A FESTIVAL celebrating Japanese culture and marking the 150th anniversary of the Anglo-Japanese treaty will be held at Spitalfields Market on Saturday. Visitors to Japan Matsuri will be able to enjoy a taste of Japan s rich culture at the festival which w

A FESTIVAL celebrating Japanese culture and marking the 150th anniversary of the Anglo-Japanese treaty will be held at Spitalfields Market on Saturday.

Visitors to Japan Matsuri will be able to enjoy a taste of Japan's rich culture at the festival which will welcome in the autumn season and also bring together art, craft, music, dance, food, theatre, puppetry, games and family activities.

Toby Brown, Spitalfields Estate Director "Spitalfields has a history of welcoming and being home to many different cultures, it offers the perfect spot for East to meet West."

More than 20 stalls will offer a selection of Japanese foods, where visitors can try stir0fried yakisoba noodles, takoyaki octopus dumplings, yakitori chicken skewers, curry, sushi, tempura, o-den stew and traditional Japanese sweets and a selection of sakes.

Shizu Usami, a professional calligrapher visiting especially from Japan, will demonstrate 'Shodo' the art of writing beautifully.

Other displays will include an exhibition of Japanese art and a series of martial arts demonstrations, including Aikido, Kendo, Iaido and Genkiko.

Taiko drum performances will be given throughout the day by Thames Taiko, with a grand finale by Joji Hirota and his taiko drummers.

Green Chorus, a group of Japanese women, will perform their repertoire of traditional songs from Japan and the super cool Anglo-Japanese musical group Frank Chickens (who recorded several sessions for John Peel's Radio 1 show) will make a special guest appearance, reforming just for Japan Matsuri.

The festival will be in Crispin Place in Spitalfields Market from 10am-8pm on Saturday. Visit www.japanmatsuri.com for more information.