Denmark mentioned
(from the VN Cyanotype Daydream)
Have you tried that crispy bread? 
Also, I’ve heard there was a small Earthquake there – I really hope you and everyone else in Denmark are alright 
Yes crispy bread is definitely a thing here 
haven’t heard anything about the earthquake though!
Interesting, checked the news now and I can see they are talking a lot about it! Didn’t even know there were earthquakes here to be honest!
Love that you knew about it before me xD
I see! So just like me, you spend more time doing things related to Japanese rather than checking the news
Yeah, this way is meowch better for my meowntal health 
Hey y’all!
I ended up going to three of the events I mentioned last week, and had a great time at all of them.
Wednesday: Swehongo Språkナイト
It was my first time at a Swehongo event, but it was a really fun group. There were quite a few Japanese people and quite a few people who were much more fluent than I, so it really kept me on my toes.
I was a bit late getting there, because I’d gone to the wrong venue: It was held at IMA Izakaya out in Sickla. However, I ended up going to Kungsträdgården, since there is an izakaya there with an adjacent bar called IMA.
Fortunately, though, it wasn’t all that time-sensitive; I arrived about 20 minuted late, and people kept dropping in and out throughout the night.
The onsen egg at IMA was really really good. They had a special menu for Språkナイト, but apparently the onsen egg is on their regular dinner menu, too.
Saturday: Language café with japanska föreningen
Fun as always. This time it wasn’t quite as crowded as the previous event … which might have been a good thing, because it was very hot and humid that day.
I only met on Japanese person there, but ended up having a long chat with two really fluent learners, so it was still really good practice.
Sunday: Nerikomi workshop
I was kind of going back and forth on whether or not I should go, but I’m glad that I did; one of the most fun things I’ve done in quite a while.
I enjoy working with my hands, but most important of all, both the teachers and the other students were really friendly and positive. It was quite meditative to spend two hours just working and chatting, and being unable to check my phone every five minutes because I had clay on my hands.
I have no artistic skills what-so-ever, but fortunately nerikomi is a fairly beginner-friendly technique. I was originally going to go for a floral pattern, but realized I quite liked the patterns I got by just twisting and smashing clay together.
Now, on to upcoming events across 北欧:
Helsinki
12 kesäkuuta
Serita at Hesinki-päivä
Serita, a Finnish-Japanese J-rock/alt-rock musician, will be performing at Karhupuiston lavalla as part of Helsinki Day.
30. syyskuuta
Yasuharu Takanashi’s Far East Groove
Composer and songwriter Yasuharu Takanashi is going on tour. I haven’t found much information about the concert, but going by previous tours, it seems safe to assume that the setlist will include music from Naruto and Fairy Tail.
Kolding
29.-31. maj
Japan-Denmark Filmfestival
A three-day film festival featuring Japanese movies from a variety of genres, as well as a film competition (with categories for both short and feature-length films).
Guests include director Nakata Hideo, actress Yoshimoto Miyu, cosplayer and media personality Shibuya Kaho, and director Otsuka Yuki.
In connection with the film festival, there will also be a cosplay competition, hosted by Shibuya Kaho.
Lund
31 maj
Intercultural Hitchhikes – Japan
Application (deadline: 28 maj)
More information: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYnJZj_DfoR/
Göteborg
31 maj
Udon school
Learn to make udon with WANOWA at Meshiya.
Stockholm
28 maj - 6 juni
Japanese pop-up
https://www.instagram.com/gyllstadstudio/p/DYkP83Eisw6/
31 maj
Mother’s day pop-up event at Yuko Ono
A pop-up event in Hägersten where you can get food from Chez Iwata, snacks from Fikalabb Stockholm and tea from Yuko Ono.
Chez Iwata:
- Bento boxes
- teriyaki chicken
- tofu+shiitake (vegetarian; maybe vegan)
- Onigiri
Bento boxes need to be pre-ordered by May 27th
Fikalab:
- Matcha and Strawberry Roll Cake with Hanami Dango
- Lychee & Raspberry Tofu “Cheesecake” (vegan-friendly)
- Genmaicha & Sakura Basque Cheesecake
- Hojicha & Strawberry Basque Cheesecake
(If you can’t get to Hägersten on Sunday, Fikalab will also be at Hornstulls marknad on Saturday.)
30-31 maj
Comic-Con Stockholm
Not strictly Japan-related, but there are some Japan-related items on the program, such as calligraphy and kenjutsu.
Also, David Hayter is going to be a guest; he’s kind of Japan-related. Wonder if I should dust off my old Naked Snake cosplay…?
9 juni
Korean-Japanese dinner event
Japanese chefs Ai Ventura and Saori Ichihara will be teaming up with Korean restauranteur Her Name Is Kim to create an 11-serving dinner combining Korean and Japanese cuisine.
@ekg used to live there…
I say “used to”, because, iirc, she was planning to move to some other place…
Anyway, I really hope she is alright and is just busy…
Anyway, I’m very glad you’ve been to so many cool events!
An event in Denmark, yay 
Not too far from where I live, I will have a close look at the program!
Huh, yeah, she sure did disappear suddenly.
Hopefully, it’s just a matter of changing routines. I know I sometimes disappear for long stretches of time, simply because it disappears from muscle memory.
Be sure to tell us all of your adventures in non-Gothenburg when you get back, @ekg!
Hej allihopa från Malmö/Lund! How did you all start learning Japanese?
Well thank you @Kutsushokunin for the invitation, I feel like I own you personally that I had a nice Sunday
I went to the festival yesterday only (I had already plans Friday + Saturday unfortunately, but as it was my first time going to that sort of event it was also fine to try with just one day for a start).
I didn’t speak with Hideo Nakata but I had the opportunity to speak with the other three guests in Japanese! Got even 上手’ed by Miyu Yoshimoto a couple of times haha. Was really fun to meet her, she seemed so nice, and then in the movie she was in, she has the villain’s part and was so scary, impressive acting performance!
And it was great to watch so many Japanese movies in a row. I had tried a reading marathon in Japanese but never a movie marathon in Japanese. By the end of the day my brain had definitely switched to Japanese, and it took conscious effort to speak to people in Danish or English xD
So thanks again, that was a great event, I will consider going again next year!
Personally, I’d been interested in Japanese pop culture since childhood. However, while I started learning a few times, I never really put in the necessary time.
It wasn’t until I got sick and had to slow down a bit that I started dedicating time to it. Then, as I started to recover, I joined a college class.
These days, I mainly practice by reading and listening to podcasts, as well as attending language cafés.
Oh, wonderful; then I can officially declare these event round-ups to be a success
Sounds like a great time! I’m almost a bit jealous, but fortunately I had some things to keep me busy this weekend, as well:
Event report
This weekend, I attended two of the events mentioned above:
Comic-Con Stockholm
Long story short: Dressed up as Snake, met David Hayter, had a good time.
Long story long
This was my first Comic-Con since before the pandemic. To be honest, I don’t really like big conventions all that much – they’re too crowded, and often feel kind of corporate – but I do enjoy seeing cosplayers and talking to enthusiastic fans, and I got quite a lot of both this time around.
What really convinced me to go, though, was the fact that David Hayter – the voice of Solid Snake and Big Boss – would be appearing. I’d previously cosplayed as Naked Snake 11 years ago, for the midnight release of Metal Gear Solid V, and I decided it was time to give it another try.
2011 and 2026. I made a me-sized box using two regular moving boxes, but unfortunately I made it a bit too big, so it was difficult to maneuever in. On the plus-side, though, it was foldable.
I also threw on some camo face paint. I ended up looking a bit scarier than intended, but I decided to leave it in.
Waiting in line, I got a chance to talk to some fellow fans, including two Snakes and an EVA.
I’d pre-ordered a photo with Hayter, but while I was there, I also spontaneously decided to buy an autograph.
Before heading out, I’d looked around for my MGS games, but I suspect they must all be in my parents’ attic, so I couldn’t bring one of those for him to sign.
However, those of you who have followed my latest Japanese travel log may recall that I stopped by a soft air gun bar in Hiroshima.
If you have a near-photographic memory, you may also recall that I won a camouflaged handkerchief.
I’d brought this with me, and decided to ask him to sign it on the back. I was worried it would either be too hard to write on or that the writing would smudge, but it ended up quite well.
Now this handkerchief has two fun stories associated with it! Now that’s sentimentmaxxing!
For the photo session, I’d been wondering how I could incorporate the cardboard box without taking too much time. Fortunately, it was quite easy to unfold it in a way that kind of makes it look like we’re both in a cardboard box together.
It was quite a lot of fun, and I was also happy to find that David Hayter came off as a kind, down-to-earth guy.
Of course, being approachable is part of the job at events like this, so perhaps he’s just very professional. Still, it felt genuine, especially in light of what happened next:
After the photo session, he did an on-stage Q&A. I was seated next to a guy that I’d met in line for the photos, and he was an even bigger MGS fan than I was. He clearly wanted to ask a question, but he hesitated, either due to shyness or because he couldn’t think of a question.
However, eventually he got up and joined the queue … but shortly after he did, the crew announced that they were running out of time and would only take one more question.
On our way out, he said he was a bit bummed out about missing out on asking a question, but he was still very happy with the event over-all.
We stood there chatting for a bit, and just as we were about to split up, David came out. He came up to us, chatted with us for a bit and asked what my friend was going to ask. He gave quite an in-depth answer, fist-bumped us both and wished us a good convention.
I’m really glad to have had that interaction, but even more happy for my friend; it was clear that it meant quite a lot to him.
Thank you, David; you’re pretty good.
Mother’s day pop-up event at Yuko Ono
No need for a TL;DR here; Japanese food, matcha, matcha+sakura basque cheesecake. Good stuff.
Also, two of the three vendors were Japanese, so I got some practice in.
I feel like this image doesn’t dot he cheesecake justice. It was effin’ delicious.
Upcoming events
Oulu
6. kesäkuuta
Tuomenkukkapiknik (Flower-viewing picnic)
Information: https://osjy.fi/2026/05/24/tuomenkukkapiknik-2026/
Vote for kanji of the year: Call for the Kanji of the year!
Oslo
14. juni
Japansk Festival 2026
More information: JAPANSK FESTIVAL 2026 | Facebook
Japanese Food Art Adventure
Information: Instagram
Sign-up: 🍙Japansk Matlek med Hvetedeig
Bergkvara
13-14 juni
Över gränsen – ett tillfälligt rum
Over the past two years, Japanese artist Takako Takeuchi has visited various places in Småland where she experienced a sense of sacredness of presence.
This resulted in a video and music installation, which will be displayed at Bergkvara konsthall. I don’t know much about it, but it seems that she took a Shinto approach to venerating nature in a foreign environment, which seems rather interesting.
14 juni
Workshop: Make a shide
A workshop hosted by the above-mentioned artist Takako Takeuchi. Shide formed an important part of her project, and in this workshop, you can learn to make them for yourself.
Jönköping
26-27 juni
𓅯 Japan-related events during Våra kulturkvarter 2026
Origami workshop
Held on both the 26th and the 27th. There will be simple origami instructions that are suitable for children, and also the chance to try more advanced origami with an instructor.
Information: Vill du prova japansk origamikonst? - Jönköpings kommun
Check out the instructor’s work: @sakiuratahome on Instagram
Try risograph painting
June 27th: Make a zine using risography.
Information: Testa RISO-tryck och gör ett zine - Jönköpings kommun
Manga animals and mega painting
Mainly seems directed at children. Participants will collaborate to make a giant manga-style painting of an animal, but also to “familiarize themselves with the Japanese manga style and create manga animals using different techniques”.
Information: Mangadjur och megamåleri! - Jönköpings kommun
Stockholm
6 juni
Omusubi Stockholm at Karlaplan loppis
Some of you may remember Omusubi Stockholm from last year, when she attended quite a few flea markets and also had pop-up events at Café Koya (here you can see me modeling as an onigiri enjoyer).
It’s been a while since her latest event, but she’ll be back for the Karlaplan loppis this Saturday.
Information: Instagram
9 juni
Korean-Japanese dinner event
The sign-ups for this event opened up at 16 today, and when I checked it out a few hours later most of the seats were already taken 
However, there are still a couple of tables left, but only for group bookings (4 people, apparently).
Sign-up: Her name is Kim : Reservation (choose “Our name is …pop up dinner”)
Menu: Instagram
Update: I put my name on the waiting list, and I’ve now received a spot at a shared table
Definitely, thank you for those! Even if I’m not going to attend 99% of the events, it’s quite fun to see what’s happening.
Sounds like you had a pretty good Japanese weekend too
Glad nationalafton, fellow bananas! May your collective agreements be strong and your work days short!
I apparently managed to completely miss the fact that Babymetal would be performing at Sweden Rock, so I guess I’m not catching everything Japan-related that happens here in Hokuö … but that won’t stop me from trying!
Hyvinkää
6.-7. kesäkuuta
Hypecon 2026
This con is located about an hour’s train ride from Helsinki, and I’ve gotta say, it sounds like it’s worth the trip.
I’ve had to use Google Translate to decipher the Finnish, but from what I can glean, Japan-related events include:
- Manzai competition – This year’s competition will pit four Finnish manzai duos against each other. What’s more, the competition will also feature a performance by the Japanese manzai duo 二者面談 (Nisha Mendan) … in Finnish!
- Manga/anime panels – Including one on death represented in manga, and another on boys’ love. You need that balance, you know.
- Music events – Including anime karaoke, maid karaoke and J-pop RPD (random play dance).
- Live music performances – I actually first learned about this event because Japanese-Finnish singer-songwriter SERITA posted about it.
Malmö
11 juni
Princess Takamado visits Malmö
No idea if there will be any events connected to this that are open to the public, but it might be something worth looking into if you’re in the area.
Tallinn
5. juuli
Laste taiko trummi töötuba
Once again, I’m relying on Google Translate to help me with a Uralic language, but apparently:
- laste – genitive plural form of laps (child)
- taiko – taiko
- trummi – genitive singular form of trumm (drum)
- töötuba – workshop
So, this is a children’s taiko drum workshop!
Of course, if you want to register for the children’s taiko drum workshop, you’ve got to decline the head noun into the illative case:
Registreerumine laste taiko trummi töötuppa: Registreerumine laste taiko trummi töötuppa
The event is being arranged by the Jaapani Kultuuri Koda. I don’t know a whole lot about this organization, but they seem to organize a fair number of events in Tallinn, including language courses.
Glad umeshuafton, krabbodillärjungar!
Event report
6 juni
The weather was on the cloudy side, so I figured it would probably be fine if I showed up an hour after the market opened. Turns out, this was a mistake; when I got there, the market was packed with people, and the onigiri were all sold out.
I did get a piece of matcha+anko cake and a chance to chat a bit with the maker, though, which was nice. Apparently, she’s planning another market even in July, and perhaps a few more during the summer, so keep an eye on her Instagram for updates.
9 juni
The Her name is … tasting event was excellent; quite a few flavor combinations I’ve never tried before. My favorites were the scallop with pickled turnip and nasturtium, as well as the chawanmushi with mushroom dashi and seaweed.
I’m also quite glad I got “stuck” at a mixed table; I don’t mind eating alone, but it was also quite nice to get to meet three new people.
Upcoming events
Sweden
4-10 september
J-Pop Up Vol. 3 and Garuda Europe Tour 2026
The bands MAD JAMIE and GARUDA are coming to Sweden, with events in Örebro, Linköping and and Västervik. There will also be an event in Stockholm, but it’s invite-only (apparently for SJPA sponsors).
For GARUDA, this will be part of their 2026 European tour, so perhaps they’ll show up in other parts of the Nordics, as well.
Stockholm
11 juni
Komeya teishoku pop-up
Kind of late notice, but they last posted about it earlier today, so it may still be possible to book a table.
Information: Instagram
14 juni
Hornstulls marknad
This Sunday, Chez Iwata (Instagram) will be selling onigiri at Hornstulls marknad.
Fikalab Stockholm will also be there, serving up a number of East Asian fika options. This Sunday, their menu will be completely gluten-free. You can check out their menu on Instagram.
15 juni
An evening with Shingo Takeuchi
In a previous post, I mentioned that Urban Artists would be hosting a two-day course with the Japanese ceramicist Shingo Takeuchi.
Well, if you think that sounds a bit intense, there will also be a free event on Monday, including a live demonstration and a Q&A session.
There are currently only 3 spots remaining, so check it out if it sounds interesting to you!
(I’ll be out of town, so if you’d like to make me jealous, be sure to go there and tell me that it was the coolest thing ever.)
17 juni
Swehongo Språkナイト at Ima Izakaya
I won’t be able to attend, but I do recommend this group; I went to the first Språkナイト a few weeks ago, and it was great fun. The food was great, too; the onsen egg was onsen excellent.
1 juli
Musik i parken: Haverö – Hägersten – Honshū*
*The official event name doesn’t include the macron on the long u, but it felt wrong leaving a single place name without a diacritic.
Göran Månsson is a flutist from Haverö who has been touring Japan with his Härjedalian folk music.
For this event, he will be accompanied by percussionist Yosuke Tanabe, with narration by 講談 practitioner Gyokushusai Tamada, who will demonstrate his art in Swedish, English and Japanese.
Oslo
28. juni
Wacca Tournament
The arcade Chiruto will host a tournament in the rhythm game Wacca.
Details and registration: Turneringsinformasjon - Wacca (Google Docs)
Helsinki
28. kesäkuuta
Taiyaki pop-up at Hachi
The group Dan-Dan Pop-Up suddenly popped up in my feed with their first pop-up event, selling taiyaki at Hachi Japanin Markkinat.
Information: Instagram
Kangasala
3. lokakuuta 2025 – 31. elokuuta 2026
Nousevan auringon alta
A ongoing mini-exhibition att Fenno Galleria, showcasing “ten different perspectives on the achievements of the Japanese automotive industry”.
7.–11. heinäkuuta
Umami Kangasala
Now, I’m very much depending on Google Translate to make sense of this website, which isn’t always reliable.
Still, this seems like a very cool event, with cooking classes, musical performances and a very impressive ukiyo-e exhibition.
There will also be a sakura planting followed by an omikoshi procession, and they are currently recruiting people to help carry the omikoshi.
Sign-up and information: Google Form
Online
Global
World Children’s Haiku Contest
The results from the World Children’s Haiku Contest have been published, including the children’s illustrations and translations into both Japanese and English. You can check them out here:
Search results (Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden)
Estonia
11. juuni – Yuurin Yosakoi at Yosakoi Soran Matsuri
Several members from the Estonian yosakoi troupe Yuurin Yosakoi are present at the Soran yosakoi festival in Sapporo.
You can watch them live tomorrow (Thursday) at ca. 21:06 (Japanese time), which I think is 15.06 Estonian time:
【Live！】6月11日(木)18:00～21:30 YOSAKOIソーラン祭り2026 ８丁目ステージ生中継 - YouTube
Yuurin Yosakoi are also performing in the video competition which will also take place tomorrow (Thursday):
【映像参加企画】6月11日（木）13：30～17：30 B・Cブロック
Not exactly clear when their spot will air, but according to the schedule, it should be between 15.30 and 17.30 (Japanese time).
Sweden
16 juni – JAPAN × SWEDEN Music Project livestream
In an earlier post, I mentioned the upcoming concert Prayer for Peace – JAPAN × SWEDEN, which will be held in September.
Well, on Tuesday ( 12.00, 
19時), they will have an Instagram Live in English talking about “music, cultural exchange between Japan and Sweden, and [their] shared hopes for peace”.
Details: Instagram
Maybe it’s time to bring @eagleflo in this thread, things seem to be happening in Helsinki