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Japanese Markets in London: 2026 Dates & What’s On
- NOVA ESEA
- 27 minutes ago
- 6 min read
London’s Japanese markets move around, sell out of the good stuff by early afternoon, and rarely announce dates far in advance. This page tracks all of them in one place — the monthly regulars, the pop-ups, the annual festivals — so you’re not stitching together three Instagram accounts to work out where to go this weekend. We update it every month.
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Japanese markets in London: next confirmed dates
Soonest first, updated August 2026:
Shōtengai Market, King’s Cross — 13–16 August 2026, then the third week of every month. See the listing
East Asian Market at Canary Wharf — 12–13 September 2026, 40+ stalls, free. See the listing
Japan Matsuri, Trafalgar Square — Sunday 4 October 2026, 10am–8pm, free.
Nishi Market, Shepherd’s Bush — launched August 2026, second edition expected. Dates below.
Yokimono Japanese Market — pop-up dates rotate between Stratford and Dalston. Next edition to be announced.
If you only have one free weekend, Shōtengai is the reliable one — same street, third week of every month. Yokimono is bigger and more of a day out, but the dates jump around. Japan Matsuri is the once-a-year one worth planning for.
Shōtengai Market, King’s Cross
The most dependable Japanese market in London. Once a month, Lower Stable Street at Coal Drops Yard turns into a shotengai — the covered shopping streets you find in Japanese towns — with a run of stalls from London-based pan-Asian traders: food, ceramics, homeware, small independent makers.
Where: Lower Stable Street, King’s Cross, London N1C 4LW
When: Every month, third week of the month, Thursday to Sunday
Hours: Thursday & Friday 12–7pm; Saturday, Sunday & bank holiday Mondays 11–6pm
Cost: Free entry
Next dates: 13–16 August, then 17–20 September and 15–18 October 2026
It runs the third week of every month, Thursday through Sunday, so you can work out the next one before it’s announced. Go earlier in the day at weekends — the food stalls are the first to run out.
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Yokimono Japanese Market
Yokimono (“good things”) is the one to catch if you want the full day out: food stalls, arts and crafts, workshops, sometimes music and film. It’s a pop-up, so the venue changes each time. Recent editions have been at:
Riverside East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford E20 — 2–3 May 2026
The Factory, 21–31 Shacklewell Lane, Dalston / Hackney E8 2DA — 27–28 June 2026
Dates are announced a few weeks ahead on their Instagram (@yokimono_japanese_market). We list each Yokimono edition on our events page as it’s confirmed. We also spoke to founder Sonoe about how the market started: read the Yokimono story.
Nishi Market, Shepherd’s Bush
The newest one. Nishi Market launched on 1 August 2026 under the railway arches at Shepherd’s Bush Market, and its pitch is deliberately smaller than the big festivals: everyday Japan rather than anime and J-pop. Think the food you’d actually buy on a Tokyo weekday — onigiri, melon pan, curry bread, takoyaki — alongside ceramics, furoshiki, vintage fashion and vinyl.
It’s organised by Best Japanese, together with Sosaku Onigiri and event planner Rina, and the first edition featured workshops in flower arranging, shincha green tea tasting, and origami, plus a Japan travel booth staffed by JET Programme alumni. Workshop places were bookable in advance and limited, so book early if there’s a second run.
Where: Arch 156, Shepherd’s Bush Market, London W12 8DF
Nearest stations: Shepherd’s Bush Market and Goldhawk Road (1 minute); Shepherd’s Bush (10 minutes)
Cost: Free entry, RSVP via Eventbrite. Workshops booked separately.
Next: The organisers say they hope to run it regularly. Follow @best.japanese for the next date.
Japan Matsuri, Trafalgar Square
The biggest free Japanese event in the UK calendar, and the one to put in your diary now. Japan Matsuri takes over Trafalgar Square for one day each autumn with food stalls either side of the fountains, a full stage programme of music and dance, martial arts demonstrations, games and family activities. It has run since 2009 and has been at Trafalgar Square since 2012.
Where: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DS
When: Sunday 4 October 2026, 10am–8pm
Cost: Free
Worth knowing: bags larger than A4 aren’t allowed in, and the square runs a one-in-one-out policy once it fills up. Arrive early if you want to eat without queueing.
Japanese markets outside London
Worth the train if you’re within reach. Hanabi runs seasonal Japanese markets in Cambridge and Brighton with the same mix of street food, handmade crafts and cultural stalls — food-led, family-friendly and free to enter.
Hanabi Japanese Autumn Market — Storey’s Field Centre, Eddington, Cambridge CB3 1AA. Sunday 4 October 2026, 11am–4pm. See the listing
Hanabi Japanese Summer Festival — Brighthelm Centre, Brighton. Runs in June; 2027 dates to be announced.
Note the clash: the Cambridge autumn market falls on the same Sunday as Japan Matsuri. Pick one.
Where to shop for Japanese year-round
No market on this weekend? These are open all week — proper Japanese groceries, snacks, fresh fish and kitchenware:
Japan Centre (Leicester Square) — 35b Panton Street. The flagship: groceries, fresh sushi and bakery, homeware, books.
Ichiba (Westfield) — Japan Centre’s big West London store inside Westfield, with a food court.
Rice Wine Shop (Soho) — 82 Brewer Street, W1F 9UA. A family-run shop of more than two decades and the cheapest Japanese grocer in central London. Strong on sake, shochu and plum wine, but also the everyday stuff — rice, miso, dashi, furikake, tsukemono — at prices well under the Japan Centre’s. They also make katsu curry, sushi, inarizushi and onigiri fresh in-store on weekdays. Mon–Sat 10am–8pm, Sun 12–7pm.
Atari-Ya — the sashimi-grade fish specialist, with branches in West Acton, Finchley, Golders Green and Kingston. Also does bento, tempura and very reasonable chirashi bowls.
Natural Natural — Finchley Road and Ealing Common. Fresh fish, Japanese vegetables, sake and a home-made deli counter.
Shoryu Konbini — Japanese convenience-store snacks and ready meals near Westfield Stratford.
Hyper Japan and one-off Japanese events
You may have searched “Japanese market” and meant Hyper Japan — that’s a large ticketed Japanese culture convention (food, anime, games, J-pop) at Olympia London, not a monthly street market. It runs once or twice a year and sells tickets in advance, so check dates before turning up. The 2026 edition ran 24–26 July with 530+ exhibitors, QUEEN BEE headlining and a first-ever Suntory izakaya bar.
👉 Read our full Hyper Japan guide — line-up, food, workshops, tickets and how to plan your day.
The same goes for seasonal one-offs — Japanese Christmas markets, matsuri and embassy events pop up through the year. We list the ESEA ones on our events page as they’re confirmed.
FAQ
Is there a Japanese market in London this weekend? Check the top of this page — we keep the next confirmed dates there. Shōtengai runs monthly; Yokimono and Nishi are roughly monthly but move venue.
Is there a Japantown in London? Not in the way there’s a Chinatown. London’s Japanese community and businesses are spread out — a cluster of shops and restaurants around Leicester Square and Soho, more in West London near Acton and Ealing, and the markets above. The markets are the closest thing to a Japantown the city has.
Are the markets free? Shōtengai, Nishi, Yokimono and Japan Matsuri are all free to enter — you pay for what you buy. Workshops at Nishi are booked and paid for separately. Ticketed events like Hyper Japan are separate again.
What time should I go? Late morning at weekends. The best food stalls sell out, and the markets get busy after lunch. For Japan Matsuri, go early — Trafalgar Square operates one-in-one-out once it reaches capacity.
Which one should I go to first? Shōtengai if you want the reliable monthly fix. Yokimono if you want a full day out with workshops. Nishi if you’d rather browse everyday Japanese goods without the crowds. Japan Matsuri if you want the big annual one.
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