Art & Culture
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Season
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The Beauty of Japan and Its Traditional Culture are Alive on this Zen x Craft x Food Journey of Discovery
Eiheiji Temple is a Zen training monastery founded by Zen Master Dogen in 1244, where many monks continue to practice asceticism to this day. This tour of Eiheiji Temple offers a plan where even beginners can experience the practice and spirituality of Zen Buddhism. A monk will guide you through the historic buildings of Eiheiji, and you will also have the chance to experience zazen meditation in a special private setting. You will stay at the shukubo temple lodgings, the "Hakujukan" or "Hakujukaku" located near the grounds of the temple. For dinner, you can experience of traditional shojin ryori (vegetarian Buddhist cuisine) overseen by Eiheiji Temple. The next morning, you can also participate in the morning chanting ceremony with the monks. On days 2 and 3, you will visit workshops that are usually closed to the public. You can meet Toru Uchida, the eighth-generation master traditional artisan of "Shitsurindo," a workshop that has been officially recognized by Eiheiji Temple. Here you can observe the craftsmanship of Echizen washi papermaking and Echizen cutlery blacksmithing firsthand, and even try your hand at traditional crafts. For dinner on the second day, a renowned local chef will prepare a “Craft Invitation Exclusive” vegan French meal, combining the spirit of vegetarian cuisine with locally produced, locally consumed ingredients. On this tour, you can savor the seasonal delicacies of the region's natural food culture, and see how it is intertwined with Echizen-Sabae's 1,500-year-old legacy of traditional craftsmanship.
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Feel the Roots of the Culture and Spirituality of Belief in Nature through an Authentic Osuwa Daiko Taiko Drumming Program
For those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural arts, Makoto Yamamoto, grandson of Osuwa Daiko Taiko Grandmaster Daihachi Oguchi, will lead a special two-day high-value-added program to convey the “roots of the Suwa faith and the spirit of Osuwa Daiko taiko” to visitors. Receive special guidance around Suwa Taisha Shrine, and private instruction on the taiko at the ancestral training hall. Also, take part in a dedication at the Main Hall of Shokoji Temple, an important sacred place in the Suwa faith, and feel the depth of cultural performing arts. This tour is a rare opportunity to learn about the spirituality of Osuwa Daiko in Suwa and Okaya, where the roots of the world's taiko are found.
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Tracing Stories from Clay and Stone to Experience History and Culture - with commentary by renowned ceramic researcher Yumi Mori
This plan allows visitors to encounter the roots and charm of Aizu Hongo pottery.
Aizu Hongo pottery comes from the oldest pottery production area in the Tohoku region of Japan, located in Aizu Misato-cho, Fukushima Prefecture. This town is a rarity in Japan as a producer of both pottery and porcelain, and is located at the northern-most tip of the island of Honshu. Aizu Hongo pottery came from the official kiln of the Aizu clan, and has much history; the kiln was saved from two great fires by its artisans. The area is also said to have produced the first tea strainers in Japan, and at the end of the Meiji period it was known for the best teapots nationwide. The most attractive point is that different craftsmen express themselves in various ways, and you can enjoy a variety of works.
Why not experience the charm of Aizu Hongo pottery, which has been preserved and handed down along with the history of Aizu?
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OKINAWA ANIMATION FESTIVAL 2025
Okinawa's First Animation Festival
The OKINAWA ANIMATION FESTIVAL 2025 is a large-scale fan meeting event that will combine a passion for anime with the charm of Okinawa, Japan's southern resort destination. Located in the center of Asia, Okinawa was once a central trading spot known as the “Bankoku Shinryo (Bridge of Nations)" and continues to be visited by tourists from all over the world. Now, anime fans from Japan and overseas will gather in Okinawa to take part in the island's first animation festival.
Laid-Back Vibes x Entertainment
Fans will have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful, world-renowned natural environs and laid-back vibes of Okinawa together with anime staff/actors for the ultimate entertainment experience. The event also aims to promote Okinawa as a hub for the creation and distribution of new content.
Held at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) is a world-leading research facility in Onna, Okinawa with faculty that received a Nobel Prize in 2022. The festival will take place here, bringing Japanese animation to a venue that combines natural beauty with global cutting-edge science and technology.
With a Star-Studded Cast!
The main venue of the OKINAWA ANIMATION FESTIVAL 2025 will feature two days of panels and performances featuring popular voice actors. Stay tuned to our press releases for upcoming guest announcements. -
Noboribetsu Onsen: New Discoveries and Experiences
(1) Demon Fireworks Show
Demon Fireworks (oni hanabi) are fireworks that are launched to dispel people’s worries and bring them happiness. They are inspired by legends of the fireworks set off by Yukijin, the demons who inhabit Hell Valley (Jigokudani), that are said to have a force similar to a volcanic eruption.
(2) Demon Fireworks Experience
Once the show is over, dress up as a Yukijin and try setting off hand-held tezutsu fireworks yourself. Limited to small groups.
(3) Tour of Hell Valley Hot Spring Prohibited Zone
There are many craters and fumeroles that line Hell Valley, and the sight of water bubbling up from the earth is the origin of its name as "the hell where demons live." More than 10,000 tons of hot water bubble up from this area daily, supplying nearby hotels with a hot spring source.
Tours are available with an English-speaking guide that will take participants into areas of Hell Valley that are usually off limits to the general public.
(4) Noboribetsu Karurusu Copper Mine Site Ice Bamboo Tour
In winter, stalactites and stalagmites known as "ice bamboo" grow up to 2 meters in length at the Noboribetsu Karurusu Copper Mine site. Enjoy a walking tour to take in the fantastical ice spikes and trek over the snowy landscape in snowshoes. -
Ninagawa Mika with EiM: Dancing with Shadows in the Light
Nanjo Art Museum is 5 minutes away by car from Seifa-Utaki, a World Heritage Site in Nanjo City, Okinawa Prefecture that is known as the most sacred place in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It opened in 2021 as an art space surrounded by green forest and the ocean of Nirai Kanai, the sacred land of the gods in Ryukyuan religion. Based on the concept of “beauty exists in life, in living,” it is a scenic art space that transcends the boundaries of traditional museums.
From Wednesday, November 27, 2024 to Friday, May 30, 2025, the Nanjo Art Museum will feature “Ninagawa Mika with EiM: Dancing with Shadows in the Light,” an exhibition that will adorn the museum with artwork by Ninagawa Mika and the EiM creative team.
Nanjo Art Museum will be dyed Ninagawa Mika's color with her photographs of Okinawa on display alongside work that has not yet been made public. Prepare to be amazed by this monumental collaboration between Ninagawa Mika with EiM, Okinawa, and the Nanjo Art Museum.
■Event Period: Wednesday, November 27, 2024 - Friday, May 30, 2025 *Open every day
■Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. -
NIAFF WORCOS -World Cosplay Tour in Niigata International Animation Film Festival
Enjoy a cosplay photoshoot tour of Niigata, an international port city with a rich history.
The architecture of Niigata City History Museum Minatopia combines Japanese and Western history. The Shinanogawa Water Shuttle offers extraordinary photo opportunities with the Important Cultural Property of Bandai Bridge in the background. The Northern Culture Museum was the residence of the Ito family, the foremost landowners of Niigata. Zoshunkaku in the Koji Fukiya Memorial Museum of Art, Shibata City is a guest house that was visited by Shibusawa Eiichi, the “father of Japanese capitalism” who is featured on the new 10,000 yen banknote. Have fun along with Japanese cosplayers at Gataket, a cosplay and fanzine event that will also be held once a month while the tour is held. Try Niigata’s food culture at Mikasaya, a Japanese restaurant with rock-lined corridors that make a unique backdrop for photos. This tourist plan includes visits to other Important Cultural Properties and historic sites all over the prefecture for the best cosplay experience. The town and its people warmly welcome cosplayers. We highly recommend the tour for cosplayers who are looking to take part in their first international event. You can individually book the places you want to go, or visit them all in a single package. Let the world cosplay tour begin! -
Sound&Chair '24
Visit Kawasaki, the home of the first music record in Japan. In recent years, the Tama River Basin, which runs between Kawasaki and Tokyo, has seen droves of micro-breweries pop up one after another, popularizing craft beer.
Sound&Chair '24 is a free-entry beer festival with a theme of records, music, and craft beer held at the Tamagawa River Maruko Bridge No. 2 Plaza and Picnic Plaza.
Enjoy a drink on outdoor chairs along the picturesque banks of the river and listen to live music from over 30 DJs and artist groups. Sample some of the over 50 types of craft beer from 15 breweries in the Tama River Basin, as well as a variety of food. On Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, the event will host a record market featuring labels and record shops, as well as another market selling amusing everyday goods. Other events are to be held concurrently, such as Fuwafuwa Tama Land, a large collection of inflatable attractions, and Candlescape Kawasaki, which boasts around 3,000 lit candles.
In a spacious natural environment not far from the city center, spend time away from your cares with a beer in hand and groove to some great music. -
Kansai Festival in Kyoto: Special Autumn Visit to Higashi Honganji Temple
The first ever illumination event on the grounds of Higashi Honganji Temple, located near Kyoto Station. Creative company NAKED, INC. will organize this fantastical light-up event.
Light and art in NAKED’s style will illuminate Goei-do and Amida-do Halls, Important Cultural Properties that are among the largest wooden structures in the world. Harmonized with ikebana flower art by master Ikenobo, this event will transform the temple into a space of ornate color. Don’t miss this special autumn event, held for two nights only.
The temple's area of Shiroshoin is not normally open to the public, but a limited number of premium tickets for a Noh theater performance in the area will be on sale, together with a meal from long-established Kyoto restaurant Kinobu. The highlight of Shiroshoin is its partition paintings, glittering with gold dust. Savor your exquisite seasonal meal as your admire these paintings before watching a special Noh theater production with English commentary. The traditional stage, an Important Cultural Property, stands across from a moss garden. -
Experience the Spirit of Bushido at Chubu Centrair International Airport
Come experience Mononofu no Kokoro, the spirit of Bushido, in Aichi Prefecture. Aichi Prefecture is known as a place that produced many of the greatest samurai of the Warring States period, including Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and many others.
The main event will be the special show ”道-DOU", a fusion of martial arts and fashion, directed and supervised by world-renowned designer Junko Koshino. Other events include tours that offer a firsthand experience of Bushido and or tours to learn about the fermented food culture that is an essential part of Japanese cuisine. We hope you will enjoy this rare experience in Aichi, Japan.