Art collective TeamLab has redesigned two exhibitions at Marina Bay Sands Singapore. The world’s first permanent exhibition from the creators, Future World: Where Art Meets Science, was opened in 2016 at the Museum of Art and Science. Guests can now enjoy three new works along with the Digital Light Canvas, a huge, interactive space inviting guests to share their own pieces of art.

Drawing Flight

Visitors can immerse themselves in these impressive new works while experiencing a complex, three-dimensional world. They can also create new worlds with others!

Future World

The Drawing Flight, part of the Amusement Park of the Future series, is based on the concept of co-creation, allowing visitors to not only draw an airplane that will fly but also allowing them to operate it from a pilot’s point of view using a tablet. Whether visitors draw a butterfly or a hawk, they’ll see the world from the perspective of each creature and enter a world constructed by the creature’s unique perceptions.

Aerial Climbing through a Flock of Colored Birds

In Aerial Climbing through a Flock of Colored Birds, guests are asked to perceive the world with their entire bodies. Visitors cross a space with sticks floating three-dimensionally in the air.

Autonomous Abstraction, Continuous Phenomena from the Universe to the Self

Autonomous Abstraction, Continuous Phenomena from the Universe to the Self offers a new and abstract concept. As people touch the dots, the rhythm of the dots flickers and their hue changes and disintegrates. The picture will then change dramatically, and despite these changes, the beauty remains.

Digital Light Canvas

Graffiti Nature – Red List Digital Light Canvas

Digital Light Canvas is a space consisting of a 15-meter-diameter circular link of light and a 20-meter-high cylinder of light made up of a collection of light dots.  Team Lab’s interactive artwork, which changes depending on how many people are around, is on permanent display.

Drawing Factory

By visiting the Digital Light Canvas area, guests can also enjoy the Drawing Factory, where they can turn their own drawings into pins, T-shirts, and other items!

Come fully experience this curious art exhibition!

© チームラボ

One of Japan’s best fireworks extravaganzas is headed to Singapore! Star Island Singapore Countdown Edition 2022-2023 will ring in the new year on December 31, 2022 at The Float on Marina Bay. 

STAR ISLAND is a futuristic fireworks show that blends traditional fireworks with cutting-edge technology such as 3D sound, laser lighting, and unique performances in a spectacular location. The first overseas presentation was launched in Singapore in 2018, and the second in 2019 drew 20,000 people. The show was also brought to Saudi Arabia in September 2019. 

This year’s event, the third to be held in Singapore, is expected to draw 22,000 visitors. Sponsored by JCB, the only international credit card brand from Japan, and Sanrio, a prequel show will run from December 25 until December 30 at the Marina Bay Sands event plaza near the venue. This is totally free to attend, so why not come check it out?

Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night, the third film in the series, is hitting theaters in Japan on October 30, 2021. To commemorate its release, 13 Tokyu Hands stores throughout the country will open a Sword Art Online fair, selling special limited-edition goods! The fair will run from October 29 until November 30, 2021. 

Mechanic Costume Series

Acrylic Stand (7 varieties): ¥1,650 each (Tax Included) 

Pin (7 varieties): ¥385 each (Tax Included) 

*Pins are random. 

B2 Tapestry: ¥3,300 (Tax Included) 

Canvas Tote Bag: ¥2,200 (Tax Included) 

Clear Folder (7 varieties): ¥385 each (Tax Included) 

T-shirt: ¥3,850 (Tax Included) 

Mug: ¥1,650 (Tax Included) 

Acrylic Keychain (7 varieties): ¥715 each

*Keychains are random.

Acrylic Diorama Stand: ¥2,750 (Tax Included) 

Clear Folder: ¥385 (Tax Included) 

Sticker (7 varieties): ¥495 each (Tax Included) 

Mug: ¥1,650 (Tax Included) 

Tokyu Hands Limited Purchase Bonus

Tokyu Hands Limited Film Bonus

The Sword Art Online anime series has been an international hit, spanning four seasons and 97 episodes since 2012. A number of video games inspired by the series have also been released. 

This event features the characters drawn in mechanic gear, both in normal and chibi versions. If you’re able to make it to one of the participating 13 stores, don’t miss out on these rare items!

(C)2020 川原 礫/KADOKAWA/SAO-P Project

Tokyu Hands is opened a new lifestyle shop called Hands Be inside Amu Plaza Kumamoto in front of JR Kumamoto Station April 23. The shop will sell a range of everyday products from beauty to stationery, seasonal, and more, that showcase Kumamoto’s culture and craftsmanship. Whether it be for yourself or a gift for someone else, there’s something for everybody.

Kumamoto culture

Kurikawa Uchiwa Shoten

Kurikawa Shoten is a specialist in Japanese uchiwa fans that first opened in 1889. Kumamoto is the third biggest producer of uchiwa fans together with Kyoto and Marugame and is the only place passing down the traditional kutani craft of fans. Their fans are durable and long-lasting, enjoyed as gifts at children’s birthday parties, weddings, as well as at company commemorations and elsewhere. To celebrate Hands Be’s opening, the Kurikawa Shoten is providing fans with original colours exclusive to the new store.

Coffee Arrow

Coffee Arrow is a coffee shop that opened in Hanabatacho in the central ward of Kumamoto back in 1964. Customers can get their hands on a range of original coffee beans, merchandise, and more.

Coming together during these times

BLUE SEED BAG 

“HOLD hands be Happy” is the message written on the recyclable, eco-friendly BLUE SEED BAG which is made using washed blue sheets that were actually used as part of the restoration efforts after the Kumamoto Earthquake struck in 2016. The bags are a reminder that even though many of us can’t hold hands with us during the pandemic, we are still connected by our hearts.

Wesign

Javasparrow is a manufacturer and service focused on creating products around “familiarity” and “connection.” The Wesign is a set of two lights that connect to Wi-Fi. These unique lights can be used by lovers or family members who live apart or long-distance, so that you know when the other is on or offline, helping everyone feel connected.

Original bandana available for the grand opening

Hands Be is also offering a free bandana for the opening to anyone who spend over ¥3,000 (tax included).

MENBAKA Kyoto Fire Ramen, a ramen restaurant in Kyoto that’s particularly popular with foreigners in Japan, is expanding overseas by opening a new branch on the 5th floor of Singapore Orchard in Singapore on November 24, 2020.

MENBAKA Kyoto Fire Ramen

Menbaka first opened in 1984 and has gone on to become a popular ramen bar, focusing on the use of green onion in its dishes for its flavour and fragrance enhancement. In recent years, the Kyoto branch has seen a significant increase in the number of foreign visitors to Japan dining at the restaurant, and in 2017 it ranked number six in the country on Tripadvisor as the most popular restaurant in Japan with foreigners. It has gone on to be reported on in news and media outlets, including the video created by the Japan National Tourism Organization as part of its global campaign.

MENBAKA Kyoto Fire Ramen Singapore

The Singapore branch will open as a franchise of SOUTH EAST ASIA FOOD ENTERTAINMENT PTE. LTD. with carefully-selected suppliers and ingredients to ensure the taste is as close to the Japanese as possible. The restaurant will serve not only ramen but food entertainment as well.

Singapore Orchard, where the restaurant is opening, is a shopping mall and major tourist destination of Singapore. Like other countries around the world, Singapore is having to restrict the number of foreigners entering the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which has also led to restaurants limiting the number of available tables, social distancing measures being put in place, and so on. The restaurant’s opening date was originally scheduled for April 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic so its grand opening is now scheduled for November 24.

If you’re in Singapore and want to try some authentic Japanese ramen at the same time, be sure to visit MENBAKA Kyoto Fire Ramen.

PARCO Pte Ltd, the Singaporean division of Japanese department store chain PARCO, opened the new Jurassic World Café at ION Sky on the 56th floor of the ION Orchard shopping centre in Singapore on November 6, 2020. The café comes as the first Jurassic World Café to open in South East Asia and serves an original line-up of food and drink, an exhibit of everybody’s favourite Velociraptor Blue from Jurassic World, a selection of exclusive merchandise, and more.

Jurassic World Café Singapore

The Jurassic World film series is hugely popular in Singapore, and so it’s only fitting that the country gets its own themed cafe. The menu is diverse, consisting of a special selection created by PARCO’s own The Guest Cafe & Diner as well as local food like Nasi Lemak, unique picks like the Brachiosaurus Mint Pandan beverage, and much more. There will even be a merchandise shop for fans to pick up a souvenir on their way home.

PARCO Singapore has collaborated with The Guest Cafe & Diner, a cafe which collaborates with franchises and of which there are five branches in Japan, on five separate occasions up and down South East Asia, including the Minions Cafe which opened for a limited time in Singapore in 2017. PARCO Singapore is continuing to expand its reach outside of Singapore with other collaborative cafes and exhibitions.

The Menu

Danger lurks at every corner in Jurassic World, and that fact is captured in the menu line-up.

Cafe Bonus Items

There will also be special gifts given to customers.

To see the full line-up, be sure to check out the official website below and pay a visit to Jurassic World Café Singapore.

Japanese creative studio 1→10, Inc. opened up Singapore’s first ever permanent interactive land art exhibition “Magical Shores” on January 23 this year together with Lighting Planners Associates (LPA), a lighting company based in both Tokyo and Singapore.

Magical Shores spans 400 meters of Sentosa’s Siloso Beach, turning it into an immersive, multi-sensory experience of AI-operated lights and sounds which elevate the beauty of the surrounding natural environment.

Guide To Magical Shores | Siloso Beach, Sentosa:

AI technology responds to visitors on the beach, giving them a breathtaking and unique performance. Sensors are dotted around the area which use sensing data to react based on people’s movement around the beach. The AI is constantly developing as it collects big data about the temperature and climate of Siloso Beach as well as that of people’s movements.

In two of the interactive areas, people can witness the “Circle of Life” beginning with the big bang. After that there is magma, followed by heavy rainfall and eventually flowing water which gives birth to life. Cells divide as plants begin to sprout, fish swim in the sea, and birds and insects sing in the mountains. At the end, life falls, and the process begins again.

Japanese musician Masakatsu Takagi was put in charge of the music and sound design of the exhibition. Takagi is known for having written the music for Wolf Children and The Boy and the Beast. He took inspiration from his music project “Marginalia,” a sound diary where he would record the sounds of birds, insects, the wind, rain, and so on from his studio window. Takagi did field recording on the beach to capture the sounds of nature to use for the art exhibition.

Kuniyuki Takahashi also offered his musicianship to the exhibition. Based in Sapporo, he is an internationally-recognised composer. He also recorded the sounds of Siloso Beach, and together with Takagi, created the perfect soundtrack for Magical Shores.

Magical Shores is currently temporarily closed as a result of the coronavirus but will resume once more as soon as the situation allows it.

Last October, Zepp Divercity, Tokyo was filled with excitement and thrill as the Anime Rave Festival Vol.2 took place, which saw the appearance of a brand new DJ at the scene: Arisa Komiya from OMOTENASHI BEATS.

What’s more, it hasn’t even been two months since the DJ released her CD full of non-stop anisongs called SUPER OMOTENASHI BEATS vol.1 × DJ Arisa Komiya on October 2 and she has already leaped across a border for her first ever overseas performance at Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2019,  which flies the flag for Japanese culture and aims to spread the love for Japanese music. The festival was held at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Arisa Komiya took to the stage on the second day of Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2019. The floor shook in beat to the thudding fans and the entire evening was a great success. The DJ’s kicked off her overseas debut at C3AFA AKIBA STAGE, which was met with a swarm of hiphop fans. Next, she performed on the LUMICA stage, which saw a sea of penlights sway in beat, each fan unshakable with admiration. Komiya left the venue being assured of her strong fanbase in Singapore. 

DJ Arisa Komiya is sure to continue performing in Japan and overseas. Keep an eye on her and OMOTENASHI BEATS because they are sure to have a lot in store for everyone.

Japanese cafe chain PRONTO has announced that it will open its first Singapore branch at Capital Square Singapore on June 17. This is only the second of overseas branches, the first being located in Shanghai.

The area that PRONTO is opening in is Shenton Way, a commercial and business district. It is just a five-minute walk from Raffles Place MRT Station and a one-minute walk from Telok Ayer MRT Station.

PRONTO decided to open a branch in Singapore as the country has a high rate of people who enjoy eating out, and it’s also home to a lot of office workers. Just like it does in Japan, PRONTO will operate both a cafe and bar so that customers can enjoy the establishment from morning to evening time.

The counter shares its space with the rest of the room, giving it a spacious atmosphere. This also makes the bar feel like a relaxed and carefree sake bar. The interior is built to feel like a slightly special private location. The outside also has a takeout corner which is connected to a seated terrace area.

During cafe time customers can enjoy coffee and authentic pasta while at bar time they can sip on 4 types of The Premium Malt’s, high balls, and tuck into delicious Italian cuisine. The cafe caters to every customers’ needs, whether they’re an office worker on a weekday or tourists and locals on the weekend. Be sure to stop by if you’re in Singapore.

This year marks the third year of STAR ISLAND, a firework festival set to take place at Toyosu Gurui Park on July 20, 2019. Tickets are now on sale.

STAR ISLAND will collapse together traditional Japanese fireworks with the latest in cutting-edge technology including 3D sound, lighting and show performances. This immersive entertainment experience will stimulate all five senses of attendees as they enjoy the show with against panoramic backdrop of Tokyo’s towering skyscrapers.

Past STAR ISLAND event

The tickets for STAR ISLAND sell out every single year. 2019 will be its fourth run and it promises to scale things up to greater heights as the event is moved to Toyosu Gururi Park for the first time.

Past STAR ISLAND event

The event will now house two children’s areas for families which have proven popular each year as well as new BBQ seats.

Past STAR ISLAND event

This year, STAR ISLAND is expanding its experience overseas. Up to now, the event has been held at Odaiba Seaside Park in Tokyo for two years in a row since its inception in 2017. At the end of 2018, it embarked to Singapore for the New Year’s event “Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2019” where it was the main attraction, showcasing its wondrous and moving content to people from 86 different countries.

STAR ISLAND will return to Singapore for the same event for the 2020 countdown. Before that, it will make its way to Saudi Arabia for Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 on September 23, 2019, the same date the kingdom was founded.

If you get the chance, make sure to book your tickets to witness STAR ISLAND 2019 for yourself.

Shiseido Forest Valley is an immersive new indoor forest in Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore. Together with this new area, Shiseido has is also collaborating with teamLab on their new art installation SENSE. By opening Shiseido Forest Valley in Jewel Changi Airport which is used by people across the globe, Shiseido will be able to increase their international presence.

Jewel is a mixed-development and expansion of Changi Airport which describes itself as a “gateway where the world meets Singapore, and Singapore meets the world.” This 1.46 million sq ft complex is built up of gardens, attractions, retail and more all of which integrates with nature and sits under a stunning steel and glass dome.

Shiseido Forest Valley bathes in natural sunlight and is surrounded by nature with plants at every turn and a giant waterfall in the centre. teamLab’s SENSE installation combines nature, beauty and art through a Japanese aesthetic. Relax and take a stroll through the forest and enjoy the sights, sounds and tranquillity.

STAR ISLAND is an event that describes itself as ‘future firework entertainment.’ The show has been held twice in the past and sold over 30,000 tickets. Now, for the first time ever, the fireworks will be exploding overseas.

STAR ISLAND Singapore Countdown Edition will welcome the New Year at The Float @ Marina Bay in Singapore at 23:00 on December 31, 2018.

STAR ISLAND brings together top creators in Japan to evolve Japan’s firework culture. Some big names include creative director Kenji Kohashi, the 150-year-old firework company Marutamaya Ogatsu Fireworks, 3D sound pioneer Katsuyuki Seto, globally-active lighting engineer AIBA, and more.

The event offers new ways to enjoy watching fireworks. The ‘Bed Area’ lets you gaze up at the lights while laying on a bed. The ‘Dinner Area’ is a place where can enjoy a meal while watching the fireworks. The ‘Kids Area’ is perfect for families, allowing attendees to see the explosions with their children. The event has given rise to a brand new business model that combines multiple paid-seating areas with fireworks.

STAR ISLAND has been held two years in a row in 2017 and 2018 at Odaiba Kaihin-Koen in Tokyo. Now, with backing from the Singaporean government, it is headed to what is said to be the largest region in Asia. The huge New Year’s countdown will take place with Singapore’s landmark Marina Bay Sands in the background.

12,000 fireworks will be launched, with each individual one firing to each beat of the music in sync. Cutting edge sound technology will propel the music which will blare from over 300 individual 3D sound speakers for a full 360° experience. A string of performances will take place on stage, including one from the LED BAND who combine the fireworks with 3D sound and lighting to create a rainbow of colours. The kid’s area will be decked out with a jungle gym, ball pit and breast-feeding area for mothers.

Celebrate the coming new year Japanese-style in Singapore.