Shizen, the Japanese Christmas village, moves to Ground Control

Shizen, the Japanese Christmas village, is back for its 7th edition on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, at a new address: after La Recyclerie and then Cité Fertile in Pantin, it moves into Ground Control, a former postal sorting hall next to Gare de Lyon (12th arrondissement).

The heart of the weekend is the market: Ground Control announces 88 stalls of designers and craftspeople, spread across three halls. It is a good place to do your Christmas shopping differently, and to dig through the Japanese city pop and electronic records brought by Major Tom and Inoyama Records.

New this year, according to the programme: a karaoke room built like a Japanese snack bar and run by Sato Keiko, a sauna to warm up, and yatai-buses (street-food stalls set up in real buses) serving Japanese dishes and sake. On stage: Shu Yurimura on piano, chiptune by 20280 and Hiroko Sebu, Paris Taiko Ensemble and Paris Sanshin Club. Photographer Loïc Lagarde shows his series "Les 4 saisons du Japon".

Entry is free and you don't need to book, except for the DIY workshops (ikebana, origami, Japanese spice blends) and the Radio Taiso sessions, the group morning exercise practised in Japan, which require sign-up.

The market is open 12pm–7pm on both days. Ground Control is at 81 rue du Charolais: Metro Gare de Lyon (lines 1, 14), Reuilly-Diderot (1, 8) or Montgallet (8), RER A and D at Gare de Lyon.