nippon love

Texas' biggest Japanese festival jets into Houston for 2 days of anime, cars, food, music, sumo, and more

Hard to believe in the most diverse city in the nation, but Houston is home to little more than 4,000 residents who identify as Japanese. But suffice it to say, the small island nation of Japan is a giant in pop culture influences.

Now Houstonians can immerse themselves in Japanese food, music, art, anime, martial arts, cars, and much more at the Tokyo Night Festival. Attendees can expect major music acts, an A-list of food vendors, anime stars, Japanese hot rods, and even sumo wrestling at the event producers are calling the "biggest Japanese event in Texas."

The fun runs 3 pm-10 pm Friday and Saturday, November 11 and 12 at the Texas Festival Grounds, 6848 Almeda-Genoa Rd. Tickets range from $2-$52 and can be found online.

Here are some highlights of the two-day Japan fest.

The entertainment
A major draw is a live performance by legendary Japanese hip-hop artist Zeebra. Also look for Nisei Japanese hip-hop artist and youngest National Poetry Slam champion G Yamazawa; DJ Michael “5,000” Watts and Swisha House; Kaminari Taiko Houston; World Wadaiko Champion Takumi Kato; Onoe- Ryu Japanese Dance’s Hiromi Onoe; American Japanese idol Paida; international dancer and choreographer Juju; rapper Nevos Tyler; j-rock artist Melancholiaah!; kendama performer Michael Martin; dark pop duo Innerlux; Aymi, and more.

The food
More than 30 food vendors are confirmed for the festival. The vendors all are required to serve food with Japanese elements, combined with the vendors’ own flair. Food and drink participants include Shun Japanese Kitchen; Hako Bento Box Company; Japan Bites; Tokyo Maid Cafe; Japanese Association of Greater Houston (Takoyaki); Burger Chan; Cao Bao; Click Virtual Food Hall; Crawfish and Noodles; Ramen Tatsuya; ONIGIRI (gourmet Japanese rice balls); Tatsunoya Ramen; Aqua S; Dumpling Haus; Fattest Cow; Teagu Cafe; Global Republic; Kuramoto Ice; Marukome; Atcha; Hella Bubble; BB Concessions; Dream Eaters Coffee; Lincoln Bar; Pocari Sweat; Kimono Juice; Choya and more.

The sumo wrestling
On Saturday, the festival will host Houston’s first sumo tournament. The tournament will be open-weight only. The men’s tournament will be double eliminations (50 men maximum can register), while the women’s tournament will be round robin (20 women maximum can register). Winners will receive a trophy, a $200 cash prize, a special prize from the sponsors, and major bragging rights.

The voice actors
Fans can meet the voice actors (several of them hail from right here in Houston) who bring your favorite anime to life. Expect notable names such as Anthony Hunter, Blake Shepherd, Bryson Baugus, Christina Kelly, Jay Hickman, John Gremillion, John Swasey, Kyle Jones, and Olivia Swasey.

The culture
Quite simply, the weekend will be a chance for Houstonians to dive into Japanese culture. From martial arts showcases to jiu jitsu demonstrations to cosplay to classic Japanese cars and more, this event will definitely have a lot of people, to borrow an ‘80s song title, turning Japanese. (We really think so!)

Photo courtesy of Tokyo Night Festival

Expect a cool cast of characters.

-----

The Tokyo Night Festival runs 3 pm-10 pm Friday and Saturday, November 11 and 12 at the Texas Festival Grounds, 6848 Almeda-Genoa Rd. Tickets range from $2-$52 and can be found online.

Movie Review

Rose Byrne and star-laden cast try to beat the system in new movie Tow

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Rose Byrne in Tow.

Actor Rose Byrne had a banner year in 2025, getting her first Oscar nomination for her starring role in If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You. Although she came up short in that race, she’s getting another chance to prove her acting bona fides in the new film, Tow.

In the “inspired by a true story” movie, Byrne plays Amanda, a down-on-her-luck woman who lives in her car and can’t find a job. Living in Seattle, she tries to stay in touch with her daughter, Avery (Elsie Fisher), who lives with her dad in another city, but circumstances sometimes limit their communications, especially when her car is stolen.

The good news is that her car is found relatively quickly. The bad news is that the tow company is charging her to get her car back, money she can’t afford. Now truly homeless, she does everything in her power to right the wrong, even taking the company to court. Without much luck, she has to start staying in a women’s shelter run by Barbara (Octavia Spencer), where she makes friends with Nova (Demi Lovato) and Denise (Ariana DeBose), among others.

Directed by Stephanie Laing and written by Jonathan Keasey and Brent Boivin, the film has relatively low stakes going for it and never really tries to make the story feel deeper than it is. The situation Amanda finds herself in is clearly a tough one, and any empathetic person would feel for her and want her to overcome her plight. But the filmmakers keep things light and never try to up the drama in any significant way.

The issue Amanda is dealing with, being price gouged by a predatory towing company, is one with which many people can relate. But aside from helpfully underscoring Amanda’s frustration by showing the increasing number of days she is without a car, they never establish why they felt this particular story was one worth telling. Her personal issues, including a growing estrangement with her daughter, fail to conjure any big emotions.

The filmmakers are very loose with their storytelling, especially when it comes to side characters. The presence of the women she meets at the shelter, and Kevin (Dominic Sessa), the young lawyer who offers to help her, never makes full sense other than a need for her to have other people with whom to interact. A tighter focus on what Amanda was going through would’ve helped both her and people around her feel more important.

Byrne is a dynamic performer who’s shown great skill at both drama and comedy, but there’s nothing special about her performance here. Hampered a bit by a blonde wig and false teeth, she feels out of sorts for much of the film. The unusually high-powered supporting cast — both Spencer and DeBose are Oscar winners — makes things interesting on first blush, but none of them outside of Sessa is given much to do, so they’re mostly wasted.

Tow will be a disappointment for anyone hoping to see more great stuff from Byrne. While she remains a fine actor, her performance and the story as a whole are nowhere near the level shown in her previous film. The real life predicament shown in the film also never rises to the level of being of something worth showing to the masses.

---

Tow is now showing in theaters.

movies film