August is going to be such an exciting month for Japanese culture and music fans as there are summer themed Matsuri festivals as well as special events especially focusing on Kaiju monsters, Manga comics, and Ghibli movies. You can find each event date with details in our Japanese Events in August calendar below.
A couple of the highlighted festivals in August include the “Tanabata Star Festival” at St John’s Wood Library to find out the romantic legend behind the festival and also you get to make your own Origami decorations and Tanzaku wish cards. Also, out up in Henlow, there’s the “Tokonatsu – Japanese Summer Festival” to explore Japanese culture from anime and manga to the more traditional Matsuri, and enjoy outdoor play and games in the gorgeous Bedfordshire countryside.
Apart from the summer themed festivals, to celebrate 70 years of Japanese monster movies, the Barbican Centre is to screen several Godzilla movies for “All Kaiju Attack!” and Derby QUAD will be showing 4 of the Godzilla movies for “Godzilla-A-Go-Go”.
In addition, if you love Manga comics and Ghibli movies, there’s the “Myths to Manga” Exhibition at Young V&A where you can learn more on the heart of Japanese culture, or you might like to immerse yourself in the world of Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki for enchanting music at “Magic Summer Night”.
For those who are more into art, there’s the “Japanese Calligraphy and Sumi-e Exhibition” and “Spirit of Japan” art exhibition. At the latter exhibition, there will be a rare opportunity to create your art and make it appear more three-dimensional as well as the chance to paint your own Hokusai woodblock print, which will be truly fascinating to attend.
August 1st – August 29th: Japan House London Family Workshops
- Date: Make Your Own Tanabata Decorations – Thursday August 1, Friday August 2, Saturday August 3, Sunday August 4, Wednesday August 7, Thursday August 8, Saturday August 10 | Make and Play with Spinning Tops – Friday August 9, Friday August 23, Thursday August 29 | Origami – Tuesday August 6, Wednesday August 21 | Design Your Own Uchikake – Thursday August 22
- Time: 14:30 – 16:30
- Admission: Free | Drop-in
- Location: The Library, Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5SA *The first Tanabata Decoration Workshop & all Spinning Top Workshops are held in the Hall.
Explore the cultures of Japan this summer with a series of free family-friendly activity workshops at Japan House London. During each workshop, participants can enjoy learning about Japan and unleashing their creativity.
For more information, please check the Japan House London Family Workshops page.
August 6th: Tanabata Star Festival at St John’s Wood Library
- Date: Tuesday, August 6th 2024
- Time: 14:00 – 16:30
- Admission: Free. No advance booking required.
- Location: St John’s Wood Library, 20 Circus Road, London, NW8 6PD
Join The Japan Society at St John’s Wood Library for an afternoon celebration of the Tanabata Star Festival! Tanabata Matsuri Festival is celebrated in Japan in July or August depending on the region.
For more information, please visit the Tanabata Star Festival page.
August 6th: Japanese Conversation Group
- Date: Tuesday, August 6th 2024
- Time: 19:00 – 23:00
- Cost: Just turn up and pay at the door a small fee to cover the costs of the buffet. NO BOOKING REQUIRED.
- Location: The Red Lion, 14 Kingly St, Carnaby, London W1B 5PR
The Japanese Conversation Group provides a friendly and informal atmosphere for Japanese speakers of all nationalities to come together and speak Japanese – intermediate level recommended. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month. They begin at 7.00pm and finish around 11.00pm.
For more information, please check the Japanese Conversation Group page.
August 7th – August 28th: All Kaiju Attack! 70 years of Japanese monster movies
- Date: Thursday, August 1st to Wednesday, August 28th 2024
- Mothra Vs. Godzilla (12A) + introduction by Jasper Sharp: Wednesday August 7th 2024, 18:30 (89 min, in Japanese with English subtitles), £13 + £1.50 Fee, Cinema 1 | Destroy All Monsters (12A) + introduction by Kazuko Hohki: Wednesday August 14th 2024, 18:30 (89 min, in Japanese with English subtitles), £13 + £1.50 Fee, Cinema 1 | Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (PG) + introduction by Steven Sloss: Sunday August 18th 2024, 17:45 (95 min, in Japanese with English subtitles), £13 + £1.50 Fee, Cinema 1 | Shin Godzilla (12A)+ introduction by Helen McCarthy: Tuesday August 20th 2024, 18:15 (120 min, in Japanese with English subtitles), £13 + £1.50 Fee, Cinema 1 | Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (PG): Sunday August 25th 2024, 20:30 (85 min), Standard £18 + £1.50 Fee, Sculpture Court | Mothra (PG) + live performance from Frank Chickens: Wednesday August 28 2024, 18:15 (101 min, in Japanese with English subtitles), £13 + £1.50 Fee, Cinema 1
- Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first ever Godzilla film, the Barbican Centre, in collaboration with the Japan Foundation, is screening the wildest Japanese monster movies from across seven decades with introductions from historians and experts.
For more info and booking, please check out the All Kaiju Attack! page.
August 17th: Symphony Kukai
- Date: Saturday, August 17th 2024
- Time: Door opens at 18:30 and the performance starts at 19:30. (Duration of the performance is approximately 90 minutes with no interval.)
- Ticket: Free, but booking is required.
- Location: Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, Westminster, London SW1H 9NH
The symphony was completed in 2023 to celebrate the 1250th anniversary of the birth of Kukai, a founding figure of the Shingon school of Buddhism. In summer 2024, we look to bring this wonderful piece of music to London as its European premiere, working with Orpheus Sinfonia, the Choir of the Central Conservatory of Music (China), Scherzo Ensemble and London Chinese Philharmonic Choir. Produced by the Beijing Tianguzhiyin Culture & Media Co. Ltd
For more information and booking, please visit the Symphony Kukai page.
August 18th: Magic Summer Night- Music from the Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki
- Date: Sunday, August 18th 2024
- Time: Door opens at 18:30 Starts at 19:00 (Duration: 1 hour and 30 mins including interval)
- Ticket: £41.88 for Tier 3, £52.72 for Tier 2, and £63.54 for Tier 1 (prices including fees)
- Location: Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Music, Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5HT
This concert highlights the profound influence of Japanese anime culture on our generation and aspires to nurture a multicultural world for the next generation growing up in the Western world. The performance will feature Japanese soprano Saori Oda from West End theatre, violinist Angus Gibbon, cellist Aleksandra Pykacz, pianist Hiroko Yamamoto, and esteemed guest performer Prof. Julian Jacobson, piano professor at the Royal College of Music and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
For more information and booking, please check the Magic Summer Night page.
Ongoing Japanese Events in August: Katsura Sunshine’s Rakugo with Special Guest Luca Cupani | Japan: Myths to Manga (Exhibition) | Japan Music Catalogue (Display)
1) Katsura Sunshine’s Rakugo with Special Guest Luca Cupani
- Date: From Saturday May 11th to Thursday November 12th, 2024
- Time: 15:30 on Aug 10, Sept 14,, Oct 12 | 19:00 on Nov 12
- Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins including interval
- Ticket Price: from £13.80
- Location: Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester place, London, WC2H 7BX
Sunshine’s back for his third year in West End and enjoying his fifth year on Broadway. He is joined by hilarious comedian Luca Cupani for an hour of the 400-year Japanese tradition of Rakugo comic storytelling! Come for an afternoon of laughter and leave with a piece of Japan in your heart.
For more info and booking tickets, please check out the Leicester Square Theater page.
2) Japan: Myths to Manga (Exhibition)
- Date: Closes Sunday September 8th 2024
- Time: 10:00 – 17:45 (Last Entry 16:15)
- Admission: £10
- Location: Young V&A Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PA
Take an exciting and atmospheric trip through Japanese history – and explore how landscape and folklore have influenced Japan’s culture, technology and design.
For more information and booking, please visit the Young V&A Japan: Myths to Manga page.
3) Japan Music Catalogue (Display)
- Date: Thursday, January 11th to Saturday, August 31st 2024
- Time: Monday to Saturday 10:00 – 20:00 | Sundays and Bank Holidays 12:00 – 18:00
- Admission: Free
- Location: The Library, Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5SA
Today, all kinds of music can be accessed at any time, and various musical eras and genres co-exist, overlapping and mutually influencing each other in a myriad of ways. And while they have global relations, key genres in the Japanese music scene such as J-pop and J-rock, have frequently evolved according to local rather than global trends. This Library display seeks to convey such aspects of Japanese music through books arranged by nine themes in a catalogue format.
For more information, please check the Japan Music Catalogue page.
Outside of London Japanese Events: Japanese Calligraphy and Sumi-e Exhibition (Farnham) | Tokonatsu – Japanese Summer Festival (Henlow) | Godzilla-A-Go-Go (Derby) | Spirit of Japan (Devon) | Japanese Acrylic Painting Workshop (Devon) | Traditional Japanese Painting Workshop (Devon)
1) Japanese Calligraphy and Sumi-e Exhibition by Koshu and her students in Farnham
- Date: Monday, August 12th to Saturday, August 17th 2024
- Time: Mon 12:00 – 18:00 | Tuesday – Friday 9:00 – 18:00 | Saturday 9:00 – 17:00
- Admission: Free, no booking necessary
- Location: The Barley Room of Farnham Maltings, Bridge Square, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7QR
Step into the Barley Room at Farnham Maltings and experience the timeless beauty of Japanese Art with the ‘Endless Journey’ exhibition. Discover a curated collection of Calligraphy and Sumi Painting artworks created by Koshu and her students, as well as demonstrations led by Koshu.
For more information, please visit the Japanese Calligraphy and Sumi-e Exhibition page.
2) Tokonatsu – Japanese Summer Festival
- Date: Thursday, August 15th to Monday, August 19th 2024
- Time: Thursday Early Access Opening: 15:00 Friday Opening: 12:00 Monday Closing: 12:00
- Admission: Adult Standard Ticket £75.00 | Adult Early-Access Ticket: £95.00 | Child Standard Ticket £45.00 | Child Early-Access Ticket £55.00 *Further tickets including day tickets and concession tickets for scouts are also available.
- Location: Boyd Campsite and Activity Centre, Church Road, Henlow, Bedfordshire, SG16 6AN
Tokonatsu is an all-ages Japanese Culture Festival, hosted outdoors in the gorgeous Bedfordshire countryside, just 40 miles from London. Running for over 20 years, Tokonatsu gives you the rare opportunity to pitch tents shoulder to shoulder with your fellow fans of all things Japanese! From anime and manga, to the more traditional Tokonatsu Matsuri festival, including fun outdoor events and massive tabletop games, you and your friends are sure to find something to love!
For more information and booking, please check the Tokonatsu – Japanese Summer Festival page.
3) Godzilla-A-Go-Go
- Date: Saturday, August 17th 2024
- Mothra Vs Godzilla (12A) 13:00 (89 min, in Japanese with English subtitles) | Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster (12A) 15:00 (93 min, in Japanese with English subtitles) | Destroy All Monsters (12A)18:00 (89 min, in Japanese with English subtitles) | Terror Of Mechagodzilla (12A) 20:15 (84 min, in Japanese with English subtitles)
- Admission: Passes to see all 4 films are priced at £30 (standard), £25 (concessions) and £18 (under 16 years old). | Individual film tickets are also available at QUAD’s normal cinema prices.
- Location: Derby QUAD, Market Place, Cathedral Quarter, Derby DE1 3AS
Join this fantastic event to celebrate the Japan’s greatest monster, Godzilla, with supporting appearances from Mothra, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Rodan, Varan, Minilla. Anguinus and one or two humans too!
For more information and booking, please check out the Godzilla-A-Go-Go page.
4) Spirit of Japan – Devon
- Date: Monday, August 26th to Saturday, September 7th 2024
- Time: Monday – Saturday 9:00~ 20:00
- Admission: Free
- Location: The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth, Devon, TQ6 9ND
A collection of art by a group of established and upcoming artists from across Japan. The exhibition will feature a range of artworks that incorporate traditional and modern styles to capture the spirit of Japan. This is a great opportunity to get a taste of Japan’s fascinating culture and experience something truly unique.
For more information, please check the Spirit of Japan part of the Exhibitions page.
5) Japanese Acrylic Painting: Make Your Art Stand Out! Painting Three Dimensions
- Date: Monday, August 26th 2024
- Time: 13:00~15:00 (2 hours) ※Studio opens at 12:45. Please arrive early.
- Cost: £35 (Tickets available until August 16th. Max capacity 20 capacity) | Age restrictions: Age 10 or above.
- Location: The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth, Devon, TQ6 9ND
Do you want to learn how to make your art appear more three-dimensional? Chika will travel all the way from Japan to give this workshop and share her painting skills with you that will make your paintings look like they’re jumping right off the canvas! She will also be showing her work in the “Spirit of Japan” exhibition at the Flavel (August 26th to September 7th).
For more information and booking, please check out the Japanese Acrylic Painting Workshop page..
6) Traditional Japanese Painting: Create your own Hokusai!
- Date: Wednesday, August 28th 2024
- Time: 13:30~16:30 (3 hours) ※Studio opens at 13:15. Please arrive early.
- Cost: £45 (Tickets available until August 16th, max 15 capacity) | Age restrictions: Age 10 or above (Children aged 10-15 must be accompanied by an adult who is also taking part in the workshop)
- Location: The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth, Devon, TQ6 9ND
A nihonga (traditional Japanese painting) workshop by Japanese artist Yorecordar, who will also be showing her work in the “Spirit of Japan” exhibition at the Flavel (August 26th to September 7th). Yorecordar will come all the way from Japan to give this special workshop in Dartmouth, so don’t miss out on the chance to try your hand at creating your own Nihonga painting. Also, please bring a bag to carry your art home (B5 size).
For more information and booking, please visit the Traditional Japanese Painting Workshop page..
We hope you found our Japanese Events in August 2024 round up helpful, and you’re able to check out some of these fantastic events!
We’ll be updating this event page as we get more info, so be sure to come back and check the latest events listed.
Also, please feel free to comment below on your experience if you were able to attend! This will give our readers a better idea of what to expect and may encourage them to join future events by the same organizers.
If you’d like to submit information for your Japanese event coming up in August or September, please get in touch with us through our contact form.
