Sundowner: Autumn/Winter 2019

JAPAN
Cities that never sleep, all jagged skyscrapers set against
paths of vermillion torii gates leading to beautiful
Shinto shrines; ancient forests where centuries-old
Buddhist temples sit hidden away on deserted mountaintops;
and a pale-pink explosion of cherry blossom in springtime
which trumps all others. It’s no wonder Japan tops many
people’s travel wish lists.
Right now the country’s having an unprecedented visitor
moment; last year the Japan National Tourist Organisation
(JNTO) reported a record number of overseas visitors – some
31.2 million visited in 2018, a whopping 8.7 per cent increase
over the previous record-breaking numbers seen in 2017. And
things show no signs of slowing – kicking off the excitement,
Japan hosts the Rugby World Cup (20 September to 2
November). It’s a big deal, as it’s the first time the tournament
has been held in Asia, and as well as cheering on their own
teams, overseas fans will be interested to see how hosts Japan
fare after their surprise triumph over South Africa in 2015.
It’s expected that over 400,000 overseas supporters will arrive
during the six-week period, with the glitzy opening ceremony
getting things going at Tokyo’s Ajinomoto Stadium, and the final
clash taking place a bullet train ride away at the International
Stadium Yokohama in Kanagawa.
The country’s also ramping up to host the Olympic and
Paralympic Games next summer, which will see the planet’s
fittest sportspeople compete for medals across disciplines
including five newly added to the Olympic roster – baseball,
karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. The Tokyo
Games will likely further boost foreign tourist arrivals with
international visitor figures for 2020 predicted to inch close to
the 40 million mark.
To handle the ongoing influx, significant investments in
infrastructure are being made. In January, an International
Tourist Tax of 1000 yen (around £7.40) was built into airfares
and cruise tickets. This small levy, nicknamed the ‘sayonara
tax’, will be spent on a raft of improvements including more
contactless payment points, multi-language information
and audio-guide tours at key tourist sites, and national park
maintenance. Free public wifi spots are also being upped and
upgraded, with wifi now available at all bullet train stations.
By the time the Games roll around, eight out of the nine bullet
lines – the trains famed for their kingfisher-bill inspired noses
and up to 320kmph speeds – will have on-train wifi networks.
If you’ve not managed to secure seats at either of the mega
sporting events, however, there are plenty of other hot tickets
and new attractions to explore. In Tokyo, last year the
MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: teamLab Borderless
opened, the world’s first all-digital art museum. It’s a mindbending
experience; flowers which bloom on floors, petals that
appear to fall apart as you walk over them, cascading hyperreal
waterfalls, and rooms where you can draw a sea creature with
wax crayons, then seconds later have it scanned and see it come
to life, bobbing across the walls.
The Museum of Contemporary Art has also just reopened,
revamped after a three-year closure, and the Tokyo DesignArt
Festival (18-27 October), now in its third year, is going from
strength to strength.
Outside the capital the Setouchi Art Triennale, a nine-month
extravaganza which takes place every three years across 12
islands on the Seto Inland Sea, will be in full swing around the
same time as the Rugby World Cup. Alongside the year-round
draws of the impressive natural scenery, Tadao Ando-designed
buildings, and Yayoi Kusama’s surreal oversized pumpkins, are
stacks of cool exhibitions and impressive site installation pieces.
So whether it’s watching world-class sports, or taking a deepdive
into arts and culture, Japan has it covered.
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