Art & Culture
Area
Season
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Lake Biwa Sunset & Fireworks Dinner Cruise
Make your very own fireworks at the Kakinoki fireworks workshop in the city of Nagahama on the northern shore of Lake Biwa, the largest and oldest lake in Japan.
This experience includes commentary by Hiroyuki Kakinoki, an award-winning pyrotechnician who has won awards at fireworks festivals throughout Japan.
After making the fireworks, you will select a kimono to wear, take a stroll around the traditional streets, and finally board a yakatabune boat for a sunset cruise along Lake Biwa.
A fireworks-themed Italian dinner using a variety of ingredients from Shiga Prefecture has been specially created for this sunset cruise.
For the finale, enjoy a premium, one-of-a-kind fireworks display that feature the fireworks you created earlier!
This is your chance to truly appreciate Japan’s fireworks traditions and the scenery of Lake Biwa. -
A Unique Artisanal Experience
Tsubame-Sanjo is home to many of Japan's leading artisans.
The entire town functions like a single historical workshop that continues to produce tools essential for daily life, using traditions passed down from the days of old.
Experience this town of craftspeople and witness the amazing handiwork of these artisanal masters firsthand. Become an artisan for a day in your very own workshop, explore the story of Japanese manufacturing and utility in daily life, and enjoy a bike ride along the Shinano River. You certainly won't find this extraordinary crafting journey in a guidebook!
The tour begins with a visit to an iconic 85-year-old vacant warehouse where you will learn about the region’s history.
You will then depart from the warehouse and go for a bike ride through the streets of Tsubame-Sanjo, where you can enjoy the Shinano River breeze against your skin.
Finally, create your own personalized kitchen knife engraved with your name, or perhaps your very own original frying pan at a blacksmith's forge with over a century of history. You will learn specialized techniques from a master artisan to complete your project.
The methods you learn to create lightweight and easy-to-use utensils that last a lifetime will surely leave lasting memories. -
Revealing the Shaka Nyorai Buddha Statue of the Inner Sanctuary and the Western Pagoda of the Shakyamuni Hall
In the spirit of Tendai Buddhism's "Light Up Your Corner," which advocates becoming a positive influence in your corner of the world, Mt. Hiei's Enryakuji Temple will be hosting an annual interdenominational religious summit for world peace. This year, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Enryakuji Temple's registration as a World Heritage site, a special exhibition will be held for the first time in seven years in the Shakyamuni Hall, the temple's oldest extant building. The previous public viewing of the cloistered statue of Shaka Nyorai Buddha—33 years after its initial opening—was attended by over 100,000 people.
This time, in addition to the revealing of the main statue of Shaka Nyorai in the inner sanctuary, there will also be a special DANDELION PROJECT exhibition, a participatory art project by artist Ryotaro Muramatsu based on the idea of connecting the world with transcendental prayers for peace. Stand in front of the DANDELION art installation amidst the soft candlelit interior of the Shakyamuni Hall and blow dandelion seeds carrying prayers for peace along the wall through projection mapping. Experience a new world of Buddhism through the latest in digital art technology at the Enryakuji Temple's oldest building.
Enryakuji Temple has long sent messages of peace to connect people. Now it will preserve history and transmit this desire for peace to the next generation through art, which is capable of communicating beyond words. -
Yutoku Inari Shrine Night Walk: The Fox’s Bride
During the event, the area spanning from Monzen Shopping Street to the shrine grounds will be illuminated with a fantastical light display themed around "The Fox Bride."
As you wander through the shrine grounds enveloped in the beautiful display of lights, you will eventually arrive at the shrine's magnificent main hall. Here, you can enter the normally off-limits main hall to take part in a special traditional worship ceremony.
This is a rare chance to experience Japanese traditional culture within a historic shrine.
Put on a kimono and immerse yourself in the beautifully lit enviroment, creating a meaningful experience whether it is your first time visiting Yutoku Inari Shrine or you have been here before.
Our goal is to elevate the "ordinary sightseeing" experience to "immersive tourism." By combining the kimono experience with the enchanting illumnations and projection mapping inspired by "The Fox Bride," visitors will feel as if they stepped into another world.
A professional kimono dresser will assist you in putting on the kimono. All necessary items will be available for rent, so you can enjoy the experience without needing to bring anything yourself. -
Reconstructing Ishikawa: A Leading Food Culture Experience Experience the flavors of the samurai and the vitality of the Noto region
The experience includes a special performance of Noh, an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Property, at the Ishikawa Prefectural Noh Theater, a nationally designated Tangible Cultural Property as of Autumn 2023. Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa will be opened at night for exclusive guided tours of the garden with a special cha-kaiseki (Kaga cuisine) dinner. Observational tours featuring cultural crafts affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake and outdoor dining experiences featuring cuisine by local Michelin-star chefs will also be held to offer culinary and cultural experiences to showcase and contribute to Noto's recovery efforts.
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JAPAN NATIONAL STADIUM TOUR Special Events & Content
The Japan National Stadium was the main venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Japan National Stadium Tour aims to honor and pass on this legacy. This program comprises a tour of the athlete locker rooms, athletic track, as well as other areas normally closed to the public, which visitors can enjoy alongside their memories of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In addition to the regular tour, we have prepared a variety of events and content so that visitors can enjoy their time in Japan to the fullest.
・Talk by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma and Akutagawa Prize-winning author Rie Qudan. Includes lunch by a famous chef.
・Japanese cuisine or French-Japanese fusion cuisine lunch by a famous chef. Includes a Japanese cultural experience.
・Christmas lunch by Hiroyuki Sakai, owner and chef of the famous French cuisine restaurant La Rochelle Minami Aoyama. Includes a Japanese culture experience.
・Stadium tour with athletes and running inside the Japan National Stadium
・Take commemorative photos at Japan National Stadium's most scenic spot using a state-of-the-art Machikame selfie system
Enjoy extraordinary experiences at the Japan National Stadium, Japan's leading stadium.
We look forward to you joining us. -
INTO THE BRIGHT - KYOTO
INTO THE BRIGHT - KYOTO is an international forum in Kyoto that brings together global leaders to explore the philosophy of Japan. As an island nation, Japan has long embraced diverse cultures, people, and ideas — at times adopting them directly and at other times transforming them to create something entirely new. This approach has fostered a unique culture built on acceptance and openness.
In today's divided world, the spirit of Japanese tolerance offers a valuable perspective for global leaders working to solve complex social issues. INTO THE BRIGHT - KYOTO offers an interactive program of exchanges with global entrepreneurs and thought leaders, providing an opportunity for meaningful connections and insights. -
Bringing Yasugibushi to the World! A Traditional Performing Arts and Pop Culture Experience
Presenting "Neo Yasugibushi," a reimagining and fusion of pop culture and the classic performing art of Yasugibushi.
With this cultural experience, you'll get to participate in Yasugibushi yourself.
Come and try a new world of entertainment, where traditional performing arts and modern energy come together.
Enjoy a beautiful Japanese garden and an outstanding collection of Japanese paintings at the Adachi Museum of Art. The garden is like a living painting with its seasonal scenery. Immerse yourself in a world of art where tradition and modernity merge. Before you know it, but you may find a renewed sense of internal peace.
Experience Zen meditation at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. This is a wonderful opportunity to purify the mind and refresh the spirit in the tranquil atmosphere of this historic Zen temple.
You can also experience the traditional beauty of Japan in a gorgeous kimono by taking part in a kimono dressing experience, which includes professionals helping you with both dressing and a photoshoot. It makes for a luxurious and beautiful way to preserve this precious moment.
A wealth of other traditional Japanese culture experiences are also available, such as blacksmithing and Japanese papermaking.
Use all your five senses to savor the classic excellence of Japanese culture with these experiences, and make your trip unforgetable.
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Marvel at Mother Nature at Fukushimagata Lagoon: A Private Cultural Experience and Tour
Niigata Prefecture is famous for its delicious rice and sake. Niigata City, the prefecture’s capital, is home to a vast expanse of rice paddies, an iconic symbol of the plains of Niigata. It also contains another iconic landscape of Niigata: the lagoon. The Fukushimagata Lagoon of present-day Niigata City gave rise to a lifestyle and culture that was inseparable from the lagoon.
Now you too can experience the unique lifestyle and food culture of this region through interactions with local fisherfolk and storytellers.
Try some snacks made from unique ingredients obtained by lagoon fishing paired with sake produced by one of the local breweries, and chat with local residents around the warm fire of a sunken hearth.
The Fukushimagata Lagoon is also a favorite stop for rare bird species such as white swans and bean geese, a designated Natural Monument of Japan. Watch the wildlife fly around the rice paddies in the early morning with a local ranger guide.
Main contents of the tour
(1) Special lagoon cultural experience: Board a traditional wooden boat and try your hand at fishing with active lagoon fishermen. Try traditional cuisine made with ingredients caught in the lagoon and paired with Niigata sake while chatting with local residents around a sunken hearth.
(2) Early morning birdwatching: See the rare wild birds that flock to Fukushimagata Lagoon, includings white swans and bean geese (designated Natural Monument of Japan).
(3) Special sake brewery tour in Niigata: Try sake pairings of leading Niigata sake varieties (*includes a souvenir Niigata sake cup) -
Explore the best international comtemporary art and Japan's leading art scnece at Tokyo Gendai
Tokyo Gendai returns to PACIFICO Yokohama from 5-7 July 2024 (VIP Preview and Vernissage on 4 July), highlighting a selection of the best galleries from Japan, the wider Asia Pacific region and across the globe. Following its successful launch last year, the fair has established itself as an important new addition to the international art calendar, inviting the global art world to explore Japan’s dynamic and rich contemporary art scene.
The international art fair presents visitors with the chance to connect and engage with Tokyo’s vibrant and well-established gallery scene, alongside offering the opportunity to explore new perspectives and exchange ideas through the fair’s extensive VIP and public programme celebrating the very best that Japan has to offer. Tokyo Gendai also offers a significant opportunity for collectors to discover Japan's unique and far-reaching cultural offering and exceptional contemporary art.