Continuing from February, there are several fantastic Japanese music and live performance events taking place across the UK over the next few weeks, with full details listed below in our Japanese Events in March calendar.
This March, for those who have an interest in traditional Japanese culture, Kabuki Music Concert and Talk is a great opportunity to get to know about the fascinating world of Kabuki, with the event taking place in London, Cambridge and Dundee. Also, six spectacular Kabuki costumes are on display at Ashmolean Museum in Oxford where you can see a selection of fabulous textile techniques.
Meanwhile, if you’re more into modern Japanese live performances, check out Kyoto Jazz Massive for their unique cross over vision at Jazz Café. Additionally, there’s going to be the fun and heartwarming play, Don’t Get Me Wrong written and directed by Arianna Folini and Hana Tamaru at The Hen and Chickens Theatre in London.
Apart from those mentioned above, West London Wine School has their Sake Course for you to explore the world of Sake as well as other Japanese culture related workshops and events in March such as the Seasonal Woodblock Prints Exhibition and a Shodo (calligraphy) Workshop.
March 3rd: WSET Level 1 Award in Sake Course (Classroom)
- Date: Sunday, March 3rd 2024
- Time: 10:30 – 17:30 (including lunch break)
- Cost: £195
- Location: West London Wine School, located inside The Wine Cellars (access via the Big Yellow Storage Company entrance) 71 Townmead Road, Fulham, London SW6 2SG
This is an enjoyable, relaxed and interactive one-day course covering all the basics of sake production, premium sake categories, storage and service. After completing this perfect introduction to Japan’s most famous beverage course, you will be able to order sake in a restaurant with confidence, effectively describe the styles you enjoy drinking to help discover new favourite sake styles, and be able to pair sake with a wide variety of foods.
For more information and booking, please check the WSET Level 1 Award in Sake Course page.
March 5th: The Music of Kabuki with the TANAKA School
- Date: Tuesday, March 5th 2024
- Time: 13:00 – 14:00
- Admission: Free, but registration is essential.
- Location: St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LL
Join seven kabuki musicians (known as hayashikata) led by TANAKA Denzaemon Xlll and including TANAKA Denjiro VII, for a captivating selection of classic kabuki compositions. Gain deeper insights into kabuki music and its musical instruments through a brief talk by the musicians.
For more information and booking, please visit the The Music of KABUKI with the TANAKA SCHOOL at Piccadilly, London page.
- Date: Tuesday, March 5th 2024
- Time: 19:00 – 23:00
- Admission: £3 without buffet, £5 – £6 with buffet. Discounts available for students and Japan Society members. Advance registration is not required.
- Location: Shakespeare’s Head, 29 Great Marlborough Street, Soho, London W1F 7HZ
March 5th: Japanese Conversation Group
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 out the Japanese Conversation Group page.
March 15th: Shodo The Art of Japanese Calligraphy
- Date: Friday, March 15th 2024
- Time: 13:30 – 16:30 with a tea break
- Fee: £58
- Location: School of SHODO, The Art Worker’s Guild, 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AT (first floor)
All materials included and the utensils are prepared. You’ll have 90min x2 (3 hours) of hands-on instruction, including 1 to 1 help and learn essential brush movements, calligraphy techniques and how to use all four treasures of the studies, brush, paper, ink and ink stone. You will also receive tips, advice and detailed insights from a practicing calligrapher: plenty of inspiration and techniques to experience the mindfulness process.
For booking and more info, please check the Shodo The Art of Japanese Calligraphy page.
March 25th: Kyoto Jazz Massive
- Date: Monday, March 25th 2024
- Time: 19:00 – 22:30
- Ticket: £22.50 / £25.00 – £27.50
- Location: The Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, London, NW1 7PG
The genre-defying project, founded by the OKINO brothers and revealed by Gilles Peterson, finally returns to the European stages after a 15 years hiatus, celebrating in 2024 its 30th birthday with some new material and a brand new line up. Led by Shuya Okino and featuring Vanessa Freeman on lead vocals, KJM is now backed by the powerful Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra, spreading their unique cross-over vision from jazz-funk, broken beat to soulful house, cosmic grooves and everything in-between.
For more information and booking, please check out the Kyoto Jazz Massive page.
Ongoing Japanese Events in March: Beyond the Cold – Seasonal Woodblock Prints by Kitaoka Fumio (Exhibition) | Don’t Get Me Wrong (Play)
1) Beyond the Cold – Seasonal Woodblock Prints by Kitaoka Fumio
- Date: From Monday, January 22nd 2024 to TBC
- Time: Weekdays 10:00 – 17:00 (Closed weekends, UK bank holidays) – exhibition temporarily closed from February 23 to March 4th
- Admission: Free, but photo ID required
- Location: Embassy of Japan in the UK, 101-104 Piccadilly, London W1J 7JT
This exhibition featuring the woodblock prints of Kitaoka Fumio (1918-2007) serves as a gateway for viewers to delve into the rich tapestry of winter in Japanese culture. Through the prints, the display explores the visual beauty of winter, showcasing the tranquility of snow-covered landscapes and the gradual transition into spring.
For booking and more info, please visit the Beyond the Cold – Seasonal Woodblock Prints by Kitaoka Fumio page.
2) Don’t Get Me Wrong
- Date: Wednesday, March 27th to Saturday, March 30th 2024
- Time: 19:30 – 21:00
- Ticket: £17.25 (£16.50 + £0.75 Payment Gateway Charge)
- Location: The Hen and Chickens Theatre, 109 St Paul’s Rd, Islington, London N1 2NA
Sitting in the living room of their student accommodation, five girls, each with a different nation to call home, share with one another their stories of life in the UK. They explore the highs, lows, struggles and hilarities of living in another country, and the need to rediscover one’s identity in an unfamiliar world.
For booking and more info, please check out the Don’t Get Me Wrong page.
Outside of London Japanese Events: The Music of Kabuki with the TANAKA School (Cambridge & Dundee) | Kabuki Kimono: Costumes of Bando Tamasaburo V (Oxford)
1) The Music of Kabuki with the TANAKA School (Concert & Talk)
- Cambridge: Monday, March 4th 2024 at 18:00 | Ticket: £15 / £10 (concessions) | Frankopan Hall, Jesus College, Cambridge, CB5 8BL For more details
- Dundee: Thursday, March 7th 2024 | 13:00 – 14:00 | £4 / £7 (with donation) | V & A Dundee, 1 Riverside Esplanade, Dundee, DD1 4EZ For more details
Join seven kabuki musicians (known as hayashikata) led by TANAKA Denzaemon Xlll and including TANAKA Denjiro VII, for a captivating selection of classic kabuki compositions. Gain deeper insights into kabuki music and its musical instruments through a brief talk by the musicians.
For more information and booking, please visit the The Music of KABUKI with the TANAKA SCHOOL Section.
2) Kabuki Kimono: Costumes of Bando Tamasaburo V (Display)
- Date: Tuesday November 21st 2023 to Sunday December 8th 2024
- Time: 10:00 – 17:00
- Admission: Free
- Location: Textiles Gallery 5, lower ground floor, Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2PH
Six spectacular kimonos belonging to the kabuki actor Bandō Tamasaburō V will be on display in the Textiles Gallery for a year. Tamasaburō is the most popular and celebrated onnagata (male actor who performs female roles) currently on stage. The costumes selected reflect the wide variety of roles in this actor’s long and celebrated theatre career, from court ladies and courtesans to geisha and demons. You’ll see beautifully crafted costumes that showcase a range of elaborate textile techniques, including weaving, dyeing, embroidery and hand-painting.
For more information, please visit the KABUKI KIMONO: Costumes of Bando Tamasaburo V page.
We hope you found our Japanese Events for March 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 make 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 March or April, please get in touch with us through our contact form.
