The Deputy Mayor of London Victoria Borwick will attend this year's Japan Matsuri, which takes place in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 27 September.
The Deputy Mayor will be given a tour of the free event, which kicks off at 11am and runs until 9pm. The colourful annual event brings people together to enjoy Japanese food, music, dance, family activities and much more.
Deputy Mayor Victoria Borwick said: 'I am delighted to be attending this year's Japan Matsuri, which is an opportunity to experience just a small part of that wonderful country. With a sizeable Japanese population living here in the capital, we have strong ties through trade and commerce. But we also have strong cultural ties thanks to events like this one, Tokyo's membership of the World Cities Culture Forum and of course the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which we hosted in 2012 and they will host in 2020. I urge Londoners and tourists alike to come along to Japan Matsuri!'
The performance stage will include special guests from Japan putting everyone through their paces with Radio Taiso, exercise routines that the Japanese have grown up with. The event will bring the sounds of taiko and other musicians, festival dance and opportunities for audience participation, including the ever popular Nodojiman, based on the popular Japanese television series.
There will be Japanese food and family friendly activities, including games, kimono dressing and the opportunity to create Japanese cartoons on the manga wall.
Japan Matsuri is organised by Japan Matsuri Ltd., comprising the Japan Association in the UK, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the UK, the Japan Society and the Nippon Club, and supported by the Embassy of Japan.
Notes to editors
The World Cities Culture Forum is an initiative of the Mayor of London, organised and coordinated by BOP Consulting. The World Cities Culture Forum is a leading collaborative network of world cities that share a belief in the importance of culture for creating thriving cities. It has now expanded to 27 cities – Amsterdam, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, LA, London, Montreal, Madrid, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzen, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto. This year's World Cities Culture Summit takes place in Amsterdam from 2 to 14 November 2014. For more information go to www.worldcitiescultureforum.com.