From awesome anime shops and manga merchandise to Studio Ghibli screenings and theatre productions, there are lots of Japan things to do in London.
If you are looking for Japanese food in London, there are also so many joyful Japanese restaurants in London to eat in (we’re talking oodles of noodles and fluffy pancakes aplenty).
This post may contain affiliate links to tours and hotels. These help us earn a small commission at no additional charge to you.
From nice Nippon activities like a walk around the Kyoto Garden in Kensington to gachapons galore and high-tech Hijingo Bingo, there is lots to do in London inspired by the Land of the Rising Sun.
Whether your cultural choices be karaoke or ‘kawaii’, museums or manga, here is our guide to the best Japanese things to do in London with photos.
You might like – Plan My Japan’s guide to the best Kawaii, Manga and anime shops in London >
Japanese style hotels in London
Expensive ($$$)
The Prince Akatoki London
Luxurious hotel with Japanese-style decor. Facilities include a Japanese fusion restaurant, bar and gym, plus sushi-making classes and sake tastings. Check rates and availability on booking.com and agoda.com
Expensive ($$$)
Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch
5 star upscale hotel located in Shoreditch, with Japanese-style minimalist rooms. Facilities include a Japanese fine-dining restaurant with courtyard garden and cocktail bar. Check rates and availability on booking.com and agoda.com
Japan things to do in London map
Japan things to do in London
1. Eat Japanese okonomiyaki at Okan
Okonomiyaki pancake restaurants in London may be few and far between (alas) but that means you get to appreciate the good ones all the more!
Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake normally made from wheat batter flour, with cabbage, various meats (often pork) or seafood, aonori (seaweed flakes), Japanese mayo and sauce, katsuobushi (dried fish flakes / bonito) and pickled ginger. Delicious!
One of our favourite Japan London restaurants in Okan, who have several branches in London including Brixton Village and County Hall, in the shadow of the London eye.
Check out our guide to the best okonomiyaki restaurants in London here >
You might like – Best Japanese shops and supermarkets in London >
2. Japan House, Kensington
Japan House on High Street Kensington is a Japanese cultural hub combined with a concept store – like MUJI meets a museum!
Known as the cultural home of Japan in London, this store presents the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology.
Housed over three floors, you’ll find a library and free exhibitions in the basement, a cafe, tourist information and Japanese gift shop on the ground floor, and a bar and a Michelin-listed restaurant on the top floor.
Japan House also holds regular demonstrations, talks, workshops and screenings – check out their website for their upcoming events schedule >
3. Bandai Namco Gachapon store – Japanese gachapon shops in London
Newly opened in 2023, the UK’s biggest gachapon store – Bandai Namco Cross Camden recently opened in Camden Market and subsequent other London locations.
Gachapon are the cute capsule toys dispensed by vending machines. Popular in Japan, they’ve now arrived in the UK capital with gachapon Japanese shops in London locations like Camden, Victoria station and Ealing.
Gachapon / Gashapon toys originated in Japan in the 1960s, conceived by famous Japanese toy and video game manufacturer Bandai.
Located in the iconic Camden Stables, London’s flagship Bandai Namco Cross store is one of the biggest Japanese shops in London and has two floors of gachapon machines, anime and manga merchandise plus Japanese games galore.
On the upstairs level, you also find a cafe with Japanese tea and soft drinks and a huge trading card game store and lounge, selling Pokémon, One Piece and other Manga merchandise.
Read more in our guide to Camden’s gachapon store >
Love gachapon toys? Come and join the Plan My Japan Gachapon Fans Facebook group! >
You might like – Guide to the 40+ coolest (& weirdest) gachapon capsule toys in Japan >
4. Japan Centre
Located just a stone’s throw away from Leicester Square, Japan Centre is the daddy of all Japanese shops in London.
It sells a huge range of high quality imported Japanese groceries, hot food, sushi, Japanese Kit Kats, gifts, cookware, beauty products, books, magazines and more.
Japan Centre opened in 1976 and this branch is their flagship store – they have two other stores that have opened in the past few years, one located in Shepherd’s Bush and one in Stratford.
The lower ground floor combines traditional elements of a ‘depachika’ (the Japanese word for a basement food hall) and has a hot food counter, plus loads of chillers filled with sushi boxes where you can purchase a meal deal (main, snack and drink) and ice cream mochi balls.
There is also a fish counter selling sushi-grade fish, a Japanese bakery, a donut and mochi bar and the largest selection of sake in Europe!
You might like – Our guide to 40+ Japanese Kit Kat flavours >
5. Hijingo Bingo – Japanese Bingo in Shoreditch
How best to describe Hijingo? Bonkers bingo with joyful Japanese graphics, an immersive and competitive game best served with cocktails, beer and friends.
As you first arrive at Hijingo Bingo, you can drink in a Japanese themed bar until being ushered into the neon lit bingo hall.
More Gaijin than Gala, this Japanese-style bingo hall near Liverpool Street is so much fun and easily one of the best Japan London things to do in the capital.
Better yet, as well as drinking cocktails in neko / waving cat mugs, you can also win cash prizes if you win on the bingo. But just make sure you don’t miscall or the dancers will congregate around and do a ‘loser dance’.
Hijingo Japanese bingo prices cost between £12 to £20pp for six rounds / two games as of summer 2024. This is futuristic fun Japanese style in the heart of central London (located near Shoreditch and Liverpool Street station).
Heading to Japan soon? Check out the 15 best immersive events & experiences in Tokyo >
6. Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, West London
Perhaps the most obvious outdoor Japan thing to do in London, Kyoto Garden is a gorgeous Japanese style traditional garden that is free to visit.
Located between Notting Hill and Kensington in West London, Kyoto Garden is fine to visit any time of year but in spring, it becomes one of London’s best cherry blossom spots and sakura sights – so you can do Holland Park ‘hamami’ (Japanese for ‘cherry blossom viewing’).
A little bit of Japan in London, Kyoto Garden was designed by renowned Japanese horticulturist, Shoji Nakahara, the leader of the Kyoto Garden Association.
You’ll also find a waterfall here plus bonsai trees and the occasional peacock roaming around!
Check out the real Kyoto’s best cherry blossom spots in Japan + photos here >
You might like – Best Japanese restaurants and food halls in London >
7. Hyper Japan, London’s biggest Japan festival at Olympia (every July)
Bring out your inner ‘otaku’ at Olympia!
From cosplay to cute Kawaii workshops, Manga merchandise to joyful Japanese food stalls, Hyper Japan takes place every summer (usually July) at Olympia in West London.
Billed as the UK’s biggest Japanese cultural event, Hyper Japan takes over both floors of the main hall at Olympia exhibition centre and has lots of stalls (from gachapons to food stalls) plus live music, demonstrations and various meet and greets.
We went to the 2023 Hyper Japan and to be honest, it is actually too ‘hyped’. As lovers of all things Japan, we thought it was basically a cash grab where it was mainly stalls and scant entertainment. Tickets aren’t cheap and we just expected more.
You might like – The cult of weird and wonderful Japanese vending machines >
8. Japan Centre Ichiba, Westfield Shepherd’s Bush
Billed as Europe’s biggest Japanese food hall, Ichiba is a huge shop in west London selling over 3,000 Japanese products and is run by the people behind the Japan Centre.
It is located on the lower ground floor at the back of Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, just a short walk from White City tube station.
Inside you’ll find an extensive selection of Japanese cooking ingredients, fresh fish and meat, sake, gifts and homeware, plus a canteen style dining area with capacity for 200 diners.
Hot food stations serve up Japanese delights such as ramen, bao buns, noodles, donburi, poke and sushi.
On top of that there is a kaku-uchi sake bar serving hot sake by an in-store sommelier, and a Japanese bakery selling items such as dorayaki pancakes, melon pans and matcha lattes.
For Japanese food in London, make a trip to Japan Centre Ichiba.
You might like – 35 tastiest Japanese foods to try >
9. V&A South Kensington and V&A Young, Bethnal Green
One of London’s best and oldest museums (and amazingly still free entry for the permanent collections), the V&A South Kensington is home to one of the UK’s largest collections of Japanese art and antiquities.
The V&A Japan collection was began in the 1850s and features an array of Japanese objects, from samurai armour to beautiful woodblock ukiyo-e prints like the famous Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai.
Some of the more modern items include retro space age JVC Japanese TVs from the 1970s and Japanese modern fashions, straight from the streets of Harajuku.
Over in Bethnal Green, East London, the Young V&A has recently reopened after a massive refurbishment with its new exhibition, Japan: Myths to Manga on until September 2024, with tickets starting from £10.
You might like – Our guide to Japan’s obsession with fake plastic food (‘sanpuru’) >
10. Japan Craft Anime and Manga Store, Camden
One of London’s best manga and anime stores, Japan Craft Anime and Manga Store has two branches located in the bustling laneways of Camden (Stables) Market.
The shelves inside this anime Aladdin’s cave are rammed from the floor to ceiling with Manga figures, anime cards, comics, t-shirts and Kawaii plushies.
They also sell Japanese sweets such as crunchy Pocky sticks and matcha-flavoured snacks, plus there is a small section for Harry Potter merchandising!
Prices are on the slightly higher side here but that is because most of the stock is imported from Japan.
You might like – Harry Potter things to do in Tokyo >
11. Sushi Samba, Liverpool Street and Covent Garden
Alas our favourite Japanese conveyor belt restaurant Kura Sushi has yet to arrive in London or the UK so we just have to make do with sushi with real ‘altitude’ at Sushi Samba.
Head up on high to the 38th floor of Heron Tower / Bishopsgate for London’s most sublime sushi (plus one epic roof terrace – just don’t drop your edamame down below).
Sushi Samba offers the best of Japanese, Peruvian and Brazilian dishes with stunning views as standard – there is also a sister Sushi Samba (try saying that after several sakes) in Covent Garden.
You might like – Our guides to Kura Sushi conveyor belt restaurants in Japan or Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market (the freshest sashimi ever)
12. Kanpai London Sake Brewery & Taproom – Bermondsey
The Bermondsey Beer Mile in London might be best known for all its taproom tipples and craft beer bars, but the London Japanese Brewery ‘Kanpai’ (“Cheers” in Japanese) has recently relocated to the mile, after originally setting up shop in Peckham.
KANPAI was the UK’s first sake brewery and now a nice respite from all the beers and ales in Bermondsey. It was founded in 2016 by husband and wife, Tom and Lucy Wilson, and all their sake is made from start to finish on site using traditional Japanese techniques.
KANPAI are open Wednesday through to Sunday and you can pop by the brewery to have a browse in their bottle shop to purchase sake to take away (they also offer a ‘click and collect’ service on their website).
Have you heard about the big British themed pub chain in Japan? Check out our guide to Hub Pubs in Japan here >
13. Ippudo – Central London branches and Canary Wharf
Ippudo is one of the few Japanese restaurant chains to make it really BIG overseas (there are currently over 50 branches in Japan).
There are now several Ippudo ramen Japanese restaurants in London including three in central London (Charing Cross, Tottenham Court Road and Goodge Street) plus one at Canary Wharf.
This award winning restaurant started life in Fukuoka, Japan in 1985, before opening its next branch in Yokohama in 1994. It opened its first Ippudo London restaurant in 2018 and quickly expanded to four branches due to its popularity.
Their signature dish is a creamy tonkotsu pork broth ramen served with homemade thin and straight noodles. You can also order bowls of ramen with miso paste and fragrant garlic oil, plus a spicy miso paste version and a vegetarian option.
Other dishes available on the menu include bao buns, takoyaki, kara-age, gyoza, donburi bowls and Japanese curry with rice.
You might like – Plan My Japan’s guide to the 10+ best ramen restaurants in London >
14. My Neighbour Totoro & Spirited Away Theater Productions in London
Studio Ghibli is massive in Japan – as well as the famous animated movies, you can visit the Studio Ghibli theme park or even shop in one of dozens of Studio Ghibli Donguri Republic stores – the stores in London even have huge Cat Buses you can pose in from My Neighbour Totoro.
Whilst Studio Ghibli may not be as big in the UK as it is in Japan (although the arrival of the movies on Netflix has helped), it is amazing to see two Studio Ghibli theatre productions have been a big hit in the West End and at the Barbican.
We’ve seen both My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican, and Spirited Away at the London Coliseum and both were amazing (although we preferred the live version of Totoro as it was cuter).
Also note that Spirited Away in London is performed in Japanese with English subtitles projected around the stage.
As of summer 2024, Spirited Away is being performed at the London Coliseum until late August 2024 but may be extended.
My Neighbour Totoro returns to London from March 2025 – get your advance tickets here >
You can also often catch Studio Ghibli movies on the big screen at the Prince Charles Cinema, just off Leicester Square.
You might like – Our guide to the top Studio Ghibli activities to do in Tokyo including the giant Studio Ghibli steampunk clock
15. Las Vegas Arcade, Soho
Although this sounds more American than Japanese, Las Vegas Arcade is a basement gaming centre in the heart of London’s Soho.
We include it in our ‘Japan London things to do’ guide as not only does it have the Japanese dance arcade machines like Konami Dance Rush, but it is also the best place in London to play Taiko no Tatsujin, the famous Japanese drumming game.
‘Drum and Fun’ all day long, ‘Taiko no Tatsujin – The Drum Master’ is a legendary arcade game with real rhythm.
From how to play to drumming championships and home entertainment versions, here is our guide to the cult of Taiko no Tatsujin drum ‘n fun arcade machines >
16. UNIQLO (multiple locations)
UNIQLO is a popular Japanese chain store that is famous for its everyday casual clothing, with Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity and a focus on well-designed clothes.
The company has been creating affordable basics made from neutral tones for women, men and children since it was founded in 1984 in Hiroshima, and to date Uniqlo has 11 stores across London and 800 worldwide.
London stores include Covent Garden, Oxford Street, Battersea and Kensington High Street.
We’ve been to many Uniqlos including the world’s largest Uniqlo in Tokyo with 12 storeys, but the Uniqlo store in Covent Garden is one of the best with a Japanese tea-room, outdoor terrace and an area to create your own personalised t-shirts.
Check out our guide to the world’s biggest UNIQLO here >
17. Karaoke Time in London
Time to let off a little steam after traipsing around the streets of London all day or a hard day of work. The capital has several Karaoke chains including Lucky Voice, Karaoke Box, plus karaoke booths in All Star Lanes and Boom Battle Bars. So there’s no excuse for not singing!
Lucky Voice is perhaps the biggest and best known London karaoke chain with branches in Liverpool Street, Islington, Holborn, Soho and Waterloo. Most branches are open until 4am at the weekends so go large then go home late.
You might like – The cult of Japanese manhole cover art or Japanese 3D billboards
18. Japanese Fluffy Pancakes in London
Japan has some tasty foods and treats, but one of the most delicious desserts has to be fluffy soufflé pancakes which are wonderfully wobbly and topped with sweet or savory sides.
Also known as ‘Fuwa Fuwa’ pancakes (‘Fuwa’ means ‘fluffy’ in Japanese), they are soufflé style pancakes with no additives or preservatives.
They are often steamed to retain moisture, which creates their unique fluffy pancake texture and jelly-like wobble.
Popular Japanese pancake places in London include CA Japanese Pancakes near Vauxhall, Fuwa Fuwa Café in Soho or Hefaure on Shaftesbury Avenue in Central London.
You might like our guide to the ‘A Happy Pancake’ chain restaurant in Japan >
19. Yokocho (two London locations)
Possibly one of the best looking ramen restaurants in London, Yokocho transports you back to the retro alleyways of 1970s Japan with glowing lanterns and neon street signs!
Yokocho offers a variety of ramen from all regions of Japan including Sapporo miso ramen, Tokyo tantan men ramen and Fukuoka hakata tonkotsu ramen, plus some London ‘specials’.
Other menu offerings include udon and soba noodle soup (Panton Street only), street food side dishes and sake cocktails.
They have an offer available on Mondays and Tuesdays where certain bowls of ramen are just £9.99.
Read more about the best ramen restaurants in London >
You might like – All of our Quirky Japan guides, from Robot Restaurants to Ninja Bars in Japan >
19. CoCo Ichibanya – Leicester Square & Bond Street
Coco Ichibanya in Japan is the country’s number 1 casual Japanese curry restaurant (as Ichibanya literally translates as ‘number 1’), famed for its classic curry, katsu and rice dishes.
Whilst there are over 1,300 Coco Ichibanya chain restaurants across Japan, London currently only has two – the original Leicester Square branch plus a newly opened James Street / Bond Street branch.
Coco Ichibanya is BIG in Japan, mainly because it is convenient to order, quick to eat, cheap but also because you can customize your curry (as you can in London).
You select your spice level, size of curry plus what sides you want. A basic chicken katsu, curry and rice at CoCo Ichibanya London costs £14.90 as of summer 2024.
Check out our guide to Coco Ichibanya Japan Curry Restaurants >
20. Katsune 100 Japanese Tea Room – Islington & Brick Lane
London has no shortage of afternoon tea places but how about some fine dining and matcha tea, Japan style.
Katsune 100 is renowned for its joyful Japanese desserts, matcha creations and sublime sake – kanpai! This is also a great place to try the famous sweet treat, ichigo daifuku (strawberry mochi).
As well as matcha, you can try other tea flavours like yuzu fruit tea or iribancha smoky tea, best served in the little tea garden out the back (at their Islington branch).
You might like – Guide to Don Quijote, Japan’s favourite discount store >
21. London sushi train restaurants
We’ve already mentioned Sushi Samba (and we won’t dignify Yo Sushi with a proper mention), but London does have several sushi conveyor belt joints and unique delivery set-ups for you to enjoy.
There are a few super fast sushi train style restaurants in London including Moshi Moshi near Liverpool Street (the UK’s original sushi conveyor belt restaurant), Kulu Kulu Sushi in Piccadilly, Central London and a small scale sushi train at Yazu Sushi in Mayfair (we’re surprised they didn’t call it Yazu Yazu!)
Please note the Chuo Sushi Monorail in Shoreditch that lots of London sushi guides talk about appears to be temporarily or permanently closed as of July 2024.
You might like – Our guide to Japan’s famous convenience store egg sandwiches >
Our final Japan London thing to do
22. Marugame Udon (multiple London locations)
We finish our Japan London things to do list with oodles of noodles – ‘konnichiwa’ to cheap udon noodles.
Marugame Seimen (known as Marugame Udon in London) is a Japanese chain restaurant with over 800 branches in Japan and is rapidly expanding in London.
At the time of writing (summer 2024), there are 9 branches of Marugame Udon in London including Canary Wharf, Kensington, Oxford Circus, the Strand and 02 Greenwich.
We love Marugame because it serves up super inexpensive bowls of udon noodles (with veggie options available), katsu curry and top tempura too. If you join the Marugame Club, you often get free dishes or loyalty points towards discounts.
Service is always quick as dining is cafeteria style. You pick what you want from the counter, they make the noodles in front of you and then you choose your tempura sides.
They also usually have a free ‘sides’ bar where you add unlimited spring onions / scallions, temperature bits and various sauces.
Found this Japanese things to do in London article helpful?
Did you enjoy our Japanese things to do in London blog post? Let us know by sharing it on social media.
You can follow us on:
Instagram
Tik Tok
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube