One of Japan’s Three Great Inari Shrines, Toyokawa Inari in Aichi Prefecture, will be decorated in summer-themed lights from July 22 until August 8! The popular Naked YORU MO-DE event is coming back for 2022 after attracting over 40,000 visitors last year. 

Starting in 2021, Toyokawa Inari has held the Naked YORU MO-DE event monthly on the 22nd, the founding date of the shrine’s founding. Using technology, Naked’s artwork is updating the worship experience to fit into the ‘new normal,’ keeping social distancing in mind. 

Jihoukan Projection-Mapping – Summer Festival ver. 

Socially Distanced Art – Naked Distanced Lanterns, Summer Festival ver.

Naked Tsukubai – Summer Festival ver.

The theme for this new event is ‘a summer festival for a new era.’ Many of Toyokawa City’s annual festivals, such as the Oiden Festival and the Mitama Festival, have been canceled since the spread of the coronavirus. This new kind of festival will pull inspiration from other local events and will feature handheld firework displays, a collection of gorgeous wind chimes, and tons of night stalls for guests to enjoy alongside Naked’s digital artwork. The local handheld fireworks will be shown using projection mapping, and all of the fan-favorite Naked social distancing art projects will be transformed to suit the summer festival theme. The Naked Tsukubai hand sanitizing art project will show goldfish and fireworks in the palm of your hand, and the Naked Distanced Lanterns will be decorated with a summer firework pattern.

Shueisha is currently offering a ton of manga for free as part of Haruman!! 2022. The campaign is running until May 15 at participating locations and tons of digital manga series are available for download.

©Shueisha

During Haruman!! 2022, users can read over 305 digital titles for free. This year’s theme is ‘Manga Festival,’ and manga fans can find both recent and classic titles. Why not catch up on some manga history while you can?

A collaboration with the popular VTuber agency Hololive is also underway. One of the group’s manga-loving members will be chosen each day to serve as Editor-in-Chief of an original manga magazine.

Popular authors are also commemorating the occasion with new illustrations. Eleven artists from Shueisha’s manga department have drawn popular VTubers, and these awesome images are available exclusively on the Haruman!! website.

Stream Date: April 23, 2022

Participants: Shueisha x Hololive Traveling Editorial Department

Streaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFZiqLMntJufDCHc6bQixg

©Shueisha

In collaboration with puzzle game creators RIDDLER, ‘The Search for the Great Manga King’s Treasure’ will be held. Pulling inspiration from One Piece, which is currently celebrating 25 years of serialization, fans will have to find clues to solve a massive mystery.

Find your new favorite manga series during Haruman!! 2022.

The NFT platform ‘Adam by GMO’ will offer the creative company NAKED’s first piece of NFT art. Sakura Ousai has been featured in the hands-on art exhibition NAKED FLOWERS held in Nihonbashi, Nijo Castle, Hong Kong, and Korea. The NFT will be available in late March and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to support Ukraine.

Since its establishment in 1997, NAKED has constantly produced incredibly unique art installations to fit with the times. Starting with the projection mapping of Tokyo Station in 2012, the company has created unprecedented art and entertainment experiences by combining real space with virtual experiences. The current theme is ‘borderless creativity,’ and creating NFT art fits into this vision.

NAKED FLOWERS, one of NAKED’s signature events, has been held since the New Year 2016. The NAKED FLOWERS experience has now been converted into a piece of NFT art for the first time, and buyers can enjoy these cherry blossoms no matter their location!

McDonald’s Japan will start selling the new Sakura Mochi Pie starting March 23, 2022 for a limited time only.

The new pie is inspired by sakura mochi, a traditional wagashi sweet popular during spring. 

Sakura mochi is typically made from mochi rice cakes filled with a sweet red bean paste and wrapped in a pickled cherry blossom leaf. The McDonald’s pie is filled with azuki red bean paste and a chewy, sakura-flavored mochi that features bits of pickled sakura leaves.

The packaging will also feature spring designs and each pie costs just ¥150. They will be available until mid-April. 

Flower Miffy, a flower shop inspired by the popular Dutch picture book Miffy, has begun selling a new series of cherry blossom-inspired items! A limited number of postcard sets are also being offered as purchase bonuses. 

Flower Miffy Glass – Sakura Gradient Pink / Pearl: ¥1,595 (Tax Included)

Flower Miffy Sakura Plate: ¥2,090 (Tax Included)

Flower Miffy Mini Towel – Sakura Pink / Ivory: ¥770 each (Tax Included)

The series features original artwork, and fans of Miffy can get their hands on unique glassware, cherry blossom plates, and mini-towels. 

Those spending ¥3,300 (including tax) or more will receive a set of two limited edition postcards. The offer will end as soon as they’re gone!

*Offer does not apply to flower arrangements.

Illustrations Dick Bruna Ⓒ copyright Mercis bv,1953-2022　www.miffy.com

To celebrate the arrival of spring, Q-pot Cafe is introducing a cherry blossom-themed menu for a limited time!

Cherry Blossom Romantic Dress Cake  Plate with Drink: ¥2,100 (Tax Included)

Enjoy this pink cherry blossom mousse and pure white whipped cream to celebrate the end of the gloomy winter season.

Rich pistachio mousse, strawberry pulp, fragrant almonds, and fluffy genoise come together in a scrumptious melt-in-your-mouth explosion of flavor.

Romantic Berry Blossom Tea: ¥850 (Tax Included) / Set Menu +¥200 (Tax Included)

A play on Q-pot Cafe’s popular Flower Garden tea, the Berry Blossom Tea has a rich cherry blossom aroma with raspberries and milk added. 

Romantic Berry Blossom Tea with Bottle: ¥1,296 (Tax Included)

Take-out drinks in patterned bottles are also available! By bringing the bottle with you, the Berry Blossom Tea will be discounted to ¥750 (tax included). 

Internationally beloved hard rock band BAND-MAID has been invited to perform at AFTERSHOCK FESTIVAL in Sacramento, California!

The festival will take place across four days, from October 6 until October 9, 2022. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the festival, with headliners like KISS and Slipknot.

BAND-MAID has also announced US stops on their global tour during 2022. More information is scheduled to be released soon!

VTuber group NIJISANJI will hold their largest event ever in October 2022! NIJISANJI Festival 2022 will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba for two days only, on October 1 and October 2.

Last year’s NIJISANJI Festival was held in February 2021 but had no live audience due to the ongoing pandemic. This year’s event will be held in Halls 1-5 of Makuhari Messe, which is a massive space. Even more is planned for the 2022 event, so keep an eye out for more info!

This year’s theme is ‘Let’s Play!’ More than 100 members–both domestic and international–will take part in the festival, which will feature booths produced by the members, concerts, interviews, food and drinks, original merchandise, and more.

Pan-fried dumplings, or gyoza, can be found all over Japan from fine restaurants to convenience stores. They’re cheap, easy to consume, and incredibly tasty. Those able to make it to Nagoya PARCO by December 26 can experience this year’s Gyoza Festival, bringing together some of the best examples of creative and mouthwatering gyoza in the country. 

A number of participating restaurants within Nagoya PARCO have developed unique gyoza-centric menus, including Kimchi Gyoza from Yansando, Chicken Wing Gyoza with spicy tartar sauce from Kyoto Shijo Kuon, and Spicy Gyoza from ANDY CURRY, participating in the event for the first time. Yummy Hawaiian Barbeque is also offering nine new menu items only found at Nagoya PARCO, including Gyoza Pie. 

Participating Shops

Yansando Ueno Honten

ANDY CURRY

Nagoya Chicken Noodle Shop

Longhu Patio

Kyoto Shijo Kuon

FUJIYAMA55 RAMEN STAND​

Okuyama Yasuzou Himonoterasu

Yummy Hawaiian Barbeque

A part of Hoshino Resorts, KAI Alps is an incredible hot spring inn located in Omachi, Nagano prefecture, at the foot of the Northern Japanese Alps. In February 2022, the hotel will allow guests to book the Shinshu Snow Hut Experience, where visitors can enjoy the winter in a traditional snow-packed hut surrounded by bamboo lights. This area is one of the snowiest places in the region, and the locals have plenty of knowledge when it comes to getting through the cold.

Nagano prefecture is often called the ‘Space prefecture’ for its beautiful starry skies. Inside the snow hut, guests will be surrounded by lights, and bamboo lanterns will light the way. These gentle lights are perfect for the white of winter, despite the cold. 

Exclusively for this package, a kotatsu (heated table) will be placed inside the huts, and guests can wear traditional local clothing perfect for the weather. Sweet sake made at the Hokuan Sake Distillery in Omachi City and local rice cakes with Nozawa pickled greens, a Shinshu specialty, will also be served up. 

How would you like to partake in this traditional experience?

More details on the nominated works from the 8th Annual New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival 2021 have been released! Starting on November 5, this year’s hybrid event will take place both online and onsite at New Chitose Airport, with over 100 of Japan’s top-class animated films being screened. 

At the airport, the main venue will be the New Chitose Airport Theater. From November 5 until November 8, 92 films from around the world representing the Competition section will be screened. The four nominated films from this category will be shown for the first time in Japan, and only at the New Chitose Airport Theater. These were chosen from 39 works from 23 different countries. 

Limited to theaters, a special screening of ‘Eve Music Animation Special in NEW CHITOSE 2021’ will take place, produced by Eve, one of Japan’s leading music video artists. The program will include screenings of selected Fate/Grand Order commercials and videos that have captivated fans with their stylish and modern visuals, along with a live behind-the-scenes broadcast on the making of Fate/Grand Order with some of the show’s staff. The closing film will be a new documentary titled Satoshi Kon: The Dreamer, looking back on the artistic legacy of the late creator. 

Since her debut, Eve has meshed animation and music together in a way that few have been able to achieve in the past. Her cinematic-quality works have been made alongside fellow creators through various collaborations, so be sure not to miss out on her selections during the festival!

In July 2021, sprout unveiled details about a new 2D mixed-media franchise called Tokyo Color Sonic!! Featuring eight characters split into groups of two, each is played by a talented voice actor, and the story sees the boys promoting Japanese music to a global audience. On November 6 and November 7 at the Ikebukuro Sunshine City Animate location, the Animate Girls Festival will feature decorations from the series, and starting November 13 the ‘Tokyo Color Sonic!! Animate Fair ~Begin on buddy~’ event will begin, featuring tons of new goods! The winning team from Tokyo Color Sonic will be announced during a special vocal drama airing on the official series YouTube channel on November 7, 2021. 

AGF 2021 Buddy Set

Ironoha Music Academy Notebook

Ironoha Music Academy Ball-point Pen

Mask Case (Bromide included) 

AGF 2021 Special Purchase Gift at Venue: Non-Woven Bag

Tokyo Color Sonic!! Animate Fair ~Begin on buddy~

Bonus: Foil-stamped card featuring a message in each character’s handwriting

Acrylic Stand (Mini-Characters Vol. 1): ¥700 (Tax Included) 

Tabletop School Calender 2022: ¥1,320 (Tax Included) 

Motel Key Acrylic Keychain (8 varieties): ¥880 each (Tax Included) 

Tokyo Color Sonic is set in the near future, where a government mandate aims to promote and develop the Japanese music industry as means to spread it worldwide. The movement is called “Coloration,” but after developing the program for years, things need to change. The Ironoha Music Academy trains singer and composer duos, and the country decides to start an annual music festival called Tokyo Color Sonic to shake things up! Popular illustrator Ryo Fujiwara, who has also worked on A3! and GAKUGEIDAI JUNES, is responsible for the character designs. 

A number of goods featuring illustrations drawn by Ryo Fujiwara will be available at the Ikebukuro Sunshine City Animate location ahead of the AGF event starting November 6. 

During the ‘Tokyo Color Sonic!! Animate Fair ~Begin on buddy~’ event, for every ¥1,100 spent on Tokyo Color Sonic goods and CDs (including tax), guests will receive a random code (8 varieties) to listen to a piece of newly-recorded audio from one of the characters! These clips are messages from each character to their respective buddies. In addition, for every ¥2,200 spent (including tax), guests will receive a random foil-stamped message card featuring messages from the characters written in their own handwriting. 

Are you rooting for a particular team to win? Be sure to tune in on November 7 to see if your favorites walk away victorious!

（C）COLORATION