On the 31st January 2009 the Animetion team travelled down to London for Tokyo Day.  The event, which was held in the Royal Horticultural Halls was free of charge to all whom entered.  Organised by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, it was completed to commemorate the 150 year anniversary of relations between Japan and the UK. 

Our resident writer Amichan has completed a full write-up of the wealth of entertainment and information which was at Tokyo Day:

The day provided plenty of entertainment and information for all including:

Tourist Information

The wealth of information on Tokyo was impressive.  Even the Animetion team, who have all visited Tokyo before, found new information about Japan's capital city.  In one section of the hall there were boards with information on all the different activities that can be completed in each of the different districts that make up Tokyo.  Also to ensure that this information was available after the event, everyone was given a pack filled with leaflets containing the information that you could find on the day.

Anime

Throughout, the day a number of anime screenings were shown.  These titles included some which had not been released in the UK.  Below shows a list of some of the anime screenings that were shown:

Honeinu-kun In Makkura-land
Pookys
Taro Picana
PiPopa
Cencoroll
Tokyo Punch!
Love Rollercoaster
Tailenders
Astro Boy
Black Jack
Megaman Star Force

This part of the event proved to be particularly popular with most of the screenings packed to full capacity.

Origami

Throughout the day you could make different objects from cranes to boxes.  I personally attempted to make a penguin, unfortunately, it did not take me long to get into trouble.  Luckily for me, (and all the people sitting around the table also struggling) there were assistants ready to help.

Calligraphy

One of the other activities available was calligraphy. This was a very popular activity amongst visitors on the day.
 

Taiko Drummers

At certain times during the day, visitors were able to watch performances by Taiko drummers.  The energy of drummers was amazing to watch, it was hard not to respect them as it would take a good deal of endurance in order to play for 15 minutes, several times through out the day.  These performances proved to be very popular with often people standing up in order to view the event.

Art Work

On the day there was a variety of art work to be viewed from early manga to Katsushika Hokusai's 36 views of Mt. Fuji.

Tokyo Olympics 2016

At present, the Japanese government are bidding to be the next host of the Olympic games after London 2012.  In this section of the hall there was promotional posters for the games.
 
Traditional Children Games

For children (and for some competitive adults) there was the option to try tradition Japanese

games.  These included throwing quoits over a pole and spinning tops.  For those who were able to achieve this there were prizes available.

Hair Ornaments

During the day you could watch artists professionally make Tsumami-kanzashi (hair ornaments). It was fascinating to watch them at work to make these beautiful pieces of jewellery, which are often worn by Geisha's.  These were available to buy on the day but with some of them costing up to £50 they were out of our price range.

Technology

The Japanese is well known for its technological developments, so it is not surprising that it was shown at Tokyo Day. On show was the moving music player - playing the most random music from Michael Jackson to Eminem.  There were also iDogs; speakers which you could use with your music player. These were very cute and tapped their feet against the music. They flashed different lights in order to show their mood and you could in fact wind them up and make them angry. Unfortunately, they were not available to buy.  Finally, there was a small human robot.

Overall, the event was impressive. There was a wealth of information and activities available to all whom attended. The event was not only aimed at adults but was also appropriate for families as there were plenty of activities in which young children could be involved. This event becomes even more impressive when you consider the fact it was free of charge to all.

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