Experience Anime-Inspired Cuisine
Anime Food Festival
Friday, October 25 from 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
26 Bridge – 26 Bridge Street, Brooklyn
Admission: $25 VIP (1:00 p.m. entry) | $20 General Admission
Upstairs NYC hosts a one-of-a-kind event featuring anime-inspired cuisine and the best of Japanese pop culture.
Highlights
Mouthwatering, anime-inspired Japanese and Asian food menu (price range: $5 to $15)
Special shochu and sake menu as well as special cocktails
Opportunity to meet three anime voice actors
Popular anime goods vendors and artists
Amazing Japanese taiko drum performance by Cobu
Free manga workshop
Photo booth where you and your friends can snap unforgettable memories in your costumes
VIP ticket holders will be entered into a raffle to win an anime goods.
Go in your best cosplay and enjoy! To purchase tickets, please visit Anime Food Festival’s website. Check out @animefoodnyc on Instagram to meet all the vendors.
Special Guests: Voice Actors Emily Cramer, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld, and Laurie Hymes
Emily Cramer
1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Available to chat and for autographs, photos, and special goods
Emily Cramer is a voice actor and singer whose work can be heard internationally in commercials, animated television shows, movies, video games, dark rides, and audio dramas. Her most notable titles are currently Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS, The Winx Club, Bread Barbershop, Battle Game in 5 Seconds, EDF World Brothers, many Yu-Gi-Oh video games, and Genshin Impact. Before falling in love with voiceover, Cramer performed for many years in Broadway and national touring productions of Shrek the Musical, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, and School of Rock. To learn more, visit her website.
Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld
1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Available to chat and for autographs, photos, and special goods
Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld is a American actress best known for voicing Bonnie, Nurse Joy, Sophocles (and many others) on Pokémon; Rio Kastle, Riley, Grace and Gloria Tyler (and many others) on Yu-Gi-Oh!; Aina Ardebit in the anime film Promare; Polly Pocket in Polly Pocket; Fraw Bow and LunaMaria Hawke in the Gundam anime universe; and many other notable roles. Please visit Rosenfeld’s website for more information.
Laurie Hymes
1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Laurie Hymes is a voice actor known for voicing Lillie in Pokémon Sun and Moon, nine other characters in Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions, Liz and the Blue Bird, Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, Regal Academy and Lupin III: The First, Transformers, Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, and many more. For more information, please visit her website.
Japanese Traditional Taiko Drum Performance
Based in New York City, Cobu was created as a live rhythm performing arts group in 2000. Cobu’s founder, Yako Miyamoto, is a member of the off-Broadway hit STOMP.
Cobu combines elements of the Japanese traditional taiko drumming with rhythmic tap dancing. The extremely positive impact of the group’s performances has received rave reviews from The New York Times and The Chicago Sun Times and has touched audiences at major festivals in Boston and Chicago. Please visit Cobu’s website to learn more.
About Upstairs NYC
Formed in 2022, Upstairs NYC is a non-profit organization based in New York City dedicated to promoting friendly relations between New York and other countries. The organization focuses on fostering learning and community engagement across four pillars: arts and culture, lifestyle, technology, and food. Upstairs NYC regularly hosts panel discussions, experiential events, cultural celebrations, and socials. Their events also provide a forum for local creators to connect with future collaborators and engage with their audience.
Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!
ALL-DAY JAPANESE CULTURAL FESTIVAL
FUN FEST JAPAN
Sunday, October 6 from noon until 4:00 p.m.
Corlears Hook Park – 479 Cherry Street
Admission: Free
Presented by The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York (JFDINY), FUN FEST JAPAN celebrates Japan and New York with an all-day Japanese cultural festival, featuring traditional performing arts and cultural activities for the entire family. Head to Corlears Hook Park in the Lower East Side to enjoy performances by JFDINY’s own Minbuza (Japanese Folk Dance), Samurai Sword Soul (Traditional Sword Fighting), and Taiko Masala (Taiko Drumming). In the activities area, experienced teachers will lead children in a variety of engaging Japanese arts and crafts such as origami, calligraphy, kendama, and kimono dressing. The finale of the day will be the Bon Odori, a traditional Japanese summer event where everyone joins in and dances together!
For more information about FUN FEST JAPAN and The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York, please visit their website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
FUN FEST JAPAN is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Private support is provided by City Parks Foundation and Partnerships for Parks through the NYC Green Fund.
Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!
OMNY TAIKO TO CELEBRATE 10TH ANNIVERSARY
RISE: OMNY Taiko 10th Annual Concert
Saturday, October 5 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Music School – 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn
Admission: $25 | $20 seniors and students
Be a part of OMNY Taiko’s RISE to new heights as they reach more communities and contribute to the cultural diversity of New York City.
Their annual concert this Saturday, October 5 promises to be an unforgettable evening of drumming that blends traditional Japanese rhythms with their New York roots. This in-person event will start at 5:30 p.m.; doors open at 5:00 p.m. To purchase tickets, please visit OMNY Taiko’s Eventbrite page. Tickets may be available at the door, depending on availability.
About OMNY Taiko
OMNY Taiko is a vibrant, tight-knit community drumming group striving to share the art of taiko drumming with people and communities across the New York City area through inclusive, accessible performances, classes, and workshops.
As a form of rhythmic and artistic expression, taiko allows individuals to convey emotion and energy and to connect with others through music. OMNY Taiko emphasizes the communal aspect of ensemble drumming:
bringing people together to create music as a group
fostering a sense of community and belonging
providing opportunities for collaboration and teamwork
One of OMNY Taiko’s primary goals is to become emblematic of the energy of New York City, reflecting the story of a seed born on the concrete streets and blossoming into a vibrant community with the strength and tenacity of a city that never sleeps.
For more information about the organization, please visit their website.
Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!
The Festival of Japan: Drums + Dance
The Festival of Japan: Drums + Dance
Presented by The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York
Saturday, June 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 18 at 2:00 p.m.
Abrons Arts Center Playhouse Theater – 466 Grand Street (between Pitt and Willett Streets)
Admission: $25 ($30 Door) | $20 Seniors | $15 Students
The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York celebrates its 30th anniversary with The Festival of Japan: Drums + Dance, a collaborative dance performance between JFDINY’s own dance ensemble Minbuza, accompanied by world renowned taiko ensemble Sukeroku Taiko from Japan.
Minbuza
Sukeroku Taiko
Powerful taiko performances will be weaved throughout a full repertoire of more than one thousand years of folk dance, including “Tsugaru Aiya Bushi” (umbrella and fan dance from Aomori) and “Onikenbai” (demon-masked sword dance from Iwate that is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List).
Tsugaru Shamisen Singer/Player Yuzu Natsumi will also join as a special musical guest.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit JFDINY’s website.