From July 15 until November 6, the popular teamLab exhibition A Forest Where Gods Live will be returning to Mifuneyama Rakuen Park in Saga Prefecture! This year, a new work titled Ephemeral Solidified Light will be on display, with rainbow-colored lights swirling and shining across the gorgeous landscape. The exhibition is being sponsored by Volvo. 

Ephemeral Solidified Light makes it seem like the lights themselves have come to life. Visitors will be tempted to reach out and touch them, but they’ll only find normal water against their fingertips.

teamLab <Ephemeral Solidified Light> ©teamLab

The exhibition will be held for the eighth year at Mifuneyama Rakuen Park, which opened in 1845 and spans an enormous 500,000 square meters. teamLab hopes to use digital technology to transform the natural environment into something new and unique. The company uses the rocks, caves, and forests to encourage contemplation of the meaning of life through their digital art which is non-material and does not harm nature in any way.

The massive event is held each summer and fall and was named CNN World’s ‘Best Outdoor Art Exhibition to Visit’ in 2021. 

teamLab <Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and Boats> ©teamLab

Mifuneyama Rakuen Park is also home to Mifuneyama Rakuen Park Hotel which has won awards for its beautiful sauna facilities. How would you like to visit this unique event?

Anniversaire Cafe Minatomirai Yokohama has opened a limited-time fair inspired by beautiful hydrangea! The ‘Purplish Flower Garden’ event is currently inviting guests to enjoy gorgeous sweets and drinks inspired by these spring and summer blooms until July 10, 2022.

Purplish Flower Plate

Purplish Flower Pain Perdu

Matcha Mont Blanc

Purplish Soda / Rainy Peach

Purplish Flower Stand Afternoon Tea

Purplish Flower Plate Afternoon Tea

Petits Fleur

The menu includes three desserts, two beverages, two afternoon tea plans, and one take-out dessert perfect for enjoying beside the sea. Come enjoy an elegant moment at the ‘Purplish Flower Garden’ event if you can!

Located in Uji, Kyoto, matcha shop Itohkyuemon was founded in the late Edo period. Three cozy locations have just launched a Hydrangea Parfait, perfect for spring.

Hydrangea Parfait

Hydrangea Coaster

The shop’s main location is headquartered in Uji, which is also home to Mimuroto Temple, known for its hydrangeas. The flowery location attracts thousands of tourists during the rainy season. 

The Hydrangea Parfait has been offered since 2013, now celebrating its 10th year. The popular seasonal treat features matcha hydrangea mashed sweet potatoes, hydrangea-colored jelly, leaf-shaped matcha cookies, and blueberries. Those ordering a parfait will also receive a hydrangea coaster as a gift, so why not enjoy the rainy season with something sweet to lift your spirits?

From July 15 until November 6, 2022, the ‘teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live’ exhibition at Mifuneyama Rakuen, an ancient forest at the Takeo Hot Springs in Saga Prefecture. The massive event is held each summer and fall and was named CNN World’s ‘Best Outdoor Art Exhibition to Visit’ in 2021 and one of the Top 10 Art Installations in the world by DesignboomMagazine in 2017.

Works on Display

Universe of Water Particles on a Sacred Rock, 2017

Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and Boats – Mifuneyama Rakuen Pond, 2015

Ever Blossoming Life Rock, 2017

 Life is Continuous Light – Azalea Valley, 2017

Rock Wall Spatial Calligraphy, Continuous Life – Five Hundred Arhats, 2017

Split Rock and Enso, 2017

Resonating Forest – Cherry Blossoms and Maple, 2017

Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins, 2019

Graffiti Nature – Living in the Ruins of a Bathhouse, Red List, 2017-

Resonating Forest in the Ravine, 2019

Abstract and Concrete – Forest Entrance, 2018

Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup, 2016

Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest – One Stroke, Summer Forest, 2018

Mifuneyama is said to have risen from the Ariake Sea 3 million years ago. The 500,000 square meter Mifuneyama Rakuen Park was created in 1845, at the end of the Edo period. The park is home to megaliths, caves, and forests that have been slowly shaped over thousands of years. teamLab believes that the shapes and textures of these objects are important, serving as traces of ancient people and natural changes over time.  The concept of the project is that non-material digital technology can turn nature into art without harming it.

The creative team will be holding a number of other high-profile exhibitions this year, including installations in Paris, Tallinn, Shanghai, and Geneva. Their sauna collaboration with TikTok for teamLab Reconnect in Roppongi made huge waves in 2021–guests would take alternating hot and cold baths to experience intense physical sensations while surrounded by digital art.

Art Grace Wedding Hills, a wedding venue in Kyoto, will offer a hydrangea-themed afternoon tea service from May 1 until June 24, 2022. Guests can enjoy this dreamy event each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Top Tier

Middle Tier

Bottom Tier

Welcome Drink

Hydrangea Parfait

Come taste these delectable dishes to welcome the summer season.

Creative company NAKED has begun producing a collection of workshops on traditional crafts found in Saga Prefecture. Along with local creators, the event will continue through February 2022. 

NAKED, together with Saga Prefecture, started a project called the ‘Saga Art Prefectural Government Project’ in 2016, which focuses on promoting the night economy in Saga. From the fall of 2021 until winter 2022, visitors to Saga will be able to enjoy a night walk surrounded by lanterns and local pieces of artwork.

During this event, workshops led by Saga’s top creators will invite visitors to create a number of unique, personalized items, from lanterns to hand lotion. Certain workshops are for both adults and children, making this a fun event for the entire family. 

Workshops

aroma*aroma Fragrance School Seminar House: Aromatherapy Soap Making for Parents and Children

Arita Porcelain Lab Painting Experience

Ogi Akari Project Bamboo Lantern Making Experience

Making Magatama at Yoshinogari Historial Park

Balloon Museum: Paper Balloon Making Experience for Parents and Children

full of flowers hyakka Flower Swag Making Experience

aroma*aroma Fragrance School Seminar House (with aroma lecture) Hand Cream Making Experience

Bubbleman Store for Adults: Saga Lotion Making Experience/ Bubbleman Store Candy Soap Making Experience for Parents and Children

Ureshino Warmth Festival Lantern Making Experience

The natural art exhibition “VOLVO teamLab: A Forest where Gods Live,” hosted by teamLab at the Takeo Onsen in Mifuneyama Rakuen park, will be decorated in autumnal scenery for a limited time to mark the season. The lights will be lit up in the shades of autumn leaves, while interactive seasonal flowers will bloom in your tea. The Light Sculpture of Flames will also be unveiled, exhibiting until November 7 2021.

VOLVO teamLab: A Forest where Gods Live

Works that change with the seasons 

Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest – One Stroke, Autumn Mountain, teamLab, 2018.

Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup, teamLab, 2016.

Newly Opened Works

Light Sculpture of Flames, teamLab, 2016.

The Mifuneyama Rakuen Park was built on a 500,000 square metre site that has been surrounded by nature for over three million years. This year marks the seventh year of the ‘VOLVO teamLab: A Forest where Gods Live” outdoor exhibition, which opens every summer and autumn. The exhibition combines nature and art on a grand scale, even featuring in CNN’s list of “Outdoor art exhibitions to see around the world.”

One of the special features of teamLab’s works is that they change with the season, including this one, where the colours will be changed to match the Autumn.

The lamps in the Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps, which can be found in the lobby of the Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel, will light up in warm fall shades to create the Autumn Mountain. In addition, you can enjoy drinking tea brewed using seasonal flowers at the Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup installation. This is a unique Autumn experience!

The Light Sculpture of Flames has been on display at teamLab’s large-scale solo exhibition and will be shown in public for the first time, having been described as the “first art piece to be accepted in Silicon Valley.”

The interactive light sculpture forms a 3D flame using multiple light points and will be shown in a collaboration space with VOLVO, the exhibits main partner.

Why not immerse yourself in the nature of Autumn with teamLab?

Japanese Uji tea shop Itohkyuemon broughr back its seasonal Hydrangea Parfait to the menu at three of its stores last Monday.

Hydrangea Parfait

Hydrangea Tea Party

Kyoto’s city of Uji, where Itohkyuemon’s main branch is based, is home to Mimuroto Temple which is famous for its hydrangea flowers. The temple always bustles during the springtime rainy season. It’s around this time that people can be waiting up to 3 hours for a seat at Itohkyuemon. Their Hydrangea Parfait is their most popular parfait, never failing to create a buzz on Japanese social media. It contains hydrangea-flavoured mashed sweet potato, hydrangea jelly, leaf-shaped matcha cookies, blueberries, and more, all capturing the swaying hydrangeas during the downpour of the rainy season. They are limited in stock and are not re-added to the menu until the following year once they run out.

Customers can order the parfait on its own, with a cup of tea, or with both tea and warabimochi. The tea set and tea party versions come with a free hydrangea coaster.

Hoshino Resorts KAI Hakone has announced a special hydrangea-themed hotel plan for Japan’s rainy season which will run from June 12 to July 4.

Hydrangeas bloom before guest room benches

At KAI Hakone, there is a special guest room with an outdoor bench seating area which looks out into the green forest. Hydrangeas will bloom, providing a gorgeous backdrop as guests enjoy the sounds of the Sukumogawa River.

Hydrangea accessory kit

Guests will be given an accessory kit in their rooms to make their own flower accessories from hydrangea leaves and wooden mosaics. These accessories can be fitted to yukata, used as piercings, and more to serve a Japanese summer vibe.

Enjoy hydrangea sweets and shaved iced

Guests can turn their rooms into a little tearoom with the wooden mosaic plaques provided on which they can tuck into a range of hydrangea-flavoured sweets and desserts along with a cup of matcha. The shaved ice is a KAI Hakone-original made with jelly and syrup coloured purple with hydrangea.

The hydrangea is perhaps the most celebrated flower in all of Hakone, arriving in early summer. It’s hailed in a variety of ways, one of the most popular being the Hydrangea Train, a nickname given to the train that runs from Odawara Station to Gora Station. Passangers are treated to an incredible view out the train window as their vision is filled with vivid hydrangea flowers.

This year marks the second that KAI Hakone is offering its seasonal hydrangea plan. If you’re able to visit during this time, don’t miss out.

The new OPEN SAGASAKE campaign is set to launch on January 14, 2021 to help spread awareness of sake brewed in Japan’s prefecture of Saga.

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the world into confusion and disorder and made it difficult to predict the future. In response to this, Saga Prefecture’s sake brewers have come together for Japan’s sake fans to launch a campaign that is imbued with the hope for a brighter future. It will release a variety of content for people to look forward with positivity as they go into the New Year.

Saga was originally known as Hizen and hails as Japan’s oldest location for rice farming. It’s home to Nabatake Ruins, an ancient ruin of rice paddies believed to be the oldest in Japan, and the enormous Yoshinogari site which is suited for rice cultivation. It’s also home to many ‘power spots,’ a concept in Japan where a specific place is considered to give one energy by visiting it. The people of Saga have lived in rhythm with nature throughout history, and it’s here where many sake breweries have opened.

Those who spend over ¥1,500 on Saga sake (tax included) for the campaign will be given a special leaflet by Pleiades Reina when it begins on January 14. Reina is the first child of Getters Iida, a Japanese fortune teller. 100 lucky people will also be given another special product to make their Saga sake drinking experience that much more special. Sign-ups begin on January 14 and end on March 12 in Japan.

2021 OPEN SAGASAKE Limited-Edition Bottles

Special Saga sake brand limited-edition bottles will be sold starting on February 1. The labels feature colourful gradations so you can pick which bottle you want depending on which one you’re feeling.

Online Event

An online event will take place for Japanese sake fans on YouTube on March 6 at 18:00 (JST). Various actresses, models, and influencers will take part in a talk, including fortune telling by Pleiades Reina. There will also be prizes and other content to look forward to.

Japanese art collective teamLab opened its teamLab: Rinkan Spa & Tea Ceremony, Ruins and Remains series of artworks at Mifuneyama Rakuen in Kyushu as permanent exhibitions on November 10. The artworks can be enjoyed as part of a set which includes enjoying the exhibits as well as a soak in Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel’s sauna and a complimentary cup of Japanese tea.

Rakan no Yu, a sauna located at Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel, won the Saunachelin Grand Prix two years in a row in 2019 and 2020. The sauna and open-air baths enjoy natural water from Mt. Mifune and are surrounded by the vast nature of the local area.

A sauna and new art experience fusion

Sitting on the borderline of Mifuneyama Rakuen Park is the 3,000-year-old sacred Okusu tree of Takeo Shrine, which is Japan’s 7th largest. Also in the heart of the garden is another 300-year-old sacred tree. Knowing the significance of this, Japan’s forebears turned a portion of this forest into a garden, utilizing the trees of the natural forest. The border between the garden and the wild forest is ambiguous, and when wandering through the garden, before they know it, people will find themselves entering the woods and animal trails.

Visitors can get their hands on a combo ticket which includes access to teamLab’s exhibition as well as daytime entry to the sauna. These are limited to 40 people per day.

Below are some of the artworks that visitors can experience.

Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins
teamLab, 2019, Interactive Digital Installation

Graffiti Nature – Living in the Ruins of a Bathhouse, Red List
teamLab, 2017-, Interactive Digital Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

Butterflies Dancing in the Depths of the Underground Ruins, Transcending Space
teamLab, 2019, Digital Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest – One Stroke, Autumn Mountain
teamLab, 2018, Interactive Installation, Murano Glass, LED, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

teamLab’s annual A Forest Where Gods Live exhibition is currently taking place at Mifuneyama Rakuen Park in Saga Prefecture until November 8, 2020. For autumn this year, the digital art team has introduced a seasonal piece entitled Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest – One Stroke, Autumn Mountain.

Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest – One Stroke, Autumn Mountain
teamLab, 2018, Interactive Installation, Murano Glass, LED, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

Available to see for this autumn season only, ​Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest – One Stroke, Autumn Mountain showcases Kasane no Irome, which are nuances of layered colours that were seasonal colours created in silk before Japan’s modern era, in the form of lit lamps.

The lamps in the exhibition shine brightly and then fade. In the light, one can see the eight autumn Kasane no Irome colours: Budding Leaves, Green Leaves, Fallen Green Leaves, Yellow Leaves, Fallen Yellow Leaves, Fallen Leaves, Fallen Red Leaves, and Autumn Leaves.

Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup
teamLab, 2016, Interactive Digital Installation, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

Make tea in the tea house at the exhibition. Flowers will bloom inside the teacup, which if you pick up, sends the flowers scattering and spreading to the outside of the cup. Flowers will bloom infinitely as long as there is tea. For September, there are safflowers, dianthus, and Chinese asters, while next month will introduce cosmos, osmanthus, and chrysanthemums.

Ever Blossoming Life Rock
teamLab, 2017, Digitized Nature, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi

Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins
teamLab, 2019, Interactive Digital Installation

You can also see autumn flowers in the Ever Blossoming Life Rock and Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins exhibits too.

Visitors can also get set tickers which includes entry to the exhibition as well as a dip in the Rakan no Yu hot springs of Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel. These tickets are limited to 40 people per day.