More night-time entertainment is being developed and launched in Japan as part of efforts to enhance the country’s reputation as an all-round destination.
Japan has long trailed its competitors in the number and variety of activities available in the evenings, with no Japanese destination making Statista’s list of Top 10 cities with the best nightlife according to tourism marketing professionals worldwide as of January this year.
Tourists to Japan can enjoy the Tokyo Night & Light show featured on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (Photo: Tokyo Metropolitan Government)
However, the country’s dramatic inbound tourism rebound is driving record demand for night-time entertainment, prompting tourism and hospitality stakeholders to act.
Tokyo Night & Light, a projection mapping show designed “to create a new tourist resource to add colour to Tokyo at night”, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, uses a government building in Shinjuku to showcase light and sound in artistic ways five times every night.
At almost 14,000m², the area used for the screen holds a Guinness World Record for the largest permanent architectural projection-mapped display.
The Sumo Hall Hirakuza, which opened in Osaka in May, offers evening “sumo entertainment” with international visitors in mind. The attraction involves bouts between former professional sumo wrestlers in a sumo ring.
Also in Osaka, Boat Race Suminoe is hoping to attract inbound travellers visiting the city for World Expo 2025. Tourism stakeholders, including JTB and the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau, are developing programmes to enjoy kyotei boat racing at night.
Expected to launch in the autumn, the tours would allow visitors to place bets on the races, which involve six boats racing three laps around a 600-metre course, and gain insight into boat racing from local guides.
More night-time entertainment is being developed and launched in Japan as part of efforts to enhance the country’s reputation as an all-round destination.
Japan has long trailed its competitors in the number and variety of activities available in the evenings, with no Japanese destination making Statista’s list of Top 10 cities with the best nightlife according to tourism marketing professionals worldwide as of January this year.
However, the country’s dramatic inbound tourism rebound is driving record demand for night-time entertainment, prompting tourism and hospitality stakeholders to act.
Tokyo Night & Light, a projection mapping show designed “to create a new tourist resource to add colour to Tokyo at night”, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, uses a government building in Shinjuku to showcase light and sound in artistic ways five times every night.
At almost 14,000m², the area used for the screen holds a Guinness World Record for the largest permanent architectural projection-mapped display.
The Sumo Hall Hirakuza, which opened in Osaka in May, offers evening “sumo entertainment” with international visitors in mind. The attraction involves bouts between former professional sumo wrestlers in a sumo ring.
Also in Osaka, Boat Race Suminoe is hoping to attract inbound travellers visiting the city for World Expo 2025. Tourism stakeholders, including JTB and the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau, are developing programmes to enjoy kyotei boat racing at night.
Expected to launch in the autumn, the tours would allow visitors to place bets on the races, which involve six boats racing three laps around a 600-metre course, and gain insight into boat racing from local guides.