Archive for 'Odaiba' Category

Pokemon Pikapika Festival in Odaiba

“Pokemon Pikapika Festival” is being held at Decks Tokyo Bay in odaiba,Tokyo Jul.12-Aug.31st. (http://www.pokemon-movie.jp/decks/)

This festival is held as a tie-up between Pokemon and decks Tokyo in token of Decks’ 20th anniversary.  At the venue there is Illusion Dome where visitors can take a walk and see projected Pokemons’ images and footages at 360 degree. Visitors also can enjoy some special games and facilities, and meals at the restaurant and other attractions.

 

International Tokyo Toy Show 2016

The International Tokyo Toy Show 2016 was held at Tokyo Bigsight Jun.9-12. This was the 55th of the event series.(http://www.toys.or.jp/toyshow/2016_files/company_html/name_a.html) 

The first two days were for business meetings and stage shows and the latter days were for open for public and lay visitors and shows, such as concerts and release of new information about new toy products or TV anime programs.

 

About 30 toy related businesses,such as toy manufacturers, animation studios, amusement parks, and so forth  particiated in the show preparing booths to promote their products and activities.  And totally about 160,000 people visited this event.

Majibu won the grandprix of “Wakatabi” of JTA

Japan Tourism Agency (JTA)(http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/en/index.html) released the results of  “Wakatabi”(/ a young travel), the awards to recognize people or businesses that have made efforts to promote travels of young people on Sep. 16.  The winner of the grandprix is Majibu (/マジ☆部, a serious club), a platform of  application for various services for young people to enjoy  travels and related pleasures.(https://majibu.jp/). The platform is run by Recruit Lifestyle (http://www.recruit-lifestyle.co.jp/english/).

The ceremony of the Wakatabi Awards was hosted at the venue of the Japan Stage of “Toursim Expo Japan 2015” at Tokyo Bigsight in Tokyo on Sep.25. (http://t-expo.jp/en/)

Tokyo Marathon 2015 held, with about 36,000 participants

“Tokyo Marathon 2015” was held on Feb.22 in Tokyo. (http://www.tokyo42195.org/2015en/)  That was the 9th of the annual events with about 36,000 participating runners.

The course covered some central parts of Tokyo starting at the front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building.  Iidabashi~Hibiya Park~Shinagawa(turinig point)~Ginza~Azumabashi(turning point)~Toyosu(the Tokyo fish market is moving in here)~Tokyo Bigsight.

The runner of the Marathon Men finished first was Endeshaw Negesse from Ethiopia with the time record of 02:05:59 and that of Marathon Women was Birhane Dibaba from Ethopia at 02:23:15.  The first runner of Marathon Wheelchair men was Kota Hokinoue from Japan at 01:30:21 and that of Marathon Wheelchair Women was  Wakako Tsuchida from Japan at 01:46:28. There were some other categories of marathons in the event, all of which were popular. More than 34,000 runners successfully finished the total courses.

BRT will be introduced in Tokyo for Olympics 2020

Tokyo Metropolis announced a new plan of introducing a BRT(bus rapid transit ) system in the central areas of Tokyo and its waterfront areas  in preparation for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in 2020 on 29th.

The first od series of new bus routes will be one between Shinbashi and Toranomon this year, and the total plan is scheduled to be finished in 2019.  The central areas, such as Toranomon and Ginza and will be connected to the waterfront ones,such as Harumi and Ariake,and Odaiba where the Olympic village is to be built, with about 4 km distances in about 10 miutes by bus due to the new BRT using the Beltline No.2. The public traffic and transportation services are expected to be much more convenient to move around in polular  parts in Tokyo in coming years.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2014 tickets, begun to sell

One of  a popular girls’ idols/idol groups live event, “Tokyo Idol Group 2014” is going to be held on Aug.2-3, and  two types of its tickets, one-day tickets and two-day  tickets started to sell on Jun.28.  (http://idolfes.com/2014/english/)

 

Names of idols/idol groups to perform in the event are being released bit by bit and 117 idols/groups are announced. A trait of Tokyo Idol Festival is that, unlike average idol events, the facilitators focus not only very famous ones but even on less known local idols that have aptitudes as general promotion acitivity of  all corners of the Japanese society as well.

 

Tokyo Odaiba, the hot spot for tourists

Many business facilities in Tokyo Odaiba are luring foreign tourists with enticements.
With the Tokyo Olympic being held in Tokyo, we can just imagine that Tokyo is going to be filled with excitement and tourists.

The Divercity Tokyo Plaza’s tour bus reservation has exceeded their estimate on the amount of tourists and are busy adjusting the number of stocks as well and staffs who can speak foreign languages.
They are also handing out coupons for the tourists in the buses which can be used for shopping.

Burberry Blue Label, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, The Watch Shop are few of the popular brands which has been taking over 60% of the sales.

 

Aqua City Odaiba built a break room for tour bus drivers as well. It is said that 10% of the customers are tourists.

The popularity for Odaiba just wont stop!
20% of VenusFort’s July-Augsts sales  are made up from tourists. Tenants are having inbound meetings every month, exchanging informations and making pointers on servicing tourists.

10% of Decks Tokyo Beach’s sales are made up from tourists as well. Hoping for a further increase, they are holding language trainings and presenting themselves in the media.

Summer sales is one of the biggest shopping event in japan. They offered a limited time sales, which a lot of customers enjoyed shopping spree.
They hope to make good business and set them a part from their competing area, Yokohama Minatomirai, which their business has been going up as well.

 

“Star Fighter”, a new type sightseeing bus attraction

Willer Travel  started a totally new type bus drive attraction called Star Fighter.The interir design of the bus is something like a replica of a cockpit of a rocket. http://travel.willer.co.jp/starfighter/

You can enjoy playing  special video games on your seat in the bus during the drive, which is a part of  the plot of the attraction. The bus service will be available in August,  between Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima, and Shinjuku and Space Center in Tsukuba , Ibaraki where you can experience a mock asrtronaut training program or Science Future Museum in Odaiba Tokyo. The travel has a concept of  futuristic experiences in a scfi-fi atmosphere.

Gundam Santa

The life-size Gundam statue is being decorated with holiday lights.

A “Gundam Santa” presentation will run from December 25 to Christmas Day.

The decorations include a Gundam Santa riding a White Base sled being driven by Zakrello reindeer, as well as the A Baoa Qu fortress transformed into an upside-down Christmas tree.

“TAF 2012 AUTUMN” is to be held in this October

“Tokyo International Anime Fair 2012 Autumn” (TAF2012 Autumn) will be collaborately held by Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry (Meti) (http://www.meti.go.jp/english/index.html) and The Association of Japanese Animations(AJA)(http://www.aja.gr.jp/)  this Oct.23-25 at  Grand Pacific LE ODAIBA(http://www.grandpacific.jp/eng/) in Odaiba bay area Tokyo.

TAF this time is the third one, whose series  has been held every year these three years, but the previous two events were both held in Akihabara, the mecca of subculture. However, this time the event is going to be held in Odaiba-out of Akihabara for the first time. Odaiba,which has long been popular as a beautiful and refined bay area even among foreign visitors, is becoming famous and popular as well as a new center of Japanese subculture, such as with Gundam models and hotel rooms featuring those anime- related concepts.   The Japanese government and relating hosts expect Odaiba to gather more people who love Japanese anime works.

“The 14th Japan International Seafood & Technology Expo”

I wrote about a food exhibition I visited with my customers the other day on my previous post here. Here I introduce another food exhibition to which I took my customers recently. That is “The 14th Japan International Seafood & Technology Expo” (http://www.exhibitiontech.com/seafood/e_tokyo_index.html), hosted by Japan Fisheries Association (http://www.suisankai.or.jp/index_e.html) at a huge venue in Tokyo Bigsight in Tokyo on Jul.18-20.

 

I visited the event with my customers who were food buyers on the 19th and found so many other visitors, stores, companies and their foods there. We also tried various food ,such as sashimi(raw fish), sushi, and others ,all of which were quite good. The companies are not only from Japan but from a lot of  foreign countries as well,so I was able to enjoy foreign dishes using various seafood.

Totally, more than 400 stores or companies joined and ran their booths where some of them demonstrated cooking or other events having their visitors try their items. And totally, 26,101 people visited the expo during the three days.

Like the other event I wrote previously, this event had mascot characters of stuffed-animal costumes as well.

 

What  amazed me most in the expo was an “automatic sushi maker”, which I saw for the first time and the shushi made with that machine were all delicious to my satisfaction.

This event was supported by a lot of  companies based in Tohoku Region as well and one of its purports was to assist Tohoku suffering from the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami disaster last year. The facilitators intend to reinvigorate Japanese fishery business including those in Tohoku  so that that industry can work powerfully to make our country energetic and richer and people can be happier overcoming the damages and sufferings.

My customers and a lot of others had business negotiations with the sellers in a very vigorous atmosphere and manners. I am so happy the tour I took care of was successuful and fruitful.  

 

Animate liner bus services “Ani-ten Special Express 2012”

Animate, one of the biggest store chains of anime and manga related items, will temporarily provide special services of  liner buses between its stores and the venue of  Comic Market, the big manga event. This service is called “Ani-ten Tokkyuu 2012″(/アニ店特急2012, anime store special express ).    http://www.animate.tv/news/details.php?id=1341304868

The service started in 2007 and has been provided periodically since then. The tickets were available through a lottery for those who buy specific items. And passengers will receive special presents, services such as  radio broadcasting on the bus related to some works.

The routes and schedules are as followes;

Shinjuku line, Ikebukuro line : Aug.10-12 , Shibuya line:Aug.11-12

 

 

 

 

a “GUNDAM guest room” at Hotel Grand Pacific LE DAIBA

A new luxurious guest room featuring Gundam’s world  came into service on this June 29th at Hotel Grand Pacific LE DAIBA in Tokyo (http://www.grandpacific.jp/eng/). Gundam is a worldwide popular sci-fi big robot anime  works series. This hotel service plan is the first case of collaboration of that anime work and an accommodation business.

The rooms are “PROJECT ROOM-G Special type” of 84㎡ consisting of a bed room and a living room and “PROJECT ROON-G Standard type” of 42㎡ of one room. The rooms are furnished with  wall paper, carpets, beds and other parts and furniture having special Gundam-related designs or items.

The room fees are as follows;  the Special type・・・52,000 yen or higher for two people, the Standard type・・・27,000 yen or higher for two people.  The max population of  a room is three and  currently the hotel has one Special type and two Standard type rooms but as they are extremely popular and reserving them is quite difficult, the management resolved to prepare  six more Standard type ones soon. The room guests are provided with special gifts of  card room keys of Gundam design and other related 20 sorts of goods. In addition, the room charge includes the fee of  admission tickets to Gundam Front Tokyo in Diver City where huge Gundam model stands at the moment. A guest can order special Gundam-related dishes on the special menu.

 

 

Smart pets: Tokyo toy show

The Tokyo Toy Show ,which kicked off on June 14, featured the ‘Smart Pet’ developed by Bandai and the winner in the ‘Innovative Toys’ category.

Tokyo Toy Show 2012

The iPhone fits neatly to become the head of the dog and is controlled through the ‘Smart Pets’ application.

Smart Pet
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Gundam Hotel Room to Open in Odaiba

Grand Pacific Le Daiba hotel in Odaiba, Tokyo will begin offering a Gundam-themed room for customers to stay in beginning June 29.

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