PIE @ Hyper Japan 2026
On Saturday 25th July, PIE took 20 young people to London for an exciting day out at the HYPER JAPAN Festival 2026 at Olympia London.
The trip was a fantastic opportunity for the young people to experience something completely different, explore Japanese culture and expand their cultural capital — all while enjoying a fun day out together.
Our adventure started with a train journey down to London Euston. Once we arrived in the capital, we jumped onto the air-conditioned Overground and made our way towards Olympia Exhibition Venue in Hammersmith.
After arriving at the venue, we went through the standard security and bag checks before heading inside. We were each given a wristband and, from that point onwards, it was time to explore!
As soon as we entered the festival, we were surrounded by colour, creativity and plenty of excitement.
One of the first things to catch our attention was the incredible range of cosplay. Hundreds of visitors had dressed up as characters from anime, manga, gaming and Japanese pop culture, making simply walking around the venue an experience in itself.
There were also countless stalls to explore, which offered young people a look at costumes, work placements and even Japanese snacks. On the upper level of the venue, there was a whole marketplace area where creators were selling loads of different things from stickers to traditional Japanese clothing.
With so much to see, the group spent several hours wandering around the different stalls, discovering new things and, of course, collecting plenty of freebies along the way!
After a few hours of exploring, it was time to investigate the food options, and there was certainly plenty of choice.
The festival offered a huge variety of food and snacks, ranging from foot-long fries to fish-shaped doughnuts, giving everyone the chance to try something a little different. For the young people, trying new foods was another part of the experience and another opportunity to discover something outside of their everyday surroundings.
After a busy afternoon exploring HYPER JAPAN, it was time to make our way back towards Euston. Naturally, no journey home would be complete without a trip to the shop for some train snacks!
We then had a little time waiting in the sunshine before making our way onto the train back home. After a long but enjoyable day, everyone had plenty to talk about and plenty of photos, souvenirs and a new experience to add to their cultural capital.
Overall, our trip to HYPER JAPAN was a fantastic day out. Taking 20 young people to an event celebrating Japanese culture gave them the opportunity to experience something new, meet different people and see a side of culture that they may not otherwise have encountered. From the incredible cosplay and unique stalls to trying new foods and travelling through one of the UK's biggest cities, the whole day was an opportunity to learn, explore and experience something different.
A big thank you to everyone who helped make the day possible, and to our 20 young people for making it such a memorable trip! Thanks to our funders for this trip: The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.
Comments