From August 18 until September 19, 20 Gokurakuyu and Raku Spa locations will hold a special collaboration to celebrate the release of ONE PIECE FILM RED. 

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During the event, a new bath will be available each weekend. Guests can enjoy fragrant baths inspired by Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Shanks, and Uta. Check the website to see which baths will be available at which locations!

Those visiting can find some new merchandise featuring exclusive illustrations made for the campaign and a tasty menu inspired by One Piece characters, so don’t miss it!

UWS AQUARIUM GA☆KYO, an aquarium inspired by Japanese traditions and legends, opened at Aqua City Odaiba on July 13, 2022. The curious aquarium and art facility is split into five spaces, each based on a particular Japanese legend or tradition. 

Area 1 – WABISABI

Area 2 – OIRAN

Area 3 – MANGEKYO

Area 4 – YURAKU

Area 5 – RYUGU

Virtual Goldfish Scooping

This mixture of aquarium and entertainment venue was produced by GA☆KYO. Each of the five spaces invites guests to understand and appreciate a particular part of Japanese traditional culture, as well as to experience the beauty of living things. Come enjoy this unique installation the next time you’re in Tokyo!

On July 13, UWS AQUARIUM GA☆KYO, an aquarium inspired by Japanese traditions and legends, will open at Aqua City Odaiba. Separated into five unique sections, this curious aquarium is located in a shopping complex popular with locals and tourists alike. 

UWS AQUARIUM GA☆KYO will depict five aspects of traditional Japanese life and history: Wabi-sabi, Oiran, Mangekyo (Kaleidoscope), Yuraku, and Ryuugu. These will be explained below if you aren’t familiar.

Area

WABISABI
Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic in Japanese art centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. In the aquarium, this is shown by using delicate driftwood, bonsai, and crystal. Characteristics of wabi-sabi include asymmetry, simplicity, and roughness.

OIRAN
An Oiran was a high-ranking courtesan in Japanese history. In this work, goldfish are surrounded by beautiful and enchanting features inspired by these gorgeous women.

MANGEKYO

Mangekyo is the Japanese word for kaleidoscope. This collaborative work invites viewers into a unique space filled with paintings by Tsuyoshi Nigamushi along with disco balls. You’ll want to snap some trippy pictures!

YURAKU
This special exhibition invites guests to experience virtual goldfish scooping and fortune-telling. Made using modern technology in a space inspired by Japan’s four seasons, yuraku means pleasure in Japanese.

RYUGU

Ryuugu refers to the Palace of the Dragon King found in the ancient tale of Urashima Taro. 

This spatial work will utilize the sea around Odaiba and transport visitors to another place and time.

Come enjoy these five unique spaces with your five senses and become more acquainted with traditional Japanese beauty.

ULTRA JAPAN 2022 will be held at TOKYO ODAIBA ULTRA PARK II in Tokyo on September 17 and 18, 2022!

ULTRA JAPAN is the Japanese version of ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL (UMF), one of the world’s largest urban dance music festivals held yearly in Miami since 1999. This year marks the 7th event in Japan, and the festival has been held in over 21 countries around the world. In 2016 and 2017, it was named the #1 festival in the world in a fan poll by DJ MAG. 

ULTRA JAPAN has become a staple of the dance music community in Japan, attracting over 530,000 people since it was first held in 2014. The festival has been number one in terms of attendance among all dance music festivals held in Japan, bringing together some of the world’s best DJs and delighting fans with intense special effects. The festival is only 15 minutes from Shibuya!

Stay tuned for more information about the artist lineup for ULTRA JAPAN!

teamLab Borderless, a digital art museum currently housed in Odaiba’s Mori Building, will be moving to a more central location in Tokyo in 2023. In preparation for the move, the Odaiba location will close on August 31, and tickets for July and August are available now. Each ticket must be purchased ahead of visiting, and each specifies a date and time for entry. Tickets are available while supplies last. 

 teamLab ‘Forest of Resonating Lamps – One Stroke’ ©teamLab

teamLab Borderless opened in Odaiba in June 2018 and features a group of artworks that form one borderless world. Artworks move out of rooms and communicate with other works, influencing other pieces and sometimes intermingling with each other with no boundaries. They also shift depending on the season. In its first year, the museum attracted 2.3 million visitors, surpassing the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands to become the most popular single artist’s museum in the world. People from over 160 countries and regions visited, and in 2019, teamLab Borderless broke a world record for the most visitors to a museum showcasing art from a single artist. Borderless received numerous national and international awards, including being named one of the World’s Greatest Places 2019 by Time Magazine and receiving a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 25th Annual Thea Awards.

Highlight Video: https://youtu.be/VowWhpZzH24

The 10,000 square meter complex will be open until August 31, offering visitors a singular experience through a borderless world of art. Expectations are high for the museum’s new location, scheduled to open in central Tokyo in 2023. 

teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM will be open in Toyosu until the end of 2023. 

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.

The Ryokan Tokyo Yugawara, a traditional-style Japanese inn and hot spring located in Kanagawa Prefecture, will open on March 18, 2022. The hot springs in the area have a storied history, appearing in the oldest collection of Japanese poems from the year 759 AD and loved by great writers such as Natsume Souseki and Ryunosuke Akutagawa. There is also a cafe inviting visitors to enjoy delicious meals as they relax in the springs.

Onsen Dojo operates and plans hot spring facilities, including the ‘Ofuro Cafe’ brand, resort facilities, and more. The company also provides support for local business investments. 

Spring scenery will welcome guests to the teamLab Borderless exhibit at the Mori Building Digital Art Museum starting March 2, 2022. teamLab Borderless is a group of artworks that form one borderless world. Artworks move out of rooms, communicate with other works, influence, and sometimes intermingle with each other with no boundaries. They also shift depending on the season.

teamLab Borderless in Odaiba is scheduled to close on August 31, 2022, so this will be the only chance to catch this incredible display!

Forest of Resonating Lamps – One Stroke, Cherry Blossoms, teamLab, 2019

Forest of Resonating Lamps – One Stroke, Spring Mountain Fields, teamLab, 2019

Proliferating Immense Life – A Whole Year per Year, teamLab, 2020

Memory of Topography, teamLab, 2018

Flowers in Layered Ultrasubjective Space, teamLab, 2018

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

Tea Tree, teamLab, 2018

Drawing Factory

Each installation will filter through new colors and illustrations. A Whole Year per Year will include new spring flowers, multiplying to over 100,000 blooms before dispersing around guests. ‘Memory of Topography’ depicts a massive landscape based on Japan’s four seasons, and in March and April, cherry blossoms and lavender will appear beside terraced rice paddies, wisteria trellises, and gently flowing rivers. 

At the Drawing Factory, guests can also make their own original goods to be taken home as keepsakes. Get your creation printed on T-shirts, pins, or hand towels!

Hololive has announced a special collaboration between HoloFantasy and Raku Spa, with special merchandise and VTuber-scented baths at participating locations around Japan!

Merchandise

Collaboration Menu (Coasters Available!)

Photo Spot

Guests can grab original merchandise with newly-drawn illustrations during the event period, and original food and beverages based on the five members will be on sale. Five unique baths have been prepared by the Hololive members, as each girl chose her favorite scent. The announcements in each location will also be broadcast by the popular VTubers.

Starting February 6, called Bath Day in Japan, specially-drawn yukata and chibi versions of the characters will be available on limited-edition postcards and new merchandise. To get one of these postcards, visitors will need to follow the official Raku Spa Twitter, retweet the campaign Tweet, and present it at the reception desk at their Raku Spa of choice. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to grab them before they’re all gone!

The Wakura Onsen Tourist Association is sponsoring a new project to illuminate Seirinji Temple, a nationally registered cultural property. Along with this light show, guests can enjoy a luxurious tea time starting on January 8, 2022. This year, the pavilion and garden will be lit up again, and the entrance will be decorated with traditional local paper lanterns. 

The historic property was built in 1909 as a resting place for Emperor Taisho. Only two such buildings exist in Japan: one in Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture, and the other at Wakura Onsen. Both were registered as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan in 2017. 

Last year, the area was photographed for posters and pamphlets as part of the ‘Japanese Beauty Hokuriku’ campaign organized by JR East, JR West, and the Central JR Railway.

Each Saturday evening through February 26, guests will be invited to enjoy a different kind of atmosphere while enjoying a very fancy tea time. The program has been very well received by visitors, so it shouldn’t be missed!

The light-up of the temple and garden, with its slowly changing colors, will transport guests to another world. The entrance to Seirinji Temple will be redecorated and lit up, and a pathway of lights will be created from the gate to the entrance of the pavilion using paper lanterns.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted how many people live their lives, with fewer and fewer people venturing outdoors. Now, Japanese creative company NAKED has announced a Night Walk at the picturesque Katayamazu Hot Springs in Kaga, Ishikawa. While practicing social distancing, visitors can explore an illuminated wonderland from December 17, 2021, until January 16, 2022. 

Lights of the Dragon God: Ukimidou

Sunny Spot Baths: Katayamazu Hot Springs Sunahase Park, Aiai Plaza

NAKED Distanced Lanterns: Katayamazu Hot Springs Sunahase Park, Aiai Plaza

NAKED Flower Cleansing: Katayamazu Hot Springs Sunahase Park, Aiai Plaza

The Halo of Life: Aizenji Temple

Crystal-Dyed Paper Lanterns: Aizenji Temple

Guests will be invited to explore the grounds while carrying a NAKED Distanced Lantern–both an art piece, and a way to illuminate your steps. With safety in mind, there will be plenty of space between visitors, so people can enjoy the event with peace of mind. 

The location for the event, Katayamazu Onsen, was recently a runner-up in the Onsen General Election 2018 spectacular scenery category. Surrounded by crystal blue waters and with a beautiful view of Mt. Haku, the location will have guests feeling completely calm by the time their visit comes to an end. 

DMM.com will sponsor a projection mapping project titled Yamashiro Night Promenade Fall 2021 on Yamashiro Onsen Street in Kaga, Ishikawa prefecture from October 30 until November 28, 2021. 

The limited-time project is being organized by the Yamashiro Onsen Tourist Association with support from DMM. Under the themes of harmony and local tradition, brilliant images of flowers, water, and geometric patterns will illuminate the hot spring resort while accompanied by music. There will also be traditional Taiko performances during the event.