Japan in Sofia

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Coming up in Japan

• Jump Festa 2027

  19 – 20 December 2026 · Makuhari Messe, Chiba

  The Weekly Shōnen Jump festival, this time with 34 series, One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen among them.

  Official siteSources: jumpfesta.com, dengekionline.com/article/202609/89342

• Comic Market 109

  29 – 31 December 2026 · Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo

  Japan's great market of fan-made comics (dōjinshi), over three days.

  Official siteSources: comiket.co.jp/info-a/C109/C109Schedule.html

• Sapporo Snow Festival

  4 – 11 February 2027 · Odori Park and other sites, Sapporo

  The 77th festival of snow and ice sculptures.

  Official siteSources: snowfes.com/news/948.html

• AnimeJapan 2027

  27 – 28 March 2027 · INTEX Osaka, Osaka

  Japan's biggest anime fair, in Osaka for the first time instead of Tokyo.

  Official siteSources: anime-japan.jp/about, kai-you.net/article/95014

Through the year

• New Year (shōgatsu)

  1 January – 3 January

  Most businesses close from 1 to 3 January. Tradition says to see the first sunrise of the year and to visit a shrine or temple.

  Sources: japan-guide.com/e/e2064.html

• Cherry blossoms (sakura)

  16 March – 10 May

  The blossoms open in the south first and move north. On average the first bloom is on 24 March in Tokyo, 27 March in Osaka and 1 May in Sapporo.

  Sources: japan.travel/en/see-and-do/cherry-blossom-forecast

• Golden Week

  29 April – 5 May

  Four national holidays in seven days, from Showa Day on 29 April to Children's Day on 5 May: one of Japan's three busiest holiday seasons.

  Sources: japan-guide.com/e/e2282.html, travel.rakuten.com/contents/usa/en-us/guide/japanese-national-holidays-golden-week

• Obon

  13 August – 16 August

  13 to 16 August in most regions; Tokyo, Kanto and Tohoku keep it on 13 to 16 July. With New Year and Golden Week, one of Japan's three busiest holiday seasons.

  Sources: travel.rakuten.com/contents/usa/en-us/guide/japanese-national-holidays-golden-week, japan-guide.com/e/e2282.html

• Autumn leaves (kōyō)

  20 October – 10 December

  The leaves turn in the north and the mountains first and move south. On average they peak on 28 October in Sapporo, 28 November in Tokyo and 1 December in Osaka.

  Sources: japan.travel/en/see-and-do/autumn-leaves-forecast-2025

Ramen and gyoza

• Haikara Ramen

  A ramen bar in the centre.

  121 G. S. Rakovski St

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d26366343-Reviews-Haikara_Ramen-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

• Umamido

  Ramen with chicken, pork or shrimp broth, and a miso broth with tofu for vegetarians.

  12B Stefan Karadzha St

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d12124534-Reviews-Umamido-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html, justbook.bg/blog/nai-dobrite-zavedenia-vuv-vashia-grad/umamido-nai-vkusniq-ramen

• Ikigai

  Ramen, noodles, gyoza and sushi, plus yakitori and Asian-style burgers.

  69 Bulgaria Blvd

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d18936131-Reviews-Ikigai-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

• Miyabi

  A Japanese restaurant known for its ramen.

  5 Stara Planina St

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d4115603-Reviews-Miyabi_Japanese_Restaurant-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html, tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g294452-zfd11722-Sofia_Sofia_Region-Ramen.html

Sushi

• UMAMI Japanese Food and Garden

  Japanese and Peruvian cuisine in the hotel's Japanese garden, which is modelled on the 400-year-old garden of the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo.

  Hotel Marinela, 100 James Bourchier Blvd

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d12197126-Reviews-UMAMI_Japanese_Food_and_Garden-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html, hotel-marinela.com/bg/japanese-garden

• Hamachi

  A Japanese restaurant for sushi and seafood.

  179 G. S. Rakovski St

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d808082-Reviews-Hamachi-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

• Jazu by Hamachi

  Hamachi's sister restaurant: Japanese food with contemporary jazz.

  Expo 2000 office park, 55 Nikola Vaptsarov Blvd

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d23675773-Reviews-Jazu_By_Hamachi-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

• The Sushi Bar

  A sushi bar in the Oborishte district.

  18 Denkoglu St

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d943626-Reviews-The_Sushi_Bar-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

• Mizu

  A sushi restaurant in the centre.

  29 Slavyanska St

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d32976392-Reviews-Mizu_Restaurant_Sofia-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

• Fire Kitchen Sushi & Japanese Cuisine

  Sushi and Japanese cuisine in the Nadezhda district.

  Nadezhda, block 172, entrance Zh, Lomsko Shose

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d32880302-Reviews-Fire_Kitchen_Sushi_Japanese_Cuisine-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

Tea

• Tea house ocha.bg

  A Japanese tea house.

  20 Gyurgulyat St

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  Sources: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294452-d15223313-Reviews-Tea_house_ocha_bg-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

• Pop Up Matcha

  A matcha bar in the centre, with its drinks served in jars.

  3 Tsar Asen St

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  Sources: moovitapp.com/index/bg/%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8_%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82-Pop_Up_Matcha-Sofia_%D0%A1%D0%BE%D1%84%D0%B8%D1%8F-site_336807052-3501, directmap.co/%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%84%D0%B8%D1%8F/21334

• Chado Urasenke Tankokai Bulgaria

  An association for the Japanese tea ceremony and Japanese culture, founded in 1992 as a club for lovers of the tea ceremony.

  33 Yanko Zabunov St

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  Sources: bg.emb-japan.go.jp/bg/culture_education/organizations/chado/index.html

Japanese sweets

• Taiyaki Spot

  A Japanese dessert shop near NDK: taiyaki, mochi and Japanese cheesecake, with matcha drinks.

  45 Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd

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  Sources: instagram.com/reel/DRMWSW7Ev7X, facebook.com/groups/631337272173225/posts/1114066550566959

Japanese groceries

• Just Asia

  An Asian grocery in The Mall; it also sells online.

  The Mall, 115Z Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd

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  Sources: themall.bg/store/just-asia

Manga and books

• Elephant Bookstore

  An English-language vintage bookshop and gift shop, with comics.

  31 Tsar Shishman St

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  Sources: inyourpocket.com/bulgaria/sofia/venues/elephant-bookstore, camerata-bulgarica.com/bg/partners/elephant-bookstore.html

• Orange Center, The Mall

  A bookshop chain with a large section of English-language manga; this shop is in The Mall.

  The Mall, 115Z Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd

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  Sources: themall.bg/store/orange-center, orangecenter.bg/knizharnitsa/manga

Culture and language

• Japanese Garden, Sofia Zoo

  Made in 2006–2008 by the Japanese landscape architect Suematsu Toru as a volunteer, and since restored. The city calls it the only publicly accessible Japanese garden in Sofia. It is near the central entrance and the waterfowl lake.

  Sofia Zoo, 1 Srebarna St

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  Sources: sofia.bg/en/w/aponskata-gradina-v-stolicnia-zoopark-e-v-zstanovena, zoosofia.eu

• Sofia University: Japanese language and culture course

  Sofia University's course in Japanese language and culture, run with its Japanese Studies programme.

  Centre for Eastern Languages and Cultures, 79 Todor Aleksandrov Blvd

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  Sources: bg.emb-japan.go.jp/bg/culture_education/organizations/jp_language/index.html

• Agora Sofia

  A school of Japanese language and culture, with courses for every level, a minute from Konstantin Velichkov metro station.

  77 Tsaribrodska St, office 3

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  Sources: bg.emb-japan.go.jp/bg/culture_education/organizations/jp_language/index.html

• International Foundation St. St. Cyril and Methodius

  Japanese language courses.

  3 Vasil Aprilov St

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  Sources: bg.emb-japan.go.jp/bg/culture_education/organizations/jp_language/index.html