Japan Underground, an event hosted by JPU Records to celebrate great music from Japan, will return on Saturday 31 January 2026 for a very special, extremely intimate session featuring mikina of EDM-fuelled idol group ExWHYZ at The Kings Arms in Hanwell, West London. Tickets are available here or by scrolling below.

Previous guests at Japan Underground have included Otoboke Beaver, [Alexandros] and FACT, all before they became massive names, and January’s event is set to be another milestone with the addition of mikina from ExWHYZ. Her group’s latest single ‘DON’T CRY’ features Japanese EDM unit DONGROSSO and its music video has already been played over one million times within a month of its release. Additionally, mikina has gone viral on TikTok and other platforms several times with a video of her whimsically working the tills at Tower Records in Japan, with messages such as “Is this a dream?”, “Every time I see this I’m a little more stunned”, and “this is so cute”.

ExWHYZ’s core message is to “dance your dance”, and with its origins firmly in electronic dance music, it’s only natural for its members to be avid DJs too. This will be the first time mikina has performed a DJ set outside of Japan, and although she yet to tell us what she has planned, we fully expect it to get you dancing, your own way. Additionally, other members from ExWHYZ will also be present, possibly dancing their own dance too.

Additional to mikina, JPU Records staff will be DJing, like with every event, playing a large selection of rock, metal, visual-kei and anime favourites, along with requests from the audience to make sure the vibes hit hard.

Where:

This time the Japanese music party lands in the brand-new Marshall Lounge at The Kings Arms in Hanwell, mere metres from Marshall Amps’ first shop, and ground zero for modern rock ’n roll. The neighbourhood hums with legend: The Rolling Stones forged their classic lineup just down the road, giants like Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Freddie Mercury once prowled these streets, and it’s a stone’s throw from JPU Records’ HQ, making it the perfect place for Japan Underground to start the new year with a bang.

To reach The Kings Arms (Google Maps link) you can take the Elizabeth line to Hanwell Station (please note that only trains bound for Heathrow stop at Hanwell, and the last train into central London departs at 23:33). Additionally, from Ealing Broadway Station (central line, district line, Elizabeth line) you can take a bus to Hanwell Broadway in under 15 mins, either using the E8 from bus stop F directly outside the station, or SL8 or 483 from bus stop K which is a few minutes’ walk southeast from the station.