The popular female rock band BAND-MAID will perform for the first time at KNOTFEST JAPAN 2023, scheduled for April 1 and April 2 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba.

KNOTFEST was begun by the American heavy metal band Slipknot, and the festival has been held yearly since 2012. BAND-MAID will perform on Day 1 along with headliners Slipknot, Trivium, and MAN WITH A MISSION.

Tickets for the May shows to be held in the United States as part of the BAND-MAID 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR are none on sale. The group managed to bring in over 20,000 fans during their solo U.S. tour in 2022. In addition to performing at Pointfest 2023, Welcome to Rockville 2023, and the Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, BAND-MAID will also perform six solo shows. With some venues selling out instantly last year, you’ll want to snag tickets while you can!

Hoshinoya Tokyo, a traditional ryokan in Otemachi, has announced the New Year’s Kabuki Plan, a two-day, one-night stay from January 5 until January 7, 2023. During the Edo Period, citizens enjoyed watching Kabuki plays during the New Year’s holidays, often sipping tea at connected teahouses. This event will invite visitors to experience what this was like, complete with traditional food and decorations.

Watching Kabuki was a chic way for those in Edo to ring in the new year. Theater teahouses were also a popular gathering place–along with arranging tickets, the teahouses offered plot notes, tea, sweets, boxed lunches, snacks, and other drinks.*

*Hiroshi Fujita, Yoshihide Tomizawa (2012) / The Updated Kabuki Dictionary, Kashiwa Shobo

Relax Before Enjoying Tea and a Play

Guests are invited to relax in the Ochanoma (Living Room) Lounge, decorated to look like a traditional teahouse with fans, ukiyo-e prints, and formal curtains. Hanabiramochi, or rice cakes with flower petals, will be served with green tea. These rice cakes are said to date back to the New Year’s tradition of eating hard foods like daikon and rice cakes in the hopes of prolonging one’s life. Characterized by its curious burdock root aroma, the cakes are sweetened with white miso bean paste. 

Enjoy a Post-Viewing Mont Blanc Shaped like Soba with Sweet Dessert Wine

At theater teahouses in the Edo period, sake, snacks, and desserts were served one after another. During this special event, a menu inspired by this practice and prepared by Hoshinoya Tokyo Executive Chef Noriyuki Hamada will be served! Soba noodles were often served after a play in the past. Inspired by this tradition, Mont Blanc made with chestnut paste and sponge cake will be served up to look like this popular dish. Paired with a dessert wine aged in oak barrels, the sweet will be served in a traditional lacquerware basket. In addition, the dish will be paired with Wasabi Pralines, Shichimi Meringue, and Ginger Pate de Fruits. 

Take a Rickshaw to the Kabuki-za Theater

Guests will be taken on an Edo-style tour on their way to the Kabuki-za Theater. Passing through the Nihonbashi area, the first stop will be the Fukutoku Shrine. It’s said that Hidetada Tokugawa paid a visit to and praised the shrine on New Year’s Day in 1614. The next shrine on the docket, Hodo Inari Jinja, was enshrined in Edo Castle during the Edo period to protect the heir to the Tokugawa family. It’s said that the shrine provides blessings for child rearing, matchmaking, and business prosperity. 

This tour will provide a more elegant way to explore Tokyo as guests enjoy exposition from their chauffeur. To make the rickshaw ride even more enjoyable, guests can rent kimonos for an extra charge.

Would you like to take a step back in time this New Year?

Shin Yokohama Prince Hotel will be offering a special room and collaboration menu inspired by the popular anime series The Vampire Dies in No Time from September 22 until November 30, 2022. Reservations will open on the hotel’s official website starting September 12 at 1:00 PM. 

The Vampire Dies in No Time follows the hilarious adventures of the vampire Draluc and the vampire hunter Ronaldo. Set in the city of Shin-Yokohama, it makes sense that this collaboration would be taking place!

Original Goods

Collaboration Menu

Guests and fans of the series will be able to enjoy a fully-decorated room and collaboration menu inspired by characters from the popular anime series.

The concept room, located on an upper floor overlooking the Shin-Yokohama cityscape, is decorated with illustrations of Draluc, Ronaldo, and other characters. The guest-only goods feature newly-drawn illustrations. 

Sweets plates and drinks will be served at the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. Guests can enjoy desserts shaped like Ronaldo’s red hat and Draluc’s ashes, so don’t miss it!

©盆ノ木至（秋田書店）／製作委員会すぐ死ぬ

Art subscription service Casie is collaborating with HOTEL SHE, KYOTO! A special art exhibition titled GALLERY HOTEL SHE, will be held from September 17 until October 16, inviting guests to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of staying in a gallery overnight!

During the event period, guests of HOTEL SHE, KYOTO will be able to select their favorite piece of artwork from an on-site gallery. The piece will then be hung in their guestroom, and visitors can spend the night appreciating it at their own pace. This is a great way to learn more about art appreciation, and guests can enjoy discussing the art world with their friends and family. 

“Although we may view art in museums and other venues, it is rare to have the opportunity to select and display a work of art of our own choice,” the project description reads. “Through this unique experience, we aim to provide guests the chance to actively engage with art and inspire them to make art a part of their daily life going forward.”

The Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa in Tokyo will offer a special suite inspired by the upcoming Toshio Suzuki Studio Ghibli Exhibition from July 1 until August 31, 2022. This will include tickets to the exhibition, which will take place at Warehouse Terrada in Shinagawa from July 1 until September 7. 

Toshio Suzuki, a producer at Studio Ghibli, has worked with both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata on a number of beloved masterpieces. The exhibition will feature a large bookshelf housing 8,800 of Suzuki’s publications and favorite tomes. Many of these were published before Suzuki joined Studio Ghibli, and guests are invited to see how the producer was inspired to join the legendary studio after working as an editor at a manga magazine. To commemorate the exhibition’s opening, this special suite is filled with books written by Suzuki along with other books that visitors may enjoy during their relaxing stay. 

In the suite, guests will find a list of 106 books that influenced Suzuki the most. This list will be available to take home. Visitors will also find reproductions of Suzuki’s calligraphy. 

©TS ©Studio Ghibli

Banyan Tree Group, one of the world’s leading independent hospitality groups, held the grand opening of Galleria Nijo Castle Kyoto, on Friday, June 17, 2022. This is the first of the group’s hotels to open in Japan.

Hotel Exterior

Located south of Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site, and named after the beautiful winter flower, Galleria Nijo Castle Kyoto is a small, modern, and minimalist luxury hotel that offers simple guests a chance to recharge themselves.

Wellbeing Room

For the grand opening, a new Wellbeing Room has been opened where visitors can experience quiet meditation.

Visitors can stroll through nearby gardens, temples, and shrines, take a tour of Kyoto’s many historical sites, or spend time in the Wellbeing Room meditating or practicing yoga to recharge their batteries away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The French Restaurant Singular will also offer up healthy and tasty meals with a focus on local ingredients and producers.

Enjoy a visit to Kyoto in this peaceful space perfect for resting both body and soul.

From June 1 until August 31, Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji is inviting guests to travel to the adorable world of Moomin by partaking in two tasty buffet events at the Le Clair Restaurant on the second floor. In Moomin’s home country of Finland, people start enjoying the summer following the solstice in June. The theme of this project is ‘Moominvalley Turns Jungle,’ inspiring the hotel’s chefs to create a spectacular original menu. A tasty lunch buffet will be held Tuesday through Friday during the event period, while a sweets buffet will take place on weekends and holidays. The restaurant’s interior will be decorated with artwork from Tove Jansson’s 1956 comic Moominville Turns Jungle.

The Moomin Lunch Buffet is titled ‘Jungle Party in Moominville,’ and will depict a fun summer lunch get-together in the titular character’s home village. The lineup of foods includes smoked salmon canapes, marinated herring, and sardine sandwiches, all typical of Scandinavian cuisine. Plenty of spiced dishes and veggies will be available, the latter looking like they came from Moominmamma’s garden. August 9 is Moomin Day, and the chefs will be preparing some extra goodies for each guest on that day only.

The Moomin Sweets Buffet will feature adorable desserts created by expert pâtissiers and will be inspired by Moomin and his friends enjoying the summer. From red velvet cake made to look like Little My’s dress to chocolate mousse in the style of Moominpappa’s Silk Hat, fans of the series will want to snap plenty of pictures before they dig in! Tons of sweets will include popular Scandinavian ingredients like red currants, raspberries, and blueberries. The welcome plate, limited to one per person, will change monthly, with a Tropical Parfait coming in July and an Edible Jungle coming in August. Light meals will also be available to compliment the sweets.

The Sweets Buffet will also include a special table plan limited to three per day, using plates and mugs included in the Moomin by Arabia 2022 Summer collection. Guests participating in this plan can order a special non-alcoholic cocktail created by the restaurant’s bartender and made with rose-colored ice inspired by Moominmamma’s love for flowers.

Starting July 1, guests visiting the five-star Conrad Tokyo hotel can enjoy a new peach-filled afternoon tea menu for a limited time. Designed in collaboration with the British luxury brand Wedgwood, the lineup includes both savory and sweet items perfect for summer. The afternoon tea will be available on the 28th floor at the aptly named Twenty Eight Bar and Lounge.

In collaboration with Wedgwood, a 260-year-old porcelain and fine china brand used by the British royal family, this special service will feature an afternoon tea plate with a tempting array of sweets. The plate itself is from Wedgwood’s world-renowned Gio collection and features a honeycomb pattern embossed on fine bone china. The contrast between the modern setting, the classic and refined shape of the white tableware, and the beautiful pink treats will come together to create the most memorable summer moment imaginable.

Coconut & Earl Grey Panna Cotta / Rose Jelly / Peach Compote

Wine and Peach Gelatin / Vanilla Mousse

White Peach Mousse / Raspberry Gelatin

White Peach and Soy Milk Sandwich

Apricot Tart / Peach Cream

Peach Soup / Lobster Consomme Jelly

White Peach and Chicken Mousse Tart

Pork Rillettes and Peach Slider

Highlights from the sweets menu include coconut & Earl Grey Panna cotta served with rose jelly and peach compote, peach gelatin infused with red wine and vanilla mousse, and a delectable white peach and soy milk sandwich. For those with less of a sweet tooth, the afternoon tea service also offers delectable dishes like a white peach and chicken mousse tart, a pork rillettes and peach slider, and more. Guests can also enjoy a selection of scones in either plain or coconut, each served with clotted cream and either peach or guava jam. Over 20 beverages will be on offer, including Wedgwood teas.

On May 18, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu traveled to Chiba to take a ride on the Kyary Train, a collaborative train currently in operation on the Choushi Electric Railway! The collaboration is part of the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project, launched to energize Japan by marketing the appeal of regional towns and cities. The singer also attended a special event celebrating the redesigned Kannon Station with Choshi mayor Shinichi Koshikawa and Choshi Electric Railway president Katsunori Takemoto in attendance. 

In January, Kyary began the largest tour of her career, ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 10th ANNIVERSARY JAPAN TOUR 2022 CANDY WAVE,’ with the artist performing 30 shows across Japan. In conjunction with the nationwide tour, the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project was launched, which aims to bring attention and support to local industries and to inspire more tourism to rural areas impacted negatively by the pandemic. In April, Kyary announced a collaboration with Chiba’s Choushi Electric Railway. The railway President is known for his self-deprecating jokes, noting that the railway has seen a serious lack of ridership over the last decade. Fittingly, the collaboration is based on Kyary’s hit song Mondai Girl (Problem Girl). The Kyary Train began operations on the first day of Golden Week, attracting a huge crowd. Surprisingly, the singer herself took time out of her tour to ride the train herself!

Upon arrival at the Choshi Dentetsu platform, the Kyary Train appeared, decorated with the collaboration design on the first car. Kyary, seeing the train in person for the first time, greeted it with a happy wave. Upon boarding, the interior was decorated with pink, yellow, and blue balloons inspired by the music video for Mondai Girl. “It’s so cute,” Kyary exclaimed. Other decorations placed in the train also pull from the video, including triangular accents based on Kyary’s outfit and spikes inspired by the male dancer’s hairstyles. The in-train ads feature “problematic” confessions from riders, citizens of Choushi, and Kyary herself. After a while, the departure sound plays, incorporating the phrase Mondai Girl, and the train departs. During the 21-minute ride, Kyary guided riders through the many stations, with announcements playing as the train passed by notable locales. 

After the trip, the ‘Mondai ga Aru’ (There are Problems) event took place to show off the new interior of Kannon Station. Broken glass has been replaced and the interior features a light pink paint job, complete with an image of Kyary. Choshi mayor Shinichi Koshikawa and Choshi Electric Railway president Katsunori Takemoto expressed their gratitude. 

“Choshi Electric Railway is often the butt of jokes, but I think it takes courage to make those jokes. It’s because the railway is so honest that people are willing to come out and help,” Kyary said. “I’ll do my best so that my music and this railway will both be loved for 100 years.” 

A photo booth pulling inspiration from the press conference scene in the Mondai Girl music video has been also been added. Kyary took a seat to share details of a certain moment during Coachella that made a huge impact on her. During the second weekend performance, Kyary performed alone for the first time in her decade-long career after her dancers suffered from a sudden illness.

President Takemoto also spoke about a “problem”–too many people showed up to ride the Kyary Train during Golden Week, and the company ran out of its popular products halfway through the week! He also announced a new song, Choushi Mondai Girl, which he performed on guitar.

“If there’s a problem, this is a good opportunity to solve it. If we can overcome our problems, we can move on to the next stage. I hope that Choushi Electric Railway will continue to do its best,” Kyary said at the end of the event, inspiring warm applause from the crowd.

Be sure to check out the collaboration this spring and summer!

Mondai Girl Music Video

Sumiya Kihoan, a cozy inn at Yunohana Onsen in Kameoka City in Kyoto, opened a unique new guest room on April 28, 2022. The room’s concept is “where guests can stay in the middle of contemporary art,” and was inspired by the works of internationally-acclaimed contemporary artist Yukinori Yanagi. The new room, created as part of the Art Room Project, has been named ‘Kofuu.’

The Icarus Corridor Connecting Heaven and Earth

Heavenly Bath Welcoming a Rainbow at Dusk

In-Ground Bath Featuring Oribe Glazed Ceramic

Concept Drawing of the Art Room Project by Yukinori Yanagi

The new room includes an open-air bath where guests can be transported into the world of Yanagi’s contemporary art while gazing at the gorgeous Kyoto landscape. Upon entering the inn, guests are greeted by a long corridor leading to the bedrooms, dining room, and two creative open-air baths. The space was created in collaboration with Yanagi and local artists and craftsmen, such as potter Ishii Naoto, obi craftsman Yamaguchi Genbei X, plasterer Kusumi Akira, and Japanese paper craftsman Hatano Wakaru. A delicious menu is prepared by chef Hosoi Kunihiko.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is staying active in 2022. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of her major label debut, the artist recently performed at Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the United States. On October 21, 2021, she released her first full-length album in three years, ‘Candy Raver.’ In January, Kyary embarked on the largest tour of her career, ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 10th ANNIVERSARY JAPAN TOUR 2022 CANDY WAVE,’ which will see the singer performing 30 shows across Japan.

 In conjunction with the nationwide tour, the “LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project” was launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities, and has been attracting major attention. Announced earlier this month at the singer’s performance in Chiba, the Kyary Train finally set out on the Choushi Electric Railway starting April 29. 

On April 1, Choushi Electric Railway president Katsunori Takemoto tweeted out something strange and hilarious: “Choushi Electric Railway has tons of problems, so we’ll change our name to Choushi Warui (‘In Bad Shape’) Railway starting today.” The self-deprecating post is on brand for the railway which is known for struggling with a lack of riders over the past decade. Social media blew up following the tweet, with many wondering if it was simply a poor April Fool’s Joke. Shortly after, a collaboration image between the railway and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s popular track Mondai Girl appeared. Commemorative versions of a one-day ticket for the train line are on sale now.

It was also announced that a fully-decorated collaborative train would begin running in late April, though the president remarked that the number of interior decorations would depend entirely on how much the company could fit into the budget. Of course, following this plea, support began pouring in from all over Japan. Now, the entire staff, including one new employee, is ready to welcome guests. Each ticket will come with a sticker, on which is written the president’s heartfelt plea: “I want the Kyary Train to run without any issues!” So far, so good.

The collaborative train is called the ‘Kyary Train with Plenty of Problems,’ and takes place inside a flashy pink train perfectly encapsulating the singer’s image.

Inside the train car, guests are transported into the world of the Mondai Girl music video. Pink, yellow, and blue balloons fill the space, with plenty of other homages present. The ads on display on the train are also full of confessions by Choushi Electric Railway staff, Choushi City residents, and Kyary, regarding their individual problems.

While the collab train is running, riders are encouraged to write a message of support on the right half of the sticker and post it on a special board to be erected at Kannon Station on April 18. 

“I would like to renovate the old and problem-filled Kannon Station into Kyary Station,” president Takemoto said recently. He is also looking into erecting a photo booth pulling inspiration from the press conference scene in the Mondai Girl music video while cleaning up the area to draw in new customers. Be sure to check out the collaboration this spring and summer!

Hotel New Otani Tokyo will offer special collaboration rooms inspired by illustrator Kanahei’s characters Piske & Usagi from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023.

Original Cushion / Acrylic Stand

The room is completely decorated with brand new illustrations of Piske and Usagi made exclusively for the collaboration. A total of five original amenities will be included with each room plan, including an original cushion and acrylic stand. Come surround yourself with complete cuteness!