Brewery serves fantastic mix of Japanese food, film and art (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Brewery serves fantastic mix of Japanese food, film and art
8:10am Wednesday 11th July 2012 in News
By Gazette newsdesk
FANS of Japanese culture have been converging on Kendal to sample the finest in Far Eastern food, film and art.
The Brewery Arts Centre’s Bunkasai is a nine-day feast of Japanese popular culture, the centerpiece of which is an exhibition of the work of legendary manga artist Takao Saito in the Sugar Store Gallery.
Saito’s work was accompanied to Kendal from Japan by a top ranking manager from his production company, Mikio Shibata, who will also give a keynote lecture exploring current trends and the future of Japanese manga tonight (Thursday).
Brewery chief executive Richard Foster said it was a real privilege to welcome such a high ranking member of Saito-sensei’s publishing company to personally participate in the festival.
He added: “Saito’s work is in big demand across the world. Saito was keen to show his work in the UK for the first time because of the long-standing relationship between the two countries and because the Bunkasai is so welcoming to young people, who are the future of manga”
During his visit to the West, Shibata-san is also taking part in talks with a major Hollywood studio about bringing Saito’s most famous work Golgo 13 to the big screen.
Meanwhile, food lovers have also been enjoying tasty Japanese street food in the Warehouse Café, which has been transformed into a noodle bar serving authentic ramen noodle broth and okonomiyaki pancakes.
Warehouse head chef Liz Elliot explained: “Before the festival we were taught how to make them by a trained chef and expert in Japanese food so they are made to a very authentic recipe using traditional ingredients. The noodles in particular have been very popular and our regular customers have enjoyed trying such an unusual addition to our menu.”
As part of the festival, up-and-coming young manga artist Kayo Nakamura has been running workshops in local schools and carrying out research for a new manga graphic novel which will be set in the Lake District and moviegoers have been experiencing an eclectic Japanese film programme, which includes Anime, J-horror and children’s movies.
Brewery film programmer Chris Ashton said they had worked hard to put together a broad range of the most exciting Japanese cinema.
