Lexus is once again the official car partner of the Japan Week Festival Week (26 October to 1 November 2022) a celebration of London’s growing Japanese food, drink and cultural scene.
For the second year running, Lexus will host a range of Japanese pop-up experiences at The Lexus Takumi Townhouse, Stables X, Seven Dials, in Covent Garden. The Townhouse is an exhibition space inspired by a traditional Japanese house and will host activities reflecting the spirit of omotenashi (hospitality) which is central to the Lexus brand.
Visitors will also see the craftsmanship and fine materials that Lexus applies to its cars, with the all-new NX450h+ plug-in hybrid on display at the Takumi Townhouse.
Tattoo artist Claudia de Sabe will be creating a water tiger mural and will talk about how she is able to apply her tattooing skills to different artforms. Her work includes the world’s first “tattooed” car – a Lexus UX 250h decorated with a giant koi carp – created as a tribute to the takumi craftsmanship and traditional Japanese artistry that are applied to every Lexus car.
Origami expert, Coco Sato, will run free workshops teaching the basics of paper-folding techniques, including how to create flowers, shapes, and animals. She will also demonstrate one of the dexterity tests that Lexus craftspeople are required to pass to work in a Lexus factory, in which they must fold an origami cat in less than one minute, using their non-dominant hand.
Other activities include:
- Christoph Spiessens, a certified mindfulness coach and published author, will lead free Lexus mindfulness taster sessions, to introduce meditation techniques and influences.
- Screenings of the film Takumi: a 60,000 hours story on the survival of human craft, a feature that explores how Japanese craftsmanship endures in a world that is increasingly powered by artificial intelligence.
- KANPAI sake tasting: Kanpai co-founder Tom Wilson and his team will tell the story of how they set up the UK’s first sake brewery, describe the production process and present a seasonal limited edition sake.
- Ueshima Japanese coffee lounge, with sessions hosted by a coffee master.
The Japan Week Festival offers a variety of events, experiences, limited-edition menus and exclusive discounts, at restaurants, bars and venues across London and the UK.
Venues taking part include Kanada Ya & Machiya, Tokyo Sukiyaki Tei, Moshi Moshi, School of Wok, Novikov, The Aubrey, and Duomo. For more information, please visit www.japanweekfestival.co.uk and sign up to the newsletter.