Hinode Japan is:
Stunning visuals and international
competitions
competitions
Cosplay
From ramen and onigiri to matcha drinks
Japanese food
Stores and booths selling everything from
electronics to souvenirs based on favorite works
electronics to souvenirs based on favorite works
Shopping
Multi-activity area
with a packed schedule for all ages
with a packed schedule for all ages
3 days of fun for the whole family
Colorful Japanese
guests and beloved Russian talents
guests and beloved Russian talents
Outstanding performers
Stage shows, Japanese martial
arts, workshops, presentations, and games
arts, workshops, presentations, and games
Variety of content
New and popular Japanese games on
PlayStation 5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2
PlayStation 5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2
Video games
How it was 開催レポート How it was 開催レポート
Hinode Japan 2025 introduces guests to Japanese culture at the new “Timiryazev Center” exhibition complex. Celebrities, workshops, martial arts, video games, cosplay, Japanese cuisine, a car show, a mochi-pounding ceremony, and a wealth of unique Japanese content.
A highlight of the program will be the appearance of Japanese sumo wrestlers Toyonoshima Daiki and Masahiro Daikihō. This marks the first visit by professional sumo wrestlers to Russia in 60 years!
Japanese stars are taking the stage: singer and voice actress Aya Hirano, cosplay icon Fran, comedy trio Wannabes, face-changing master Enishi, and artist Yasunori Kimata. Among the Russian guests are: street-style comedian Ilya Kuruch, actress Daria Blokhina, vlogger Ilya “Commander” Girkin, cosplayer and blogger OLIDUSHKA, and the “Russian voice of anime” Ancord.
Hinode is being held in collaboration with the Console Gaming Festival at the Main Stage venue in Moscow. Hinode features two international cosplay competitions, the winners of which will participate in partner festivals in Japan and India—Himecon (Himeji, Japan) and the India Gaming Show (New Delhi, India). A new team cosplay contest, Big Size Defile, featuring creative group performances, has also been added to the program.
The stage features guest performers from Japan and China, as well as Russian guests: well-known cosplayers and bloggers, musicians, voice actors, dance troupes, cover dance groups, and more. In addition to the stage program, the venue offers a variety of other entertainment and activities: from a gaming zone with 52 popular console games to fine arts workshops.
Renowned character designer and animation director Shingo Adachi (Sword Art Online) is visiting Hinode, where an exclusive screening of the anime *Demon Slayer* (Kimetsu no Yaiba) takes place a few days before its Japanese premiere (with support from the streaming platform Wakanim—now merged with Crunchyroll).
Taking the stage are the brilliant shamisen player Shinobu Kawashima, koto player Hiroe Morikawa, and the kendama masters Zoomadanke. Illustrator and character designer Yosai Kutyu from the video game studio Frintwing is doing a live drawing, and sumi-e artist Yoichi Wakui, in collaboration with “Robostation,” is creating a painting right on the venue floor. The painting is dedicated to Russia and Japan—the main character is the robot beatboxer “Miss Face.”
Taking the stage at Hinode is the Japanese rock band Yasuharu Takanashi & YAIBA—the creators and performers of the soundtracks for the popular anime series *Naruto* and *Fairy Tail*. Other guests include: Jenya, the only Russian voice actress in Japan (Clara in “Girls und Panzer”); steampunk singer yucat; ink performance artist Watanabe CHONTO; and others.
Hinode is also part of the official program of events for the Japan-Russia Year of Culture.
Hinode is moving to VDNH and will be held for the first time as a large-scale expo. Among the stars are Rika Matsumoto, the “voice of Pokémon”; Hidekichi Shigemoto, a sumi-e master and artist for the 2020 Olympics; cosplay star Fran, world yo-yo champion Hiraku, the energetic shamisen duo Seshami Street Boys, and many other Japanese and local artists.
In addition to the stage shows, visitors could enjoy workshops on fine arts and martial arts, board games, a fair, a food court, and a massive 800-square-meter video game area from Nintendo.
We’re celebrating our 5th anniversary in style: a performance by the Japanese drumming group Gyoten, a samurai show featuring sword fights by Shusui, Okinawan rhythms by Yanawaraba, and a geisha dance by Ulala Springday.
The program also features live painting by contemporary artist Kimata Yasunori, who creates street art-style ink drawings; a video mapping show incorporating martial arts by Sakakura Katsumi; and new international cosplay competitions in collaboration with Clara Cow’s Cosplay Cup (Netherlands) and CICAF (China).
Hinode will be visited by Tomotaka Takahashi, a robotics engineer and one of the creators of Kirobo, the first robot astronaut, as well as singer Kanako Ito, who has performed theme songs for anime and video games (including *Chaos;Head*, *Steins;Gate*, and *Robotics;Notes*).
The festival also has new mascots—the adorable bunnies Mimi and Misha. They symbolize the friendship between Japan and Russia and were designed by idol singer and illustrator Kirara Tomizawa especially for the festival.
We’re bringing the “maid café” concept—a popular format in Japan where staff dress up in maid costumes—to the venue. Visitors can also look forward to robot sumo, a manga exhibition, the Russian leg of the World Karaoke Grand Prix, and performances by Japanese artists: singers Ayane and Origa.
That same year, Nek and Nichi, the winners of the Russian qualifiers for the World Cosplay Summit with their cosplay based on *The Legend of Zelda*, became WCS world champions!
We launched the “Hinode Family” project, which enabled cosplayers from across Russia to participate in the WCS Russia national tournament. Starting this year, winners of regional cosplay competitions at Asian culture festivals in Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Kazan, Novokuznetsk, and other cities are invited to Moscow to participate in WCS Russia.
The first Hinode is taking place, featuring a YAMAHA Music Live laser show and the first tournament of the Russian qualifying round for the World Cosplay Summit. Twenty pairs of cosplayers are participating in the tournament, and the winners—the duo Mim and nemeZida with their cosplay based on the anime “Angelic Layer”—will travel to defend Russia's honor at the championship finals in Nagoya, Japan.
