34 japan
and the hot springs, for example. It’s so different, and it’s safe to travel around.” Japan’s profi le has also been boosted by the announcement of two major international sporting events. The Rugby World Cup takes place in the country in 2019, while the following year will see Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympic Games. Elsewhere, family interest could be piqued on the back of recent Japan-centric Disney fi lm, Big Hero 6.
What’s new Hotels: New luxury hotels continue to
open up in the capital. The Andaz Tokyo (
tokyo.andaz.hyatt.com) was opened in mid-2014 in the Toranomon district. It occupies the top seven fl oors of a 52-storey tower. The similarly upmarket Aman Tokyo
(
amanresorts.com) – itself spread across six fl oors of a larger tower – was unveiled in December. In the popular shopping area of Ginza, recent arrivals include the Millennium Mitsui
“Kyoto’s geisha culture is a strong selling point – we offer an exclusive maiko performance and dinner here to learn about
the lives of the apprentices” LESLEY WRIGHT, GENERAL MANAGER COMMERCIAL UK, INSIDER TOURS
Garden Hotel (
millenniumhotels.com) and the Hotel Unizo Ginza Itchome (
hotelunizo.com). Due to join them in Tokyo this year are the
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku (
shinjuku.gracery.com) – notable for having a number of Godzilla-themed rooms – the Tokyu Stay Shinjuku (
tokyustay.co.jp), the Hotel Sunroute Ginza (
sunroute.jp) and the rebranded Hilton Tokyo Odaiba (
hilton.com). Two of the biggest stories outside the capital are the 2015 openings of the Hoshinoya Fuji (
global.hoshinoresort.com) and, in Kyoto, Starwood’s 39-room Suiran (
starwoodhotels.com). On Hokkaido, the ski-focused Kasara Niseko Village (
kasara.com) opened last December, as did the boutique ‘ski-in, ski-out’ Ki Niseko (
kiniseko.com). Culture: Himeji Castle, a
17th-century attraction on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, reopened in March after more than three years of restoration. Art fans should be made aware of the vast Echigo-Tsumari art triennial (echigo-tsumari. jp) in Niigata Prefecture, which takes place this year from July 26 to September 13. In the UK, Japanophiles will be interested in the launch of Sushi & Beyond, a new 24-part anime series being broadcast on
NHK World (available on Freeview). Air: A new terminal for low-cost airlines opened in April at Narita Airport to cater for the growth of low-cost carriers. Air Asia (
airasia.com) is to re-enter the country with Air Asia Japan hoping to
be up and running by the summer. Transport: There are two big shinkansen
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