Intro to Vendors: Dr. Robot, Inc.

Come join us in welcoming Dr. Robot in this year’s Cool Japan Festival! Kenshiro Oshima — or Dr. Robot as he is commonly known — has made it his mission to teach kids science and math through hands-on

Intro to Cool Japan Vendor: Shibui

JapanTown 2010 introduces Shibui, a Japanese antique store whose name is a term for subtle beauty. Located in Brooklyn, Shibui offers a wide variety of authentic Japanese antiques from photographs of Meiji-era Japan to ornate baskets from the Taisho era to even a full set of late Edo period samurai armor.

The Official Press Release Published!

Our final press release was just published today! Here it is:

JapanTown to Give New York City a Taste of Japan in Three Themed Festivals

NEW YORK, June 22 /PRNewswire/-- The NYC Japan Street Fair is back this summer with a new name: JapanTown! Uniting a diverse array of local Japanese businesses and household brands, JapanTown is a series of three festivals held in the East Village, Midtown, and the Upper East Side, focusing on Japanese "cool" culture, Japanese healthy food, and Japanese soul food, respectively. Introducing distinct Japanese products and attractions, JapanTown welcomes everyone to experience the rich culture of Japan and learn more about the New York Japanese business community.

On Japanese Fashion Subcultures: What Will You Wear to JapanTown this Year?

Lolita girl (Photo by Mike Watts)

While last year’s JapanTown was home to a plethora of foods and activities, it also presented the public with a glimpse of the vastly different world of Japanese fashion. Unlike the fashion of Western culture, Japanese fashion has developed several new subcultures over the past thirty years.

The History of JapanTown

Did you know that JapanTown isn't the first major annual Japanese street festival in New York? From the late 1980s to late 1990s, the local East Village Japanese community association held a festival of Japanese food and culture—called of course, the Japanese Festival—every year on Stuyvesant Street. The Japan Society then took over the responsibility of organizing it for two years until 2001.

What is Japanese Soul Food?

Shrimp and cheese okonomiyaki

Well, it’s not teriyaki chitlins and black-eyed tofu paste if that’s what you’re thinking!

Three Important Developments

Now that the ball is rolling in JapanTown central, we're able to fine-tune the logistics and and give you all more details. There are three new important developments:

1. The Healthy Food festival becomes the Healthy Food & Green festival

Vendor Update

We got confirmed vendors for the three JapanTown festivals. Most are from last year. Some are in the process of doing their application, so stay tuned for updates! Here's the list: