Art & Culture
Area
Season
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Dance the Traditional Bon Odori in Nagarekawa
Immerse yourself in Japanese festival traditions through Bon Odori dance. This event includes instruction in how to perform the Bon Odori dance, as well as assistance in dressing in a rental yukata, a light kimono that is popular at summer festivals. There will also be a booth where you can write prayers from Hiroshima for world peace on strips of paper. Professional interpreters will be present at the event.
The Hashigo-zake tour and Hiroshima bar district tour will also be available in conjunction with this Bon Odori dance program.
The Hiroshima bar district tour allows participants to enjoy drinking and dining at restaurants around Nagarekawa at discounted rates. A tour-specific map and tickets will be provided to make getting around very easy. Each location has English menus for participants' ease and enjoyment.
The Hashigo-zake tour is a guided tour of the food establishments around the Nagarekawa area. You will be guided through the history and culture of Nagarekawa as you navigate its alleyways and shrines. Enjoy all-new dishes made with local Hiroshima produce with expert guides. -
NAKED “OMATSURI” Eat, Play, and Dance!
A new sightseeing destination on the 7th floor of the Marunouchi Building lets you enjoy Japanese festivals to the fullest!
NAKED, Inc., a creative company that has created novel experiences at leading Tokyo spots such as Tokyo Tower and Shinjuku Gyoen Park, is hosting a festival experience at Marunouchi Building Hall on the 7th floor of the Marunouchi Building.
The event will feature a festival entertainment with daily performances of traditional dances from all over Japan.
Visitors can also get a taste of regional Japanese festivals in the heart of Tokyo by donning festival garb in front of a projection-mapped ukiyoe-style backdrop simulating festivals from various regions of Japan.
The area near Marunouchi and Tokyo Station is a tourist hotspot that attracts many visitors.
This event is a collaboration between Mitsubishi Estate and Naked, Inc., to host a summer festival in the Marunouchi area that enables visitors to enjoy the traditional summer events and culture of Japan. The event will be open until 10 P.M. to allow visitors, especially those staying at hotels near Tokyo Station, to enjoy unique Japanese experiences well into the night. -
Cinematic HOSOKAWA History ＆ Culture Encounter Higo-Hosokawa culture: Over 400 years of history
"Suizenji Jojuen Garden, one of the top Japanese gardens in Kyushu, will be open at night for a limited time only!
Visitors can experience the unique samurai culture of Kumamoto Prefecture (Higo-Hosokawa culture) while taking in the beautiful autumn foliage and flowers.
- Take part in a tea ceremony in the Kokin-Denju-no-Ma teahouse, an Important Cultural Property built about 400 years ago
- Experience bonseki, the traditional art of depicting natural scenes with sand and stones on a tray
- Try your hand at the traditional Kumamoto goldsmith’s craft of Higo-zogan inlaying
- Try iaido, a samurai martial art using Japanese swords
- Experience Noh theater, a traditional Japanese performing art featuring masks and beautiful costumes
The park will also feature illuminated bamboo groves and art pieces.
Visitors can tour the park while listening to the dedicated audio app and pondering the life of Hosokawa Gracia.
Hosokawa Gracia was the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide and wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki. She was a famous heroine during Japan’s Sengoku (Warring States) period.
Enjoy history, culture, and Japanese autumn foliage through this fusion of Japanese garden and projection mapping."
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FIRST-TIME KABUKI at Kyoto Station Building
Kabuki is one of Japan's leading forms of traditional theatrical performance. Its origins can be traced back to the early Edo period (early 17th century) when the Kabuki Odori dance was first performed in Kyoto.
First-Time Kabuki is a one-hour kabuki experience and explanation event for all first-time kabuki viewers. It concludes with the performance of a famous scene, set on the Gojo Bridge near Kyoto Station.
Come and enjoy the world of kabuki, a form of Japanese culture that has endured for over 400 years, in Kyoto—the birthplace of Kabuki!
(1) Kyoto Station venue means easy access!
(2) Night shows held daily at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.!
(3) Free rental for audio guides in English, Chinese, and Korean! -
MINIATURE LIFE Exhibition—Tatsuya Tanaka: The World of Observation in Mojiko Retro
Experience the amusing world of miniatures as seen by miniatures photographer Tatsuya Tanaka, who has 3.85 million followers worldwide!
Tanaka plans to create and exhibit original works unique to the region for the event, under the themes “Mojiko Retro” and the “Kanmon Straits.”
New works of art will also be exhibited for the first time.
The exhibition will also feature talk events and a Mojiko gourmet tour with the former chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant, allowing visitors to enjoy the real world alongside this world of miniatures! -
Kenninji Temple, Kyoto: Premium night viewing in the refreshing cool of evening ZEN NIGHT WALK KYOTO
Premium night viewing at Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto
A special nighttime viewing will be held at Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto. During this event, visitors can experience the spirit of Zen by walking through the temple’s corridors while listening to ""neuro-music"" scientifically proven to relax the brain.
Sound Corridors: Neuro-music
Walk through the corridors of Kenninji Temple while listening to ""neuro-music."" This music relaxes the brain, leading to a more mindful state.
Daiyuen Garden - Sokai (Vast ocean)
A sea of clouds appears in Kenninji's dry landscape garden, the Daiyuen Garden, on cool summer nights. This sea of clouds complements the beauty and serenity of the garden as visitors listen to neuro-music.
Twin Dragons & Digital Twin Dragons
Kenninji's iconic Twin Dragons painting, combined with the latest in projection art. Contemporary artist Rei Wakita will use the latest technology to visualize the flow of the dragons’ energy.
Japanese Garden Sound-Art Night Walk
Enjoy art installations of sound and light while touring the corridors of extraordinary Japanese gardens: the Circle-Triangle-Square Garden, the Cho-on-tei Garden, and the Daiyuen Garden.
A truly special evening experience of sound and silence, light and shadow. Experience the fusion of contemporary art and technology while enjoying the history and beauty of Kenninji Temple. -
Zen and Art: 800 years of Kamakura-Bori lacquerware
● Visit the private Hakkodo workshop of the Goto family, renowned makers of Kamakura-bori lacquerware
・The techniques of Kamakura-bori lacquerware, which were exhibited and awarded at the 1889 Paris World's Fair, are derived from the masterful Buddhist sculptor Unkei
Visit the Hakkodo workshop, which is usually closed to the public, and witness the skills of its artisans
● Hakkodo offers special made-to-order Kamakura-bori lacquerware and also sells products in its store
- Hakkodo sells special made-to-order products, as well as other products, that are popular among celebrities from Japan and overseas, including several Japanese prime ministers
● Tour of the Kamakura Museum of National Treasures, which displays National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties
- Tour focused on the National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties in the shrines and temples around Kamakura, as well as Buddhist statues carved by the master carver who created the craft of Kamakura-bori lacquerware
● Visit Kenchoji Temple to see the temple’s architecture and art
- Visit to Kenchoji Temple, the first temple of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism in the Kamakura Gozan area, to appreciate its architecture, temple bell, and other National Treasures and Important Cultural Assets
● Experience using fine tea ceremony utensils made of Kamakura-bori lacquerware
- Experience and handle the Kamakura-bori lacquerware tea ceremony utensils that were popular in the Edo period -
Tailored ascetic training experience at the World Heritage site of Mt. Hiei Enryakuji Temple
Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei is a religious institution that is renowned for producing famous monks, such as Honen and Shinran, from various schools of Japanese Buddhism. Many monks continue to engage in various forms of ascetic practices on the temple grounds.
The experience involves the following:
・ Participants will be guided by the chief priest (the current instructor of monks-in-training) of Enryakuji Temple, one of the most famous Buddhist monasteries in Japan and a World Heritage Site.
・ Each participant will speak with the chief priest, who will ask about their daily thoughts and worries to determine the most suitable training.
・ The training is identical to that practiced by many monks today:
- Circle the mountain in kaihogyo, an ascetic practice that has performed by monks at Mt.Hiei for the past 1100 years
- Practice seated hoto-zazen meditation while visualizing the 1,200-year ""eternal flame of Buddhism""
- Clean the temple grounds and dojo to clear your mind and attain a meditative state
- Recite the name of Amitabha Buddha in Amitabha samadhi, one of the four kinds of samadhi practiced on Mt. Hiei
In contrast to the tourist-oriented training experiences of the past, we offer an authentic training experience in which participants will attain new understanding and insights. -
Stay in Echizen and Try Your Hand at Making Hammered Blades and Japanese Umbrellas Under the Instruction of Traditional Artisans
Learn traditional crafts from craftsmen and artisans who have preserved and passed down the traditional industries of Fukui Prefecture's city of Echizen for generations. In this program, you will have the opportunity to make your own one-of-a-kind traditional craft items.
Learn how to make Echizen hammered blades from the artisan Takeshi Saji in a workshop not usually open to the public. Next, the artisan Naganobu Komamoto will teach you how to apply maki-e lacquer decoration to the handle to match the knife made in the workshop.
Artisans will also teach you the meticulous art of making Japanese umbrellas using Echizen washi paper.
Back at your accommodation, you can try your hand at cooking shabu-shabu using renowned Wakasa beef from Fukui Prefecture.
On each part of the tour, you will be accompanied by a professional interpreter.
Private hire cars are also available for transport from the meeting point and the accommodation. -
Hokuriku-Echizen Grandmaster Tour
The Hokuriku area is home to a large number of traditional folk crafts, 23 of which are nationally recognized. All have a long history, and have been carefully handed down to the present day.
The Tannan district in the Reihoku area of Fukui is truly unique, with five nationally designated traditional craft centers concentrated within 10 kilometers of each other. One such craft is Echizen washi paper, which has a 1,500-year history and is said to have been used by world-famous painters like Rembrandt and Picasso. Toyama is surrounded by the Tateyama mountain range, which provides easy access to high-quality timber, and many crafts that utilize wood have flourished there. Inami, a town known for sculptures, was recognized as a Japan Heritage site in 2018. Home to 36 traditional folk crafts, Ishikawa is also known as the “kingdom of crafts.” Ishikawa is particularly well known for its 10 traditional crafts specially designated by the Japanese government, and has it produced a remarkable number of artisans who are recognized as Living National Treasures.
Interact with the grandmasters of these nationally designated traditional crafts, whom tourists typically never get the opportunity to meet, and tour their workshops that are usually closed to the public. Enjoy a special dining experience in collaboration with area chefs which showcases local ingredients and makes use of the craft items crafted by these grandmasters.