Japani was born in 1988 in Bhopal as the eldest daughter of Jangarh Singh Shyam. She was named after Japan, a country her father became fond of after his visit there. Japani learned painting since childhood, and invented her own unique style of painting, where she paints by squeezing out the colour from a pigment-filled bag. Despite her soft personality, she has a cool painting style in which she depicts Gond stories and animals. Japani is a rising Gond artist who was awarded the FICCI Young Achievers Award in 2018 from Young ladies Group of The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).