Tokyo is about to enter a new decade, but it looks like the start of 2020 won’t be that different from all the years before it. As always, January and February will bring with them a little bit of cold and perhaps even some snow, but even then, you’ll already be able to feel the slowly-approaching heat of things to come.

The first couple of months of the year is when Tokyo is at its coldest. Even with that being said though, the temperatures there rarely fall below zero. So while snow isn’t unheard of in the capital, you shouldn’t expect Tokyo to transform into a winter wonderland. In fact, the first month of the year is when you can already feel the upcoming “breath of spring,” especially on sunny Tokyo Islands like Izu Oshima Island, where Camelia flowers start blooming as soon as late January.

As for the city itself, it also stays warm in winter with the heat of the exam season. For decades now, the new year has meant one thing for roughly 500,000 Japanese students: the National Center Test for University Admissions, which will determine what university they get into, and following that, their entire future.

But the biggest warmth that emerges from winter in Tokyo is from people’s hearts as they prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Interestingly, though, on February 14 in Japan, the Valentine’s Day custom is only for women to give chocolate gifts to their partners. There are also the platonic giri choko (chocolates given out of a sense of obligation), tomo choko (chocolates given to friends), and jibun choko, which women buy as a treat for themselves.

Manga and anime are one of the main sources of Japan’s global “soft power.” People all over the world have grown to love Japan through their entertainment, and Tokyo is now giving them a chance to get closer to their beloved fictional worlds through the Tokyo Anime Tourism event.

Between February 2 to March 23, Tokyo will transform into a gigantic anime exploration site for fans of My Hero Academia. The manga by Kohei Horikoshi was first released in 2014 and has since then grown into an international phenomenon with its own animated series, movie, and a planned live-action motion picture. The franchise tells the story of a world where the majority of people are born with some kind of unique superpower (called a “Quirk”) allowing them to become superheroes or villains.

During the planned 2020 event, fans can download the official Tokyo Anime Tourism app and visit popular spots in Tokyo. By doing so, they will be able to get a digital stamp collection featuring their favorite fictional characters.

http://tokyo-animetourism.jp/en/
Contact: Natsuko Shimomura n-shimomura@kmh.kadokawa.co.jp

With the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 just months away, the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT）has announced plans to increase the number of flight paths going to and from Haneda Airport. The new routes, which will be rolled out on March 29, 2020, will allow the airport to accommodate an extra seven million passengers a year.

To give you some perspective, Haneda Airport currently operates around 60,000 flights a year. That number will undergo a nearly two-thirds increase to 99,000 – that’s 50 additional flights daily. Naturally, the capital’s airspace will be drastically enlivened by the change, with previously uncharted routes tracing over several downtown districts, including Shibuya, Shinjuku, Shinagawa, and Tokyo.

With Narita situated well beyond Tokyo’s outskirts, Haneda is often the preferred airport, especially for international and Japanese residents traveling to and from the city. The new flight routes are expected to bolster the Japanese economy to the tune of 650 million yen each year, with an overall endgame of expanding Tokyo’s global connectedness. If Tokyo wants to extend its reach, lure more travelers who are en route to destinations further afield, and be sufficiently prepared for the huge influx of visitors during the Tokyo 2020 Games, the new flight paths could prove “crucial.”

https://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/haneda/news/2019080803.html (Japanese)

In 2020, Tokyo rail network will be joined by new train stations on and underground. Takanawa Gateway Station and Toranomon Hills Station will be added to the JR Yamanote/Keihin-Tohoku Line and Tokyo Metro Hibiya Lines respectively. This will benefit the areas surrounding the new stations while dispersing the number of passengers during typically congested times.

Takanawa Gateway Station will open for business in the spring of 2020 between Shinagawa and Tamachi Stations on the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku Line. Since there will be Tokyo 2020 Live Site nearby Takanawa Gateway Station, it will initially operate as a means of supporting spectators. The station will utilize cutting-edge robotics and artificial intelligence technology to enhance the experience of station users. This will feature unstaffed convenience stores with robots offering services and information in English and several other languages. JR East aims to turn it into another hub of the transport network by 2024, including an increased number of shops, restaurants, and a number of entertainment and retail outlets.

Toranomon Hills Station will be joining the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line in June 2020 between Kasumigaskei and Kamiyacho Stations. The station will be connected via underground walkways to neighboring Toranomon Station and the grandiose Toranomon Hills Mori Tower. With an increased number of commuters and travelers utilizing the area, the station is set to be a popular one from the moment of its early-summer inception.

In recent years, Odaiba has metamorphosed into one of Tokyo’s tourist hubs. This is largely thanks to its high-tech museums and contemporary art exhibits, a host of refined retail outlets, and some of the capital’s most daring neo-modern architecture. With the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 featuring heavily in the area, its stock is set to rise over the next year.

Built on reclaimed land in the Tokyo Bay area, Odaiba is very much a product of Japan’s 1980s bubble economy. Conceptually, it was destined to be the benchmark of Japan’s perception of what a modern city should be. Though construction progress labored in the 90s, Odaiba is now a fitting ode to that original utopian vision.

Odaiba has plenty of wonderful attractions to enjoy. The teamLab Borderless exhibit is a must-see, taking artistic immersion to the next level through a series of stunning and dynamic walkthrough installations. Boat trips along the river offer some equally diverting sights, such as the Rainbow Bridge illuminated in bright polychromatic hues when dusk falls, and panoramic views of the ever-expanding Tokyo Bay skyline. Paradoxically, if you want to experience the nation’s more traditional pastimes, the ODAIBA TOKYO OEDO-ONSEN MONOGATARI is a great place to relax in steamy pools of geothermal water, pumped up to the surface from 1,400 meters beneath.

During the Olympic Games, the Triathlon, Marathon Swimming, and Beach Volleyball events, as well as the Triathlon event during the Paralympic Games will be held in Odaiba. It will also house training facilities for athletes as well.

Anyone who has seen Tokyo at night, whether it be in a photo, on video or in person, will agree that the city’s luminosity is nothing short of iconic. But during the winter season, within the streets and among the bright buildings, expertly designed light displays are becoming more prevalent, serving as a form of entertainment. We spoke with a light display commentator and a staff of one of the newest light display venues in the city, TOKYO MEGA ILLUMINATION, to find out about the origins and background of this trend and where it is headed.