Twentythree

Japan’s tallest tower transforms into a cherry blossom-viewing spot, complete with pink projections and themed drinks.

As the cherry blossom-loving crowds prepare to descend upon Japan’s plethora of sakura-viewing spots this springtime, the blossoms are ascending to the sky in a special seasonal event called “The Sakura Skytree: Meeting the Cherry Blossoms in the Sky”. Held between February 26 and April 14, Japan’s tallest structure, Tokyo Skytree, is set to be adorned with pale pink petals and offer limited-time experiences, goods, and tasty seasonal food and beverages.

Located 350 meters (about 1,148 feet) above ground, the Tembo observation deck will play host to an assortment of cherry blossom displays inspired by traditional Japanese design that add a seasonal flair to the expansive views out over the city.

There is even a dedicated photo service allowing you to capture a unique memory of the experience with optional cherry blossoms composited into the sky background (1,500 yen [US$9.68] for one photo).

Or there’s a free photo spot where you can take a spring-themed photo with cherry blossoms and traditional Japanese shoji screens in the background on Floor 340.

The monument known as W1sh Ribbon allows visitors to write their most cherished wish and tie it onto a ribbon, and for the duration of the event period, all of the ribbons will be pink.

When the sun falls at Tokyo Sky Tree, there is often a nighttime-only projection of dynamic images on the windows of the tower, and for this event, it will show off the ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms using its 24 projectors and immersive sound from 13 speakers.

▼ Past examples of the video screening

Though it may be disrupted by other same-day events or operations, the general schedule for the video screening is as listed below.

● February 26-29: 7, 7:45, and 8:30 p.m.
● March 1-8: 7, 7:50, and 8:35 p.m.
● March 9-31: 7, 7:15. 7:50, and 8:35 p.m.
● April 1-14: 7:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m., 8:20 p.m., 9 p.m.

While the addition of the sakura is undeniably beautiful, the event is not just limited to a visual overhaul, with the on-site Skytree Cafe serving limited-edition cherry blossom-themed drinks and sweets. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks make an appearance, meaning there’s something for everyone, and all center around cherry blossoms and their colors.

Sakura Musubi (1,200 yen) is a cherry blossom-flavored rice wine, one sip of which delivers layers of sakura aroma. Served in a washi paper cup with latte art on top, it’s pleasing to both the eye and the palate.

The Sakura Shizuku (1,200 yen) is a sherbet-like cocktail made with sakura liqueur, which melts refreshingly in the mouth and leaves behind a subtle sweetness.

A spring soft drink with a cherry blossom fragrance, the Haru no Awa (980 yen) features pink layers for a spring-like appearance and is topped with fluffy milk. The floral decorations add a splash of color, and a taste offers a delightful light foam and gentle sweetness.

The Haru no Sakuramiruku (980 yen) is a spring-colored drink with strawberry milk and matcha milk, topped with whipped cream and the tri-colored dango rice flour dumplings that are often eaten when cherry blossom-viewing.

On the snack side of things, the cafe is putting forth a pair of vegan and gluten-free donuts with a gorgeous appearance: one in a mochi rice cake flavor, and the other in a vanilla flavor (600 yen each).

▼ Sakura Mochi

▼ Sakura Sky Vanilla

Even if you don’t fancy a trip all the way up the elevator, you can still appreciate parts of the event. On the fifth floor, at the Skytree Shop, a sakura symbol tree will be installed, and many sakura-themed souvenirs will be added to the store’s line-up, allowing you to take your cherry blossom experience home and share it with friends and family.

▼ The sakura symbol tree

▼ An assortment of cherry blossom-themed items are available.

▼ You can even pick up an event-limited medal keychain.

Or you could take an evening walk past the Skytree and admire it decked out in its springtime illumination outfit, making it look as if cherry blossom petals are being blown by the wind into the vast sky.

Whether it’s your first time enjoying the beauty of cherry blossoms or you’re a sakura veteran, this elevated celebration delivers spring in full bloom, and is an easy addition to any Tokyo itinerary.

Related: Tokyo Skytree event page
Source, images: PR Times
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30th anniversary celebration looks to link Heisei and Reiwa eras with shared love for purikura.

Life was different before everyone had a smartphone in their pocket. If you were meeting up with people, you had to be on time, since you couldn’t just fire off a text to tell them to wait for you because you were running late. If you were grabbing something to eat, you had to check how to get to the restaurant beforehand, because you couldn’t just pull up a GPS-enabled map. And if you and your friends were having so much fun that you wanted to commemorate the good times by snapping some immediately shareable pics, you couldn’t just-

Oh, wait, you could do that last one pretty easily without a smartphone Or at least you could if you were in Japan once the sticker picture booth craze exploded in the late-’90s. As a matter of fact, for many sociable teens and young 20-somethings of Japan’s Heisei period (1989-2019), no day of fun with friends was complete without a new batch of “print seal” sticker photos, to be swapped and shown off the next day at school or the workplace.

▼ A look back on sticker picture trends from Furyu, one of Japan’s current largest print seal machine makers.

The genesis of the sticker picture craze came with manufacturer Atlus’ Print Club (pronounced “Purinto Kurabu” in Japanese) machine, which was released in in July of 1995 and became such a pop cultural phenomenon that “purikura” pulled off a linguistic feet similar to Kleenex or Band-Aid and became a catch-all term for print seals themselves, regardless of which company’s machine they were taken with. So for the past several months, sticker picture booth maker Furyu has been celebrating the 30th anniversary of print seals, and next month will be hosting the Dear Reiwa, Uchira no Puri-ten By Heisei exhibit event in Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya neighborhood.

The event’s name references how the sticker picture boom began in the Heisei days (“Uchira no Puri-ten” means “our sticker picture exhibit”) but is now being picked up by Japanese youths of the Reiwa period, which started in the spring of 2019. The exhibit will consist of three sections, with the Anniversary Zone looking back on the origins of the hobby with a historical timeline, Print Club machine display, and a working pristinely restored Bijin Premium, a popular Furyu booth released in 2007, that visitors can take sticker pictures in, free of charge.

The Puri Play zone will include experience corners showcasing the innovative features that came about during the intense competition between sticker picture booth makers in the Heisei period, such as being equipped with fans that blew dramatic gusts of wind or raised platforms and chairs for more complex poses. Bandai Namco and Sega (the latter of which now owns Atlus’ intellectual properties) are listed as “special supporters” of the 30th anniversary project, suggesting that they might be contributing classic machines for this part of the event. The exhibition will also have a tunnel made of vintage booth curtains for a literal walk down purikura memory lane, as well as an area devoted to the “dark history” of sticker picture fandom, which the planners say will make guests feel ready to “burst from nostalgia and awkwardness.”

▼ Odds are the “dark history” section will be devoted to anecdotes of seemed-like-a-cool-idea-at-the-time teen cringiness, and not recollections of genuine emotional trauma.

And last, the Puri from Here on Out area will be a space in which to check out Furyu’s brand-new Centi:U sticker picture booth, which along with fine-tuning options for camera and lighting angles allows you to, in addition to receiving physical photos, add visual effects and audio to digital versions of the images.

Admission to the event is free, and while supplies last guests will receive not only a Dear Reiwa Uchira no Puri-ten By Heisei sticker, but also a set of eyelash extensions, helping you create a Heisei period-correct aesthetic by channeling the era’s gyaru-inspired fashion sensibilities.

Dear Reiwa Uchira no Puri-ten By Heisei will be taking place from March 20 to April 5 at the Openbase Shibuya event space, which is located on the same block as the Shibuya Parco department store and eight minutes on foot from Shibuya Station’s recently relocated Hachiko Gate.

Event information
Dear Reiwa Uchira no Puri-ten By Heisei / ウチらのプリ展 〜Dear令和 By平成〜
Venue: Openbase Shibuya
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Udagawa-cho 14-13, Udagawa-cho Building
Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Runs March 20-April 5
Admission: Free
Website

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times (1, 2)
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Spring relocations in Japan can drain your budget faster than expected, and garbage disposal fees are the biggest surprise.

For many people when they think of spring in Japan, the first thing that comes to mind is rows of cherry blossom trees in full bloom lining the riverbanks of the country’s towns and cities. However, for the working residents of Japan, spring also heralds a procession of cardboard boxes.

From late February through early April, the country enters into moving mode as new jobs and school terms begin in April, with moving companies and real estate agents working in overdrive to support the many changing households. Naturally, this often sees their prices hiked up in response to the higher demand, but for people who have yet to undergo their first move in Japan, moving house comes along with several fees they may not have been expecting.

A survey of 500 people who have moved house at least once was conducted by Japanese real estate information site AlbaLink and listed many things that people were surprised at when they moved house. Yet, the biggest surprise fee, for 30 percent of the respondents, was not the key money or the moving truck, but oversized garbage disposal fees they had to pay for large items that they weren’t taking with them to their new place.

These fees were ranked as a bigger shock in the survey than furniture purchases, (29 percent) appliance purchases (14.4 percent), moving company fees (11.0 percent), or the cost of new curtains (7.8 percent) for windows that are inevitably too large for your current ones.

▼ Can we please standardize window sizes?

Oversized garbage disposal in Japan is serious business, so if you think you can just set all your no-longer-needed large items out on the street on the next garbage pick-up day and call it a job well done, you’re in for a big surprise.

Oversized garbage items, referred to as sodai gomi in Japanese, generally require:

• Booking a collection with your local city office
• Purchasing official disposal stickers
• Attaching them correctly
• Putting items out on the assigned date

Fees vary by municipality, and they can add up quickly with the more stuff you have. What can be even worse, though, is that sometimes there are items that you don’t think are oversized that are classified as such, like umbrellas and small suitcases, depending on where you’re located. Or if you’re seeking to dispose of some household appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and air conditioners, then Japan’s recycling laws kick in, needing a recycling fee to be paid to be properly thrown away.

Disposal stickers for even small pieces of furniture or compact appliances can costs thousands of yen (equivalent to dozens of dollars) each, and since stickers need to be purchased for each individual item, the fees can quickly add up, particularly if you are combining households. If you haven’t budgeted for oversized garbage disposal on top of all of the other moving costs, it’s going to feel like a gut punch when your money is already pouring out of your wallet.

Other standard costs when signing a contract for a new place include:

• A refundable security deposit (“shikikin”): usually one to two months’ rent
• Key money (“reikin”): a non-refundable “gift” to the landlord, usually one to two months’ rent
• Agency fee, paid to the real estate agent, usually equal to one month’s rent plus tax
• First month’s rent
• Lock change fee
• Change-of-occupant cleaning fee, which is sometimes charged upfront or deducted from the deposit at the end of the contract
• Fire/liability insurance

There’s also the guarantor system to have to deal with, as most contracts often require a guarantor, who is legally responsible if you fail to pay the rent, and needs to be a person in Japan. An alternative, used by many foreign residents who don’t happen to know anyone who can act as their guarantor, is to use a guarantor company, which comes with an additional initial fee usually equal to 50 to 100 percent of one month’s rent.

So, you’re already looking at four to six months’ worth of rent to be paid before you’ve even stepped foot in your new home, Don’t forget that the moving company is also going to take a hefty chunk of your funds to get you on your way, and once you add in oversized garbage disposal fees, all those costs can really throw a wrench in an otherwise well-planned budget.

If you can save money, then you should absolutely do so, and the same survey highlighted some of the common places people tend to cut costs. 40.6 percent of respondents recommend carrying as many of your belongings as you can by yourself, as every extra object crammed into your suitcase or car is a little more money saved. Of course, you could always try to reduce your amount of belongings where possible (37.6 percent). You could sell items in good condition to second-hand stores, sell them online, or pass them on to friends who might want them.

Other answers included looking for a cheaper moving company (11.0 percent), because it’s perfectly acceptable to get multiple quotes before deciding one despite how much they push you for an answer, avoid moving during the peak season (4.8 percent), or to avoid the full-packing service some companies offer and do your packing yourself (4.4 percent).

However, at a time when you’re focused on cutting costs, what services do people recommend as actually worth spending money on? A reliable moving company is first and foremost (38.4 percent), as you want someone you can trust to handle all of your precious belongings.

Pre-moving-out cleaning services came in second at 8.2 percent, because there are some landlords and management companies out there who will deduct money from your security deposit for anything found to be “dirty” on the final inspection. Because of that, some people prefer the peace of mind of asking a professional to clean for them, which usually ends up cheaper than what they would otherwise be charged.

▼ They’ll clean all the places you would’ve forgotten about.

Some people are too busy with work or family life, so actually find the moving company’s packings services very useful (7.4 percent), whereas others need a hand installing their appliances (5.8 percent), such as the air conditioners, and some people invest in the unwanted item collection services (5.0 percent) to not have to deal with their municipality’s convoluted garbage rules.

Moving in Japan can feel overwhelming and complicated initially, but it’s manageable with enough preparation. Be sure to budget a little extra beyond what you think you might need, book early if it’s spring, measure the windows before buying curtains, and double-check what counts as oversized trash.

Source: PR Times
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
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Get your Kyun Pass while you can.

Ever since Japan Railways Group, a.k.a. JR, raised the price for its nationwide rail pass, a lot of the luster has been lost for what used to be widely considered Japan’s best tourism transit deal. But even if the nationwide pass has priced itself out of consideration for many travelers, there are still great bargains available for those looking for a more geographically focused trip in Japan, thanks to some great regional rail pass bargains, with the pass we’re looking at today one that you’ll want to act fast on.

East Japan Railway Company/JR East is currently offering a one or two-day unlimited train ride pass called the Kyun Pass. The pass can be used on all JR East lines, which stretch from Tokyo all the way up to the tip of the northeastern Tohoku region and also to parts of the Chubu region that include Niigata, and yes, it can be used on the Shinkansen too. In addition, the Kyun Pass gets you unlimited rides on five affiliated lines, the Aomori Railway Line, Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, Sanriku Railway Line, Hokuetsu Express Line, and Echigo Tokimeki Railway Line, and even BRT buses on the Kesennuma and Ofunato Lines.

▼ The area covered by the pass

Despite covering such a wide area, the price for the Kyun Pass is just 10,000 yen (US$65) for a one-day pass or 18,000 yen for the two-day version. Considering that a normal one-way Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Aomori (in northern Tohoku) by itself is roughly 17,500 yen, it should be very easy to get your money’s worth out of the Kyun Pass.

▼ The stunning snowscapes of Aomori’s Hakkoda Mountains, Nagano’s beautiful Zenkoji Temple, and other great destinations in Miyagi and Akita Prefectures are all accessible with the pass.

▼ The Kyun Pass logo (for more on the meaning of kyun, please refer to our recent examination of the logic behind the naming of Japan’s new “Cunte” contact lenses)

But there’s a catch, right? Sort of, although, depending on your perspective, it could actually make the deal even sweeter. The Kyun Pass is valid on weekdays only, but by planning your trip so that you’re avoiding the weekends, you’ll also be missing the biggest crowds, making your trip that much more enjoyable.

As mentioned earlier, though, you’ll need to jump on this deal right away, as the last day that the Kyun Pass can be used is March 12, and so the single-day pass is only available for purchase until February 26, and the two-day pass until February 25. The pass is available through the JR East website here.

Source: JR East, JR View, PR Times (1, 2)
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, JR East
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Osaka Municipal Water Bureau suddenly becomes quite a bit closer to being flush with funds.

Ironically, it’s hard to imagine a drier type of website than “municipal water bureau.” Browse through the one for the city of Osaka, for example and you’ll see announcements such as “Seminar held to exchange information on overseas expansion in water and environmental sectors” and “Second expert meeting held to discuss improving water supply sustainability.” Important stuff, to be sure, but not exactly compelling reading for laymen,

However, sandwiched between those two posts on the Osaka Municipal Water Bureau’s site is a statement explaining that a mysterious donor gave the bureau a gift of gold bars. How much gold did the bureau receive? 21 kilograms (46.3 pounds), as shown in this photo shared by the bureau of them stacked in a crate.

▼ Don’t let their coverings fool you. These are genuine gold bars, not individually wrapped chocolates.

So how much is all that gold worth? Approximately 566.54 million yen (US$3.655 million).

Though received in November, the bureau publicly announced the donation on February 19. “The Osaka Municipal Water Bureau has received a donation of gold bullion from a donor who wishes for it to be used for the city’s water services,” says the bureau’s statement. “With gratitude for this valuable donation, and in accordance with the donor’s wishes, we will make careful use of [the funds] for countermeasures such as [replacement of] aging pipes. In addition, as per the donor’s request, there will be no presentation of a certificate of appreciation from the mayor.”

▼ Video of the gold

It should be noted that donating gold is not a common cultural practice in Japan. Between Japan having had a relatively stable political and economic system for several consecutive generations and a general societal aversion to financial speculation, it’s also unusual for a Japanese person to be in possession of that much gold in the first place.

However, colorful theories about this being a bribe from the yakuza or some other criminal element are most likely inaccurate. The Japanese justice system has gotten pretty good at putting the screws to yakuza when they try to interact with law-abiding entities, and gifting gold is going to instantly draw attention, especially when the bureau itself is announcing its receipt, and attempts at currying public favor through largesse also haven’t usually gone well for the yakuza in recent years. Also, while no name has not been revealed to the public, the bureau has not inferred that it itself is unaware of the donor’s identity, and in speaking about the gift of gold, Osaka mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said that the same donor had also donated 500,000 yen in cash to the water bureau last October.

The bureau has not made any public statement as to whether it has already liquidated the gold, or is holding on to it in case its market value increases.

Source: Osaka City via Oricon News, Jin, Yomiuri Shimbun, YouTube/ABCテレビニュース
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Osaka City
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Ecological goals and economic concerns mean no more free bags and more by-location price variations.

There’s been a lot for Japanese Starbucks fans to be happy about over the last few days, as the chain rolled out its new sakura beverages and drinkware. But while those additions to Starbucks’ menu and merch catalog are putting smiles on many people’s face, there are some less crowd-pleasing ones going into effect too.

Starting with the one that has a silver lining, as of February 18 Starbucks Japan branches will no longer be providing free bags to takeout customers. Instead, customers who need a bag and haven’t brought one of their own will be charged 11 yen (approximately 7 U.S. cents) per order, and can receive a number of bags up to the number of items they’re purchasing. It’s a very modest fee, and is part of Starbucks’ initiative to reduce the chain’s environmental impact by encouraging customers to bring their own reusable shopping bags.

▼ Since 2009, Starbucks Japan has been using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-approved sustainable-source paper for its takeout bags, but they want to be even more ecologically friendly.

The less popular change, though, will be that Starbucks is raising its prices, or, to use their press release’s terminology, “adjusting” them, in response to “rising materials and energy costs.”

The nature of the price increases is complex and vague. To start with, in 2025 Starbucks introduced a system of “location-specific pricing,” with Starbucks locations inside certain Japanese airports and expressway rest stops put into the category Location A, and branches in major metropolitan areas such as Tokyo’s 23 central wards and Osaka in the Location B classification. Prices at Location A Starbucks are, on average, six percent higher than they are in a normal Starbucks, and at Location B branches they’re four percent higher than the norm. In total, about 30 percent of Starbucks Japan branches are in either the Location A or B group.

Under the new system, though, Starbucks will be transferring some of the Tokyo 23-wards branches to the more expansive Location A group. In addition, while the beverage prices for Location A and B branches will not change, at Starbucks Japan’s remaining branches (i.e. those with the cheapest prices under the old system), prices for some permanent-menu beverages will be increased by 5 to 30 yen. And at all participating Starbucks Japan branches, regardless of location classification, the price for the chain’s “One More Coffee” brewed coffee refill service will be increased by 20 yen, and some regular-menu food items will have their prices raised by between 5 and 30 yen.

None of these are massive changes, but with consumers in Japan growing exhausted at the constant string of prices for just about everything going up while most workers’ wages remain stagnant, being asked to pay more for what’s supposed to be discretionary, “fun” eating and drinking probably isn’t going to sit well with some people. In addition, while it might be a common practice in the U.S., in Japan it’s somewhat unusual for a national chain to charge different prices based on branch location. Starbucks Japan isn’t the first company to do so (McDonald’s Japan also charges different prices for certain items depending on location), but Starbucks does run the risk of being seen as trying to squeeze every last yen they can out of their customers by saying that people in certain parts of Tokyo have to pay more for the same cup of coffee than they would in another part of the country, or even another part of the same city.

All that said, with how consistently crowded Starbucks Japan branches in prime locations are, Starbucks probably isn’t too worried about losing a handful of customers if they can earn more per person who does buy something.

Source: Starbucks Japan (1, 2)
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Insert image: Starbucks Japan
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Minor changes to majorly congested Tokyo train station are good to know before you go.

Shibuya Station is one of the most crowded stations in Tokyo, and arguably the most chaotic too. Part of that is simply due to the huge number of people that pass through it every day. Another factor is that, as one of Tokyo’s most vibrant and social media snapshot-able neighborhoods, Shibuya attracts not just locals who know their way around the place, but also out-of-town and out-of-country visitors who might not flow into, out of, and around the station with the same smoothness as those with more extensive personal experience navigating it.

There’s also the fact that Shibuya Station seems to be in a constant state of flux, with the current, ongoing renovations to the station having started all the way back in 2015. The latest development to this decade-plus change-is-the-only-constant status is coming next month, with a change to Shibuya Station’s most prominent gate and access to its most important train line.

First, let’s take a look at the current layout of the to-be-affected section of Shibuya Station, with a map from rail operator JR East.

Making things extra confusing is that on JR East’s map, up is actually west, with north being to the right. Because of that, the white space in the top right of the map is where you’ll find the plaza with the statue of faithful dog Haciko and the world-famous Shibuya scramble intersection. That makes the nearest exit/entrance, the Hachiko Gate (marked on the map as ハチ公口), the one that most travelers are going to want to get to, but it’s going to be in a slightly different space from next month. It’ll be along the same wall, but slid farther to the south.

This isn’t going to be the Hachiko Gate’s permanent location, either. It’s just going to be there for the currently undetermined amount of time it takes for JR East to perform renovations on the current gate. In order to keep pedestrian traffic flowing smoothly, the Hachiko Gate will continue to have an enforced walk-on-the-left policy, and there will be no ticket machines outside it, so if you don’t already have a prepaid and charged-up rail pass, you’ll need to use one of the other gates.

A change is also coming in how passengers using the Hachiko Gate can get to/from the Yamanote Line, the loop line that encircles downtown Tokyo and is highly useful for sightseers and commuters alike. Currently, there’s a stairway inside the station that’s not far from the Hachiko Gate and connects to the Yamanote Line platform, but it’ll become inaccessible next month, with a new stairway opening up across from where the current one’s steps come down to the first floor.

▼ Current Hachiko Gate and Yamanote Line platform stairs (red rectangle and circle) and new gate and stairs (blue rectangle and circle)

▼ And for those who prefer more customary cartographic concepts, here’s the map rotated so that north is at the top.

While neither of these are radical changes to the layout, every bit of advance knowledge helps when planning how to route yourself through a station and neighborhood as congested as Shibuya.

▼ That’s the Hachiko Gate in the background, under the “Shibuya Station” and “力の指輪” signs, and this isn’t even a particularly crowded day.

The changes go into effect on March 1.

Source: Shibuya Keizai Shimbun (1, 2)
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: JR East (edited by SoraNews24)
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