount of £25)

To book these seats either use the code PCD10BEST when booking online at  or quote ‘Japan Centre £10 Best Available Offer’ when calling the box office on 020 7401 9919.

2 for 1 Yard Tickets

Usually £5 per ticket this works out at just £2.50 for the best position in the house. To book these seats either use the code PCDYARD241 when booking online at  or quote ‘Japan Centre 2 for 1 Yard Offer’ when calling the box office on 020 7401 9919.

Globe to Globe is part of the World Shakespeare Festival – a celebration of Shakespeare as the world’s playwright which forms part of London 2012 Festival, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad. The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements.

To celebrate the UK screening of Mitsuko Delivers, the latest comedy from Japanese film director Yuya Ishii, Japan Centre is running a competition to give away 3 copies of  Ishii’s quirky film Sawako Decides to three lucky winners!

New Release ‘Mitsuko Delivers’

The newest film from ‘Sawako Decides’ director Yuya Ishii, Mitsuko Delivers opens at the ICA Cinema from May 11th and runs until May 24th.

This breathless new comedy tells the story of a woman (Riisa Naka, Summer Wars) who’s at a delicate juncture in life; alone, flat broke and to top it all nine-months pregnant. Her folks think she’s in California living the high life with her baby’s GI father. In fact she’s in Tokyo, searching for a purpose, and eventually finding one in the ramshackle working-class alley where she grew up… Mitsuko Delivers is original, fanciful and adventurous – quintessentially Japanese.

For more information about screenings make sure you check out Third Window Films.

How Can I Enter?

To enter and be in with a chance of winning a copy of this great film on DVD, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post, our facebook post, or reply to our tweet telling us who or what is your favourite Japanese actor or movie and why?

We will choose a random winner from everyone who leaves a comment and let you know whether you have been chosen by Friday, May 11th.

Good luck everyone and make sure you keep an eye out for the next Japan Centre competition!

Ittadakimasu!

Last week umai Westfield Stratford held a cool pop up stand with exclusive manga goodies, this week our second stand alone store located in the bustling Westfield mall is holding  a free tasting event on Friday 4th and Sat 6th May 12pm – 6pm.

Just round the corner from our Westfield store at the display kitchen there’ll be a Japan Centre stand dishing out delicious free samples of firm Japanese favourites for you to try. Nibble on hot, fragrant pork gyoza dumplings or slurp on some calcium rich Calpico, a tasty soft drink you can also use to make cocktails!

NIHON POP CULTURE POP-UP!

There’s some pretty cool things going on at umai by Japan Centre Westfield Stratford City. Our second stand alone store located in the bustling Westfield mall houses all your favourite Japan Centre goodies as well as a special central umai deli area where you can pick up fresh sashimi and sushi, hot from the pan tempura and of course our latest Japanese burgers!

On Friday 27th April from 5pm – 8pm just round the corner from our Westfield store there’ll be a Japan Centre Pop-Up store full of exclusive items and limited offers which we’re sure those of you with a passion for Japan would love to get your hands on!

Every month Japan Centre publishes its in-store magazine called Japan Centre Circle. Packed full of Japanese insights and food tips, as well as a monthly recipe, voucher and upcoming event details, it’s a great way to keep up to date with all things Japanese from your favourite Japanese food hall and it’s free too! This week we’ve syndicated our popular Staff Review column so that those of you not able to visit one of our stores can get the chance to read a bit of what Japan Centre Circle is all about. We’ll try to get downloadable versions of the magazine up on www.japancentre.com for you soon.

Opposites Attract

“It’s my turn to write the column this month and an opportunity for me to give you a little insight into Japan from a native. I came to London 3 and a half years ago and am the guy who puts together the Japan Centre Circle magazine for you, hello! In my first column I’d like to talk about sushi…

As well as the obvious cultural differences between Japan and Britain, what surprised me the most when I arrived in London was the amount of sushi sold in all types of supermarkets. Unaware of quite how successful sushi was in the west, I found out pretty quickly that sushi is actually already a normal lunch choice for many, you guys love it! You might be surprised to hear that in actual fact us Japanese don’t eat sushi all that often, certainly not as much as it seems you guys do. In my case I tuck into some sushi about 2 or 3 times a year. Bakeries are big business in Japan and people have sandwiches and artisan bread as their main lunchtime choice instead, very different to how people may imagine (there’s a lot less Fish & Chip eating in Britain than I thought too!)

But Japan = Sushi

Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t mean Japanese don’t like sushi, far from it, but sushi tends to be eaten at specific times like festivals, parties or times of celebration. I absolutely gorged on sushi before I left Japan, afraid that I might not have it for quite some time… not the case! Working for Japan Centre means I get to eat delicious sushi whenever I want, I just have to pretend I’m constantly celebrating!”

Nari’s Profile

Nari’s hometown is Tochigi in central Japan, after graduating from university he worked in Tokyo for 3 years before moving to London in July 2008 and joining Japan Centre. He is our Design, Advertising & Product PR manager, so all the design work you see throughout the stores is made by his own fair hands.

Craving some fish and rice?

If all this talk of sushi’s got you hankering after the good stuff, you can buy a complete sushi kit online at www.japancentre.com for just £18.90! It contains all the basic  ingredients you need to create delicious maki rolls, nigiri, handrolls and onigiri at home (fresh fillings / toppings not included). We’ve also got handy sushi recipes on our recipe page waiting to be tried and tested!

Or, if you want to eat like the Japanese do on their lunchbreak and try a Curry Pan or Melon Bread, we’ve got those too! Head to one of our Japan Centre stores to browse the delicious smelling (and tasting) Japanese bakery items on offer and maybe pick up a cute custard totoro bun for dessert while you’re at it.

Japan Centre Circle magazine is published monthly and available in store now. 

Japan Centre | 14-16 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4RP | Open Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm  Sun 11am – 7pm | t: 020 3405 1246 | e: enquiry@japancentre.com

Japan Centre Westfield Stratford City | Umai, 1 Fresh Food, Great Eastern Market, Westfield Stratford City,  E20 1GL | Open Mon – Fri  10am – 9pm  Sat 9am – 9pm  Sun 11am – 5pm | t: 020 3405 2394

Japan Centre Acton | Unit 15 – 18 Victoria Industrial Estate, Victoria Road, London W3 6UU | Open Mon – Fri  11am – 7pm  Sat 9am – 7pm  Sun 12am – 6pm | t: 020 3405 2388

To many people Japan Centre is the busy food shop and Japanese deli counter in the centre of  Piccadilly Circus, but to the Online Team our home is a bustling warehouse in North Acton. It’s here we update our website, prepare and send out all of the online orders we receive, as well as bake the delicious Japanese bread for the bakery and deliver products to our stores. It’s also where we taste test. Taste testing is a lengthy but (as you can imagine) enjoyable job, so we thought we’d let you guys have a little look at how we bring the best of Japan to you.

Prepare the palate

Did you know that since we’ve been online Japan Centre has made available almost 4000 items? Phew! We’re able to do this by the hard work of not only the Online Team but also the very busy Purchasing Team, who are constantly working to make sure we have the biggest and best range of Japanese food available in Europe. Every so often a new container of goodies arrives and we unleash Japan Centre staff from our different teams to taste test items and help make a decision on what is going to be next on the import list.  Not only is this a fun event as we get to spend our friday afternoon eating food and sipping sake, it’s also about great teamwork as our unique mix of Japanese and British staff helps to pick a balance of  traditional Japanese food that you would find in an everyday kitchen and unique products for the more adventurous food conisseur.

Censored for your safety!

Digging deeper…

As you can probably tell from the main photo, we were sent a lot of items this time (and that’s not even the half of it). Once we’d finished sorting them and found they covered all the games tables in our staff room (the largest room for the job), we knew we’d be there for a while. There are always a few special items in any container, whether they’re dubiously named, oddly flavoured or just plain delicious looking we always remember some more than others. The stand out this time round was sake from Fukuoka that had managed to give itself the best name ever by employing a little word play on the shortened Fukuoka airport baggage tag.

As usual we received a lot of snacks, from rice crackers to bags of crisps including a packet of purple crisps and a packet of super spicy karashi renkon crisps from Kumamoto. Seasoning-wise we found a very interesting sounding yuzu citrus fruit based miso and a white soy sauce from Aichi Prefecture, which is used to give dishes that rich umami savoury flavour without overpowering the natural colour of the ingredients.

The results are in

One of the Japan Centre staff bends down to write something at just the right moment.

Eventually, after a satisfying afternoon the taste testing was over and with our palates satisfied and the products thoroughly judged we returned to work whilst the purchasing team made notes on what had been a hit and what would unfortunately not be making the cut this time.

From testing to store

The ordering process can take a bit of time, but some of these products will grace the shelves of Japan Centre sooner or later. Make sure to keep an eye on our Japan Centre website, especially our new items page for the latest available items, or if you are lucky enough to live in London visit our Regent Street Store!

If you have things you miss from Japan, or that you’ve heard about and think Japan Centre should stock let us know in the comments below!

Japan Centre | 24 hour shopping at www.japancentre.com

Easter is here!

Want some tasty treats delivered to your door or to pop in for a bite to eat over Easter? Check out our Easter opening schedule to make sure nothing stands in the way of great food from Japan Centre this holiday!

Easter Opening Times for Japan Centre Online (Office)

Easter Opening Times for Japan Centre Regent Street

Easter Opening Times for Japan Centre North Acton

Ahh I remember my student days fondly. Lots of parties, lots of drinking and lots of sleeping. Unfortunately though, not a lot of money. This is why Japan Centre is here to help and support you! We know how daunting it can be thinking about how much you have left to spend on proper food instead of that 8p pack of instant noodles or yet another week’s worth of pasta… so we’ve introduced a student discount!

Ooh goody, what’s on offer?

April’s an important month for students in Japan as it’s the beginning of the academic year, that’s why this month we want to help you nourish your brain with omega-3 sushi from umai, fill your belly with ramen after a night out, or help to impress a date with homemade tempura from Japan Centre! What are you waiting for, bring yourself back from the cusp of malnutrition and rejoice in reduced prices for all of those still subjugated to the great British education system!

Simply present your NUS or student card at the counter when paying to recieve a 5% discount on all Japan Centre and umai goodies!

Valid for student card holder only. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Regent Street Japan Centre and umai deli store only. UK student cards only: NUS, Language School & College accepted. Not valid for use in our online store or other Japan Centre & umai locations. Offer valid 1st – 30th April. 

While spring has not quite yet sprung in the UK, we at Japan Centre find our thoughts once more turning to sakura mochi, sakura shochu and yards and yards of blue tarps; a sure sign that Hanami is just around the corner.

What is Hanami?

Hanami is a very ancient tradition, dating as far back as the 700s when people would have ‘flower parties’ and feast outside, composing odes about their beautiful surroundings. These days Hanami parties are almost exclusively cherry blossom viewing parties and can range from informal family picnics to massive outdoor raves.

March to May is prime Hanami time in Japan as the ‘sakura front’ of blooming cherry blossom crosses the country, starting in warm and sunny Okinawa ’till it eventually makes its way to the slightly cooler climbs of Hokkaido in the north. But you don’t have to go to all the way to Japan for a great Hanami. So get ready and grab your picnic basket, here are our top tips on where to go and how to make the most of your Hanami!

Location, Location, Location

Amazing as it may be, Mt. Fuji is a bit far for even the most hardcore Hanami fan to go. So don’t reach for the passport and plane tickets just yet, there are plenty of equally awesome cherry blossom viewing spots all around the world. Here are some of our faves:

Kensington Gardens, London - Even gloomy old London manages to muster up some springtime sakura to frolic under. What’s more, any London Hanami newbies who want to flex their Japanese conversation skills can attend the Japanese Conversation Group’s annual Hanami event there. However life doesn’t stop at Watford Gap, so for those of you outside London the BBC has a great round-up of Hanami spots across the UK.

Roihuvuori, Helsinki - 200 trees have been donated by local residents and businesses and every year it plays host to annual Hanami events with cultural displays like tea ceremony.

Washington, DC. – West Potomac Park hosts one of the largest Hanami events in the world, the National Cherry Blossom Festival. First planted in 1912 as a gift from the Mayor of Tokyo, now thousands of trees throng the area.

Plan Ahead

In Japan, it’s traditional for groups to stake out areas in parks ahead of time by laying down the now ubiquitous blue ground tarp and having a friend guard their spot until the party (sometimes even over night!) Now, we can’t recommend this approach (you wouldn’t want to be the first person to get an asbo for Hanami), but it does pay to plan ahead. Scout out where you might want to celebrate in advance, by the time the blossoms have bloomed you may find that all the good parks are jam-packed. Also it’s best to work out who will be taking what home with them and how they’ll do it ahead of time. One year we ended up taking a shaved ice machine (yes, one of those) home with us on the metro. Not fun.

Flex Your Culinary Muscle

Loads of delicious Japanese dishes make great finger food, we particularly recommend onigiri, inari sushi, kushiage, and kashiwa mochi for low-mess snacks.  In Japan it’s not unusual to see Hanami groups gathered around a hot plate or takoyaki griddle, so why not bust out the portable stove and make some yakitori, teriyaki or yakiniku right there on the spot! Plus it might warm you up if it gets a bit nippy.

To cut down pre-Hanami stress get your mates involved. Get everyone to bring a dish or snacks and it means less to worry about. Even better, indulge in a stylish shokado bento or super cute bento lunchbox kit to help carry your goodies. No more paper plates to throw away, now you’ve got something to carry your food in and your own plate! Similarly bento picks and mini-sauce bottles are must-haves for Hanami picnics, they’re fun and great for keeping things mess free.

Drink Up

We’d be remiss in talking about Hanami if we didn’t mention sake. Sake has been an integral part of Hanami traditions since the very beginning and some believe a drop of sake is essential to properly appreciate the flowers. When you’re picking out your tipple we suggest getting individual bottles so you don’t need lug around cups (it also means there’s less to get spilled if anyone gets a bit boisterous.) Sake’s not the only drink for Hanami, we like peach (momoshu), plum (umeshu) and sakura flavoured drinks to give everything a proper springy feel. If alcohol is not your bag or the weather is a bit less than desirable for sitting on a plastic sheet for four hours put some warmed amazake or hot green tea in a thermos and take it along.

Let the good times roll!

Remember, if the worst happens and the heavens open no one says you have to be outside for Hanami. The most important thing is to have Hanami spirit and take the opportunity to enjoy good times with friends and family! And just to get you in the mood…

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- Thanks to skyseeker at Flickr for the cherry blossom & fuji image.
- Thanks to yukishana at Flickr for the cherry blossom & tarps image.
- Thanks to SF Brit at Flickr for the cherry blossom & night time river image.

Well look at that, time’s flown by and umai by Japan Centre Westfield Stratford City is already celebrating its 6 month anniversary! Our Westfield branch is a beautiful little place, selling a fantastic selection of both umai deli take-out and all your favourite staple Japanese cooking ingredients! We’ve enjoyed meeting our East London customers and hope you’ve enjoyed your umai by Japan Centre shopping experience too!

What can I buy at umai Westfield?

If you’ve not visited us yet, now is the perfect time to come and see what we’re all about. As well as a fantastic selection of sushi, we have an island kitchen serving made-to-order noodles, curry and donburi rice bowls. Just adjacent is a fresh fish counter where you can order your sashimi grade fish for a carb-free lunch or dinner party at home and all of this is surrounded by Japan Centre food products such as sushi rice, mirin, edamame, curry, sake and tea!

It wouldn’t be umai by Japan Centre if we didn’t continuously work on the menu to keep it fresh and evolving, changing season to season, so the latest introduction to the menu at Westfield is Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen, fast becoming a big hit!

Anniversary Offers

To celebrate our 6 month milestone we’ve got a special promotion on just for you. Visit us at umai Westfield Stratford City and mention ‘Anniversary Offer’ when buying at the checkout to receive a special gift from us to you! We’ve got some great Japanese presents available in this limited offer so hurry on down to receive yours! (first come first serve on 1,000 gifts).

Looking forward to seeing you!

umai by Japan Centre | 1 Fresh Food | Great Eastern Market | Westfield Stratford City | E20 1GL
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri  10am – 9pm  | Sat 9am – 9pm  | Sun 11am – 5pm

Photo © Say Architects