Shopping Guide
Japan Expo in Thailand 2015, the country’s largest Japan-related event, was held in central Bangkok at the Siam Paragon from Feb. 6–8. Jeducation, an agency for studying overseas in Japan, organized the event.
A wide range of topics on Japan were introduced at the event including goods, travel, cuisine, fashion, employment, studying abroad, arts, and culture. Japanophiles poured into the venue, with recorded attendance at 75,000.
A total of 95 companies had booth exhibits set up, and highlights included public recordings of TV shows, a sampling of eel kabayaki, and soba rolling demonstrations.
The stage performances kicked off with an opening ceremony featuring a famous Thai actress dressed in a yukata and NHK mascot character Domo-kun, and many young fans became captive to the many performances including gymnastics with Kumamoto Prefecture’s mascot character Kumamon and Thai university students, mini concerts by Joe Inoue––singer of the Naruto theme song––and idol group Yume Miru Adolescence, and more. A cosplay contest was also held, and the quality of the outfits surprised even the sponsors.
In a special area of the event venue, TeamLab’s CG room was unveiled for the first time in Thailand, and this remained open throughout the event. With the Sketch People exhibit, visitors were able to make their own drawn person move on screen, with various actions occurring when they touched it.
Exhibits were changed out each day, and a highlight in particular was the exhibit “The Story of Time When Gods Were Everywhere” held on the last day. The exhibit beautifully displayed spectacular images from a time when it was said that gods dwelled in places still standing from ancient times.
Also, the event’s theme song was created by popular Thai band Modern Dog who infused the song with a mix of Japanese and Thai. The 3-day event came to a close with a concert being held on the final day.
Plans have already begun for Japan Expo in Thailand 2016. For those who live nearby, why not attend?
