The National Museum of Western Art, located in Ueno Park, reopened in April 2022 after being closed for renovations for 18 months. The first special exhibition post-reopening will feature Van Gogh’s works in Japan for the first time, along with paintings depicting modern nature from both the National Museum of Western Art and the Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany.

To commemorate the post-renovation reopening of the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, this exhibition traces the development of modern art born out of the dialogue between nature and humankind.

The event was realized in collaboration with the Museum Folkwang, and both institutions were founded on private collections: that of Karl Ernst Osthaus (1874–1921) in Germany and Matsukata Kojiro (1866–1950) in Japan.

The exhibition will feature over 100 paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs from both museums, spanning from German Romanticism to the art of the twentieth century, ranging from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism. 

Guests can enjoy all aspects of the infinite expanse of nature as shown in both collections, from the smallest roadside flowers to the vast universe and all humanity contained within. Would you like to come and experience this unique exhibition?

Hard Rock Cafe Ueno is celebrating the 4th birthday of Ueno Zoo’s giant panda Xiang Xiang with a collection of birthday pins. The limited-edition line-up was released on Thursday.

4th Birthday Pin | 300 Available | ¥2,200

4th Birthday Pin 2 | 500 Available | ¥2,200

The two pin designs are limited in stock, the first featuring Xiang Xiang with her mother and father has 300 available, and the second one has the cute giant panda on an aeroplane branded with her birthday date with 500 available.

Both pins capture Xiang Xiang’s energetic personality and are cute souvenirs to take home after meeting her at Ueno Zoo.

Ueno Information Center is celebrating the 4th birthday of Xiang Xiang, the giant panda who was born at Ueno Zoo back in 2017, with the release of a merchandise collection. The line-up arrived on Wednesday and is available both at the information center and via their online store.

Although strict measures are in place at the center to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading, celebrations for Xiang Xiang aren’t completely cancelled, as fans of the adorable panda, who has become something of an idol in Ueno, can get their hands on some fun goodies.

Ueno Panda Family Memorial Pins 2021 | ¥2,530 (Tax Included)

Ueno Panda Family Clear Pouch YE | ¥2,200 (Tax Included)

Ueno Panda Family Cooling Lunch Tote Bag | ¥1,650 (Tax Included)

The collection features motifs of Xiang Xiang, her mother Shin Shin, and her father Ri Ri. The pin collection, which comes in a gold leaf-laced box, includes Shin Shin in a tree peony, Xiang Xiang amongst the cherry blossoms, and Ri Ri with lotus flowers.

The pouch sees Xiang Xiang happy and energetic with her parents. It comes in a summery yellow and is made from semi-transparent matted vinyl. Perfect for storing away makeup, stationery, and any other bits and bobs.

The cooling bag is made from aluminium on the inside for keeping your food fresh. It’s big enough for fitting a bento and 500ml bottle, making it handy for taking your lunch out with you.

Happy 4th Birthday, Xiang Xiang!

BEAMS Japan and Cow Brand Soap have teamed up to an event titled Sento no Susume 2021 which began on April 23. As part of the event, the two brands have come together at the popular Tokyo-based bath house Kotobukiyu where illustrations for the collaboration drawn by manga artist Mari Yamazaki (Thermae Romae, Olympia Kyklos) has been put up on the outside, inside, and along the walls.

See the illustrations being plastered in the video below.

At the bath house entrance, along the walls, and everywhere else

Fashion shoots are being held at the bath house

Limited-edition merchandise for Sento no Susume 2021

For many years, sento public bath houses have been big part of Japanese culture and are located up and down the country. They are places people go to unwind, relax, and destress. However, with times changing, they are because less part of people’s lives, and the facilities themselves are seeing significant wear and tear as well as not having successors to take over the businesses. Sento no Susume aims to revitalise sento and raise their cultural value once again by showing how they can be enjoyed. The first event was held in January and February in 2019.

This year will be the second hosting of the event and invites manga artist Mari Yamazaki on board who has given Kotobukiyu a makeover with her iconic artwork themed on exercise and bathing. Six sports are featured in her drawings for the bath house including basketball, climbing, javelin, surfing, judo, and volleyball.

Have you experienced a Japanese sento before?

In promotion of the forthcoming live-action films Rurouni Kenshin: The Final and Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, both of which will be released on April 23 and June 4 respectively this year, the series is rolling out a collaboration with Sanrio’s globally-beloved character Hello Kitty on April 14.

Original Merchandise

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Plush Toys (2 Designs) | ¥3,850 Each (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Plush Toys (4 Designs) | ¥2,750 Each (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty A4 Folder Set | ¥495 (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Bottle | ¥1,540 (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Tote Bag | ¥2,200 (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Ballpoint Pens & Mechanical Pencils (2 Designs) | ¥770 Each (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Hand Towels | ¥1,430 (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Pins (6 Designs) | ¥330 Each (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Acrylic Stands (8 Designs) | ¥715 Each (Tax Included)

Rurouni Kenshin x Hello Kitty Sweets Paradise Collaboration Cafe

Menu Excerpt

Kenshin Hello Kitty Beef Bowl / Battousai Hello Kitty Omurice

Enishi Hello Kitty Orange Crepe / Tomoe Hello Kitty Anmisu / Kaoru Hello Kitty Strawberry Pancake

Acrylic Mascot Key Rings

10 Designs

Plush Toys

This marks the second collaboration between Rurouni Kenshin and Hello Kitty, the first taking place back in 2014 in promotion of Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends. Fans can get their hands on a collection of cute merchandise with Hello Kitty dressed as various characters from the series, as well as tuck into a themed menu which will first be served at Sweets Paradise Ueno ABAB from April 22 before rolling out to six more Sweets Paradise branches in Japan.

©和月伸宏／集英社 ©2020 映画「るろうに剣心 最終章 The Final/The Beginning 」製作委員会

Saryo Ginza Seigetsudo, a cafe located on the 2nd floor of Matsuzakaya Ueno in Tokyo, has been holding its “Mainichi Panda CAFE” event since October last year where it is serving up panda themed food and drink, selling panda plush toys and books, and the cafe itself is decorated with all things pandas.

Mainichi Panda CAFE by Saryo Ginza Seigetsudo is now introducing four new panda desserts, and its exhibition theme is celebrating the birthdays of Ueno Zoo’s giant pandas Xiang Xiang and Lili.

Adzuki Bean & Warabimochi Panda Parfait | ¥1,100

Japanese style parfait topped with panda-shaped ice cream.

Panda Jonamagashi & Matcha Set | ¥1,100 *Only 4 served per day

A Japanese ‘jonamagashi’ confection made to look like a panda wearing a straw hat.

Panda Pancake-Style Dorayaki w/Orange Peel | ¥1,100 (With Coffee ¥1,430)

Saryo Ginza Seigetsudo’s signature dorayaki served pancake style and branded with a cute panda face.

Lemon Yogurt Cake Set | ¥1,210

A slice of refreshing lemon and yogurt cake.

Mainichi Panda Exhibition (Excerpt)

The cafe has a special photo exhibition on display of the cute giant panda family that is housed in Ueno Zoo.

Postcards

Postcard image

The first 100 customers who dine at the cafe each day will receive a free postcard of Ueno Zoo’s pandas.

If you love pandas, and have visited Ueno Zoo before, then you won’t want to miss a visit to Saryo Ginza Seigetsudo.

Sanrio opened a new gift shop called Sanrio Gift Gate in Ueno on January 24, 2020. This is the 107th branch of the gift shop to open in Japan, following the openning of the Asakusa branch which opened in Asakusa last year. Aimed at tourists both Japanese and foreign, it sells merchandise of Sanrio’s popular cast of characters.

You can’t miss the shop as a giant Pompompurin embracing a panda suit-clad Hello Kitty are waiting to greet you at the entrance. The panda is a symbol of Ueno due to Ueno Zoo housing giant pandas.

The souvenir shop features a range of Ueno exclusives, including a line-up of six popular Sanrio characters wearing panda outfits.

Plush Toys (6 Designs) – ¥2,200 Each / Small Plush Toys (6 Designs) – ¥1,760 Each

Who could resist one of these cute toys? The bigger ones at 16cm tall and the small ones 11cm. The line-up includes fan favourites Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Kuromi, and Pochacco.

There’s also pop-up cards with a variety of designs, including one that opens up into Ameya-Yokochō open-air market, another that turns into Hello Kitty and a panda sat down, and more.

Edo-Tamagawaya x Hello Kitty Pink Tonkotsu Ramen – ¥390

Budoonoki Sanrio Character Baumkuchen – ¥594 Each (Hello Kitty/My Melody/Pompompurin/Cinnamoroll)

The Salt Industry Center of Japan x Hello Kitty Table Salt – ¥248

There’s also food and snacks amongst a whole range of other goodies, all perfect as gifts and souvenirs.

Be sure to stop by Sanrio Gift Plaza the next time you’re in Ueno.

ⓒ 1976, 1996, 2020 SANRIO CO.,LTD. TOKYO, JAPAN  Original Text: SANRIO CO.,LTD.

*All listed prices include tax. Sold items receive stock turnovers.

The Dinosaur Expo 2019 began at National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo on July 13, and in promotion of the exhibition, a thrilling dinosaur themed event is set to take place at the Atre Ueno shopping mall from August 1 to September 30.

Atre Ueno is located inside Ueno Station, and if you roll into the station right now you’d best be careful of the bipedal, carnivorously cute 5 meter high panda-saur. You’ll find it on display at the station’s Grand Concourse (it’s pretty hard to miss!)

You might be wondering why there’s a giant panda dressed as a fluffy dinosaur. The reason is that Ueno Zoo has its very own giant pandas which have become a symbol of the town. And the dinosaur our station panda is dressed as is the Deinocheirus, the main showpiece of The Dinosaur Expo.

In promotion of the museum’s exhibition, 19 restaurants and cafes at Atre Ueno are serving up their very own dinosaur-inspired meals―both meat for the carnivora and vegetarian for the herbivores―as well as desserts.

Head to Ueno this summer break for your fill of dino fun!

Shopping centre ecute Ueno has announced that it is holding a campaign entitled “Pandaful Party” from June 3 to June 30 to celebrate the 2nd birthday of Ueno Zoo’s popular panda Xiang Xiang. Panda themed desserts, food and merchandise will be sold at various stores throughout ecute Ueno.

Panda Rolled Sushi Set – ¥648 (Tax Included) @ Wakahiro (ecute Ueno)

Sushi-lovers won’t want to miss this set of rolled sushi. The three cute pandas all come with three different flavours: fried salmon, minced chicken and egg. Available at the ecute Ueno branch of Wakahiro only.

Panda Baked Sweet Potato (100g) – ¥324 (Tax Included) @ Rapoppo (ecute Ueno)

Aged potatoes are used to make this popular baked sweet potato treat, and these ones have a cute panda design♡

Parent & Child Panda Eclair (1 Eclair) – ¥380 (Tax Included) @ Dolce Felice (ecute Ueno)

These adorable eclairs feature a panda parent and cub on them. They are filled with chocolate custard and a crunchy biscuit.

Panda Case Beans – ¥972 (Tax Included) – Mameya Bankyu (ecute Ueno) *Serving June 3 – June 16 only

Inside these panda cases are black soybeans covered in chocolate and houjicha tea chocolate.

Ueno Assorted Cookies (1 Tin) – ¥1,296 (Tax Included) @ Juchheim (ecute Ueno)

Grab a cup of tea and tuck into these tin of cute assorted cookies with panda motifs on them.

Panda Cocoa (Hot/Iced) – ¥400 (Tax Included) @ UP CAFE (ecute Ueno)

This cup of hot panda cocoa can be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike.

Merchandise includes cute panda salt, fortunes, a squishy and more.

People can also get their hands on this exclusive Pandaful Party shopping bag on June 12, the day of Xiang Xiang’s birthday. These are limited in stock so you’ll want to start your shop nice and early!

The Micro Museum Hostel Ueno is set to open this month in Arakawa, Tokyo.

The hostel aims to give guests an elevated accommodation experience that goes beyond simply having them sleep there for the night. It is located in Uguisudani which despite its station connecting to both the Yamanote Line and Keihin-Tōhoku Line, has a sort of nostalgic feeling to it like that of a close-knit town. The number of tourists visiting there has been on the rise in recent years as it is close to Ueno and Negishi.

As its name suggests, the hostel is home to a small museum. It was designed by Ryo Mitsui who created it so that different coloured lights shed through the outside. The entrance inside will be displayed with artwork from up-and-coming artists that will change each month.

The hostel hopes to bring in not just guests to see the museum but locals too to tie everyone to art.

The inside is minimalist yet stylish. It caters to different needs with its room variations including rooms for 2, rooms for 4 and more.

Take advantage of your overnight stay to experience something new by booking with The Micro Museum Hostel Ueno.

Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station is a designated historical structure of Tokyo. In line with its opening for public viewing, it has been revealed that new installations will be set up as part of the ‘UENOYES’ project.

UENOYES was set up to promote the art and culture of Ueno Park and its surrounding areas to the rest of the world. Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station is next on the list of historical structures in Ueno to be showcased. Part of the station building will be accessible to the public in co-operation with Keisei Electric Railway and Tokyo University of the Arts. It will turn into a cultural platform where people can communicate with one another.

The installations can be enjoyed while reading into stories based on research in Ueno. Original stories have been collected from the voices of many people including director Hitsujiya Shirotama as well as members of staff from the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, Ueno Zoo, Keisei Electric Railway and elsewhere. The space is also dsigned by Sakata Akiko who works in stage design.

Guests will be led by guides as music plays both above ground and underground in the station building.

3D-printed skeletal replicas of animals can also be found at the exhibition which are printed by Kento Mori of the National Museum of Nature and Science.

Discover a new side of Ueno by following the UENOYES project.

The Ueno Park Lueno branch of Ginza Cozy Corner will release their new chestnut flavoured “Panda Yaki” on September 22.

These sweets are cooked fresh right in front of customers in the shape of a panda’s face – a reference the giant pandas of Ueno Zoo, the animals which the district of Ueno has almost become synonymous with.

The regular Panda Yaki menu comes with four flavours to pick from: custard, chocolate, adzuki bean paste, and cheese. They are popular with customers for not only being delicious, but extremely cute too.

The new entry being added to the menu is chestnut, a very familiar flavour during autumn in Japan. The cooked chewy pastry is filled with subtly sweet chestnut paste with additional diced candied chestnuts for texture.

You can pick up your own Panda Yaki either as a souvenir or to eat in one gulp while strolling around Ueno. Available this autumn only!