Atsuko Ikeda Sushi Class

Hyper Japan is an event dedicated to the love of all things contemporary and Japanese. From food to fashion to film, Hyper Japan offers a glimpse at Japan’s top trend-setters. First held in 2010, Hyper Japan is widely regarded as Britain’s biggest and best celebration of Japanese culture. The third Hyper Japan will be held in West London at Earls Court Convention Centre from the 24th to the 26th of February.

A key component of the event is Eat-Japan giving attendees an opportunity to “eat, drink and discover the tastes of Japan.” At Hyper Japan 2012, Eat-Japan will hold three events exploring the “flavours, textures and diversity of Japanese cuisine.” The three events will be the Sushi Awards, the Sake Awards and a Taste Discovery Zone. They will also be hosting a spin-off “Original Sushi Competition” event.

The first event, Sushi Awards 2012 will feature a UK Sushi Roll Championship with tickets available from £10 (that’s about $15). The only sushi championship in the UK, five talented sushi chefs from leading restaurants will battle it out armed only with their ultimate sushi roll. The winner will be decided solely by the 1800 members of the public who will sample all the creations and vote for their favourite.

Similarly, the 2012 Sake Awards (also £10) will present a Top Brewery Taste-Off, biggest ever public sake tasting event in the UK. This new event will give 1500 members of the general public a chance to play sake sommelier for a day and taste seven of the best sake coming out of Japan.

A third event, Taste Discovery Zone, will feature hands-on tastings, samplings and demonstrations. Each demonstration will be around 30 minutes long, led by a Japanese food expert, and finish with a chance for participants to try out the dishes. Food demonstrations will be led by Japanese chef Atsuko Ikeda, who will showcase classic Japanese dishes and the techniques you need to know to recreate them in the home. Sake seminars will be taken by the Head Sommelier at Roka, Natsuki Kikuya, who is also curating the Sake Awards.

An event spin-off, the non-ticketed free Original Sushi Competition 2012 is open to all. Giving entrants from the general public a chance to use their own creativity to create a new kind of sushi and possibly win food and drink-related prizes such as Japanese electric home appliances, restaurant vouchers and much more.

Book a flight to London today so you don’t miss the Hyper Japan events, for more details on how to book and lots more information about Eat-Japan have a look at the vividly illustrated www.hyperjapan.co.uk.

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Photo: Chris Osburn