Japan Tourism Topics

1.Immerse yourself in blossoms at teamLab Planets TOKYO
At the teamLab Planets TOKYO museum in Toyosu, a famous attraction that allows visitors to experience the creative world of digital art, two gardens opened to the public in July. One is a "floating flower garden" featuring more than 13,000 orchids that bloom in mid-air, the other a colorful moss garden. Visitors walk barefoot through these, immersing themselves in an experience that stimulates multiple senses. The museum also has a new "Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo" restaurant serving Kyoto-style ramen dishes with a flower theme!
teamLab Planets TOKYO

2. Find something new at Fukaya-Hanazono Premium Outlets®
Japan is famous for its outlets--expansive shopping malls--which offer a premium shopping experience coupled with a variety of dining experiences. A brand new outlet mall, Fukaya-Hanazono Premium Outlets®, will open on October 20 in the city of Fukaya in Tokyo's neighboring Saitama prefecture. Fukaya is close to attractions such as the rural city of Chichibu, a favorite gateway to the countryside for Tokyo dwellers, and Kawagoe, a charming castle town retaining its Edo-period atmosphere. There will be about 130 stores in the new outlet featuring well-known international brands, some of them making their Japan debut, and around 40 restaurants and food booths offering local Saitama specialties.
Fukaya-Hanazono Premium Outlets
(This link may change at a later date. From October 20th, please visit the official website of Fukaya-Hanazono Premium Outlets)

3. Join an enchanted night-time walk at Lake Akan
You are invited to join a 1.2km walk through the forest around Lake Akan in Hokkaido. Starting at nightfall, step into an adventure that will take you back in time to the land of the indigenous Ainu gods. Come and enjoy a surreal and enchanting night-time experience enhanced by the power of digital storytelling!
KAMUY LUMINA

4. Enjoy a historical stage performance at Akama Shrine
Akama Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi prefecture, on the western tip of Honshu facing Kyushu. It is dedicated to Antoku, a Japanese emperor who died at the age of eight during a historical battle that took place in 1185. Every October, a stage performance reenacts scenes from the battle, one of the most famous tragedies in Japanese history, in the grounds of the shrine.
Akama Shrine stage performance

5. Feel the energy of a drum festival parade in Matsue
Every year on the third Sunday of October, the city of Matsue in Shimane prefecture hosts a taiko drum festival that everybody is encouraged to take part in. This year's festival will take place on October 16. Residents of each neighborhood come together beforehand to practice their own drum performances; during the festival they perform these as they walk alongside their floats, each in their own distinctive outfits. The festival dates back more than 100 years, but the energy never fades!
Matsue Dogyoretsu drum parade

6. Go back in time to the Meiji era in Okayama prefecture
Originally constructed in 1900, the former Fukiya Elementary School buildings were seen as one of the best examples of imitative Western-style school architecture during Japan's late Meiji period. When the school closed in 2012, they were the country's oldest wooden buildings still in use as a school. They were subsequently renovated and have now re-opened as a tourist attraction where visitors can learn about their history and the period with the help of extended-reality glasses!
The former Fukiya Elementary School Buildings

7. The Seikado Bunko Art Museum finds a new home in the heart of Tokyo
The Seikado Bunko was founded in 1892 to house artworks and manuscripts collected by Yanosuke Iwasaki, president of the Mitsubishi group of companies at the time and younger brother of its founder. In October, the museum's collections will move to a new home in the historical Meiji Seimei Kan in Tokyo, one of the capital's few remaining large prewar buildings, facing the Imperial Palace moat.
Seikado Bunko Art Museum

8. Stay at the new BEB5 Okinawa Seragaki, condominium-style resort
A new condominium-style hotel, Hoshino Resorts BEB5 Okinawa Seragaki, has opened in the beach resort of Onna in Okinawa. The spacious rooms with kitchen and lounges are designed for fun get-togethers, the café is open 24 hours a day and there is a large swimming pool. The hotel offers easy access to the beach and is also the perfect base for
those who like cycling or diving!
BEB5 Okinawa Seragaki

9. Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival to be held for the first time in three years!
Fukushima's Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival dates back more than 350 years. Large festival floats adorned with lanterns accompanied by local people playing taiko drums make their way through the streets of Nihonmatsu on their way to the local shrine. This year's festival, taking place during October 1st to the 3rd, will be the first in three years!
Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival

10. Niseko - a ski resort renowned for its art and nature
For many, Niseko in Hokkaido is primarily a ski resort, but there is much more the town has to offer. Located on a mountain ridge, the Shiguchi villas, designed by long-term Niseko resident and art collector Shouya Grigg, are an unconventional blend of contemporary hotel and traditional Japanese ryokan. A stay at one of the villas, which feature items from Grigg's own art collection, will make you feel refreshed and connected to nature.
Shiguchi

Notes:
• Items 1-6 are based on information from JNTO Partners.
• The above details are correct as of the time of publication, and may be subject to change.
If you'd like to download photos and videos of Japan's tourist attractions, please visit the Japan Online Media Center (JOMC).
For media inquiries, including requests to use photographs, please contact the JNTO Press office at
media_inquiry@jnto.go.jp