16. July 2026
Based on data released from JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), foreign visitors to Japan for the first half of 2026 dropped by about 2 percent compared with 2025. Visitors from Mainland China saw a plunge of over 56 percent as the Chinese government has been advising its citizens against travel to Japan. The rise in fuel prices may also be starting to have an impact, as the month of June saw a drop in visitors from counties like Thailand (minus 7.8%) and the Philippines (minus 5.2%)....
27. June 2026
The Jingu Stadium, the home field of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows team, recently put a sign mentioning that any fans entering Jingu would be strictly prohibited from wearing a Chicago White Sox Murakami jersey. Munetaka Murakami played for the Swallows from 2018 to 2025 before signing with the Chicago White Sox in the off season. Most Japanese teams do have a ban on wearing opposing team merchandise in the cheering section, but this is the first case I know of where a certain uniform is banned in...
19. June 2026
The Asian Games will be held in Japan for the first time in 32 years. A total of around 15,000 athletes from 45 different countries and regions are scheduled to participate in the 16 day event from September 19 to October 4. Most of the competition will be held in Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture but part of the aquatics and all of the equestrian events will be in Tokyo. The Tokyo Aquatics Centre will host the diving and swimming events while the Tokyo Equestrian Park (Baji Koen) hosts the...
15. June 2026
The construction at the Hamamatsucho Station, the terminus of the Tokyo Monorail, has moved on to a new phase. This has resulted in a change of the station layout, effective June 13th. The transfer from monorail to the JR Train remains mostly unchanged, just look for the transfer gate. The concourse for the monorail and JR is on the same level and allows for a quick transfer. To exit to the street level/transfer to the Toei Oedo subway line, there will now be two options: 1) Exit from the...
07. June 2026
The Meteorological Agency announced that the Tokyo area is believed to have entered the rainy season (Tsuyu). On average, the rain season lasts until around July 19, though in 2025 the season was declared over on June 28. Once the wet season is over, Tokyo will enter a very hot and humid period. The heat can sometimes continue through a good part of September but is particularly bad from the end of the rain season to early August.
16. May 2026
The Unicorn Gundam Statue that is located outside the Diver City Tokyo shopping mall will be removed at the end of August. The announcement was made on the official website. https://www.unicorn-gundam-statue.jp/en/1067/ There will be special events leading up to the conclusion of the exhibit, which will be announced on the official site.
30. April 2026
Most Tokyo attractions will remain open during the "Golden Week" holiday period, which runs until May 6th. Places that are normally closed on Monday will be open on May 4th, including spots like the Tokyo National Museum or the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Some attractions will remain open during Golden Week, then have irregular closing dates following it. For example, both the Edo-Tokyo Museum and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden will be closed on May 7th (Thursday). If your visit is...
10. April 2026
The Japan Rail Pass will increase in price again, the change effective October 1st, 2026.
07. April 2026
The final phase in the Takanawa Gateway Project has now been completed with the opening of the MoN Takanawa The Museum of Narratives. Like the Takanawa Gateway rail station, the design is by Kengo Kuma. The spiral design looks similar to the Darling Exchange in Sydney, also designed by the Kuma team. Most of the building does not require any fee to enter. Visitors can freely go up to the rooftop which has a great view of the nearby Shinkansen tracks (the site is sitting on space that used to be...
19. March 2026
The Japan Meteorological Agency officially announced today that the cherry tree at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine has opened. A staff from the agency confirmed that more than six flowers are visible in the tree they regularly monitor, meeting the guideline for what they consider a blossom opening. The announcement is 5 days earlier than 2025. From this point, it usually takes around 6-7 days for the blossoms to reach full bloom status meaning that March 25 or 26 is when the trees would start to reach...