This summer, glamping resort HOSHINOYA Fuji is offering guests a diving experience into the crystal clear Lake Mototsu, the third largest of the Fuji Five Lakes. The diving tour comes as a chance for people to reconnect with nature during the troubling COVID-19 times – to unwind and refresh.
A magical scene of lava, large trees, and freshwater fish
Lake Mototsu is one of Japan’s most popular freshwater diving spots. There are restrictions in place for for boats when riding across the beautiful lake, which shimmers crystal clear because of water welling rather than flowing. Divers will be able to spot lake prawns, tachysurus nudiceps, and other lake life which sprouted during the Jōgan eruption in 864. Lava poured from Mount Fuji and created a space for the lake to form. Other sights under the lake include towering trees standing silently over 10-meters in height, water spurting up from holes, and more.
An expert guide will take you to the diving spots
The lava belt
Water swells from the holes
Submerged trees sit silently
Divers will be taken on a tour by a well-versed guide with 21 years in the industry who will lead them to spots based on guests’ interests. The experience welcomes both beginner and veteran divers.
An afternoon nap in the forest tents
Due to the breathing control and water pressure that diving exerts, rest is important, and so HOSHINOYA Fuji has prepared a place for divers to enjoy an afternoon nap. They can enjoy the sounds of the forest as they lay suspended between the trees in a hammock-like tent.
Information
Freshwater Diving
Running: July 1, 2021 – August 31, 2012
Where: HOSHINOYA Fuji
Times: 11:00-18:00
Capacity: One group per day (up to two people)
Price: ¥35,000 per person (doesn’t include tax, service charge, or accommodation fee)
Bookings: https://hoshinoya.com/fuji/ *Must be made 3 weeks in advance
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Hoshinoya Tokyo, a traditional ryokan in Otemachi, has announced the New Year’s Kabuki Plan, a two-day, one-night stay from January 5 until January 7, 2023. During the Edo Period, citizens enjoyed watching Kabuki plays during the New Year’s holidays, often sipping tea at connected teahouses. This event will invite visitors to experience what this was like, complete with traditional food and decorations. Watching Kabuki was a chic way for those in Edo to ring in the new year. Theater teahouses were also a popular gathering place–along with arranging tickets, the teahouses offered plot notes, tea, sweets, boxed lunches, snacks, and other drinks.**Hiroshi Fujita, Yoshihide Tomizawa (2012) / The Updated Kabuki Dictionary, Kashiwa Shobo
Relax Before Enjoying Tea and a Play
Guests are invited to relax in the Ochanoma (Living Room) Lounge, decorated to look like a traditional teahouse with fans, ukiyo-e prints, and formal curtains. Hanabiramochi, or rice cakes with flower petals, will be served with green tea. These rice cakes are said to date back to the New Year’s tradition of eating hard foods like daikon and rice cakes in the hopes of prolonging one’s life. Characterized by its curious burdock root aroma, the cakes are sweetened with white miso bean paste. Enjoy a Post-Viewing Mont Blanc Shaped like Soba with Sweet Dessert Wine
At theater teahouses in the Edo period, sake, snacks, and desserts were served one after another. During this special event, a menu inspired by this practice and prepared by Hoshinoya Tokyo Executive Chef Noriyuki Hamada will be served! Soba noodles were often served after a play in the past. Inspired by this tradition, Mont Blanc made with chestnut paste and sponge cake will be served up to look like this popular dish. Paired with a dessert wine aged in oak barrels, the sweet will be served in a traditional lacquerware basket. In addition, the dish will be paired with Wasabi Pralines, Shichimi Meringue, and Ginger Pate de Fruits.Take a Rickshaw to the Kabuki-za Theater
Guests will be taken on an Edo-style tour on their way to the Kabuki-za Theater. Passing through the Nihonbashi area, the first stop will be the Fukutoku Shrine. It’s said that Hidetada Tokugawa paid a visit to and praised the shrine on New Year’s Day in 1614. The next shrine on the docket, Hodo Inari Jinja, was enshrined in Edo Castle during the Edo period to protect the heir to the Tokugawa family. It’s said that the shrine provides blessings for child rearing, matchmaking, and business prosperity. This tour will provide a more elegant way to explore Tokyo as guests enjoy exposition from their chauffeur. To make the rickshaw ride even more enjoyable, guests can rent kimonos for an extra charge. Would you like to take a step back in time this New Year?Information
New Year’s Kabuki Plan
Running: January 5 – January 7, 2023
Capacity: 1 couple per day (1-2 people)
Price: ¥110,000 per person, ¥180,000 for 2 people (Including Tax & Service charge, excluding accommodation charge)
Reserve/Details – Official Site: https://hoshinoya.com/tokyo
*Reservation required at least 14 days in advance
**Exclusive experience for Hoshinoya Tokyo guests
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Shin Yokohama Prince Hotel will be offering a special room and collaboration menu inspired by the popular anime series The Vampire Dies in No Time from September 22 until November 30, 2022. Reservations will open on the hotel’s official website starting September 12 at 1:00 PM.
The Vampire Dies in No Time follows the hilarious adventures of the vampire Draluc and the vampire hunter Ronaldo. Set in the city of Shin-Yokohama, it makes sense that this collaboration would be taking place! Original Goods Collaboration Menu Guests and fans of the series will be able to enjoy a fully-decorated room and collaboration menu inspired by characters from the popular anime series. The concept room, located on an upper floor overlooking the Shin-Yokohama cityscape, is decorated with illustrations of Draluc, Ronaldo, and other characters. The guest-only goods feature newly-drawn illustrations. Sweets plates and drinks will be served at the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. Guests can enjoy desserts shaped like Ronaldo’s red hat and Draluc’s ashes, so don’t miss it! ©盆ノ木至（秋田書店）／製作委員会すぐ死ぬ Information
Shin-Yokohama Prince Hotel x The Vampire Dies in No Time
Available: September 22 – November 30, 2022Collaboration Menu
Available: September 22 – November 30, 2022
Venue: Top of Yokohama Bar & Lounge (42F)
Hours: Weekdays 4:00-7:00 PM / Weekends & Holidays 2:00-5:00 PM
Reservations Open: September 12, 1:00 PM
https://www.princehotels.co.jp/shinyokohama/plan/contents/94 -
Art subscription service Casie is collaborating with HOTEL SHE, KYOTO! A special art exhibition titled GALLERY HOTEL SHE, will be held from September 17 until October 16, inviting guests to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of staying in a gallery overnight!
During the event period, guests of HOTEL SHE, KYOTO will be able to select their favorite piece of artwork from an on-site gallery. The piece will then be hung in their guestroom, and visitors can spend the night appreciating it at their own pace. This is a great way to learn more about art appreciation, and guests can enjoy discussing the art world with their friends and family. “Although we may view art in museums and other venues, it is rare to have the opportunity to select and display a work of art of our own choice,” the project description reads. “Through this unique experience, we aim to provide guests the chance to actively engage with art and inspire them to make art a part of their daily life going forward.” Information
‘Stay in a Gallery’ HOTEL SHE, KYOTO
Running: September 17 – October 16, 2022
Works on Display: https://casie.jp/features/404?notrented=0&order=added_at_desc
*No fee required, works on display for all guests of HOTEL SHE, KYOTO during the event period.
HOTEL SHE, KYOTO: https://www.hotelshekyoto.com
Address: 16, Higashikujo-Minamikarasumacho, Minamiku, Kyoto
Details/Reservations: https://www.hotelshekyoto.com/
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The Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa in Tokyo will offer a special suite inspired by the upcoming Toshio Suzuki Studio Ghibli Exhibition from July 1 until August 31, 2022. This will include tickets to the exhibition, which will take place at Warehouse Terrada in Shinagawa from July 1 until September 7.
Toshio Suzuki, a producer at Studio Ghibli, has worked with both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata on a number of beloved masterpieces. The exhibition will feature a large bookshelf housing 8,800 of Suzuki’s publications and favorite tomes. Many of these were published before Suzuki joined Studio Ghibli, and guests are invited to see how the producer was inspired to join the legendary studio after working as an editor at a manga magazine. To commemorate the exhibition’s opening, this special suite is filled with books written by Suzuki along with other books that visitors may enjoy during their relaxing stay. In the suite, guests will find a list of 106 books that influenced Suzuki the most. This list will be available to take home. Visitors will also find reproductions of Suzuki’s calligraphy. ©TS ©Studio Ghibli Information
Toshio Suzuki Studio Ghibli Exhibition Special Suite Package
Venue: Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa
Available: July 1 – August 31, 2022
Reservation: https://www.princehotels.co.jp/takanawa/plan/ghibli_conceptroomToshio Suzuki Studio Ghibli Museum Accommodation Plan with Ticket
Available until September 6, 2022
Reservation: https://www.princehotels.co.jp/takanawa/plan/ghibli/
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Banyan Tree Group, one of the world's leading independent hospitality groups, held the grand opening of Galleria Nijo Castle Kyoto, on Friday, June 17, 2022. This is the first of the group’s hotels to open in Japan.
Hotel Exterior
Located south of Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site, and named after the beautiful winter flower, Galleria Nijo Castle Kyoto is a small, modern, and minimalist luxury hotel that offers simple guests a chance to recharge themselves.Wellbeing Room
For the grand opening, a new Wellbeing Room has been opened where visitors can experience quiet meditation. Visitors can stroll through nearby gardens, temples, and shrines, take a tour of Kyoto’s many historical sites, or spend time in the Wellbeing Room meditating or practicing yoga to recharge their batteries away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The French Restaurant Singular will also offer up healthy and tasty meals with a focus on local ingredients and producers. Enjoy a visit to Kyoto in this peaceful space perfect for resting both body and soul.Information
Garrya Nijo Castle Kyoto
Address: 180-1 Ichinocho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Access: 2-minute walk from Nijojo-mae Station on the Kyoto City Subway Tozai LineOfficial Site: https://www.banyantree.com/ja/japan/garrya-nijo-castle-kyoto
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Buffet Inspired by ‘Moominvalley Turns Jungle’ to be Held for the First Time at Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji
From June 1 until August 31, Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji is inviting guests to travel to the adorable world of Moomin by partaking in two tasty buffet events at the Le Clair Restaurant on the second floor. In Moomin’s home country of Finland, people start enjoying the summer following the solstice in June. The theme of this project is ‘Moominvalley Turns Jungle,’ inspiring the hotel’s chefs to create a spectacular original menu. A tasty lunch buffet will be held Tuesday through Friday during the event period, while a sweets buffet will take place on weekends and holidays. The restaurant’s interior will be decorated with artwork from Tove Jansson’s 1956 comic Moominville Turns Jungle.The Moomin Lunch Buffet is titled ‘Jungle Party in Moominville,’ and will depict a fun summer lunch get-together in the titular character’s home village. The lineup of foods includes smoked salmon canapes, marinated herring, and sardine sandwiches, all typical of Scandinavian cuisine. Plenty of spiced dishes and veggies will be available, the latter looking like they came from Moominmamma’s garden. August 9 is Moomin Day, and the chefs will be preparing some extra goodies for each guest on that day only. The Moomin Sweets Buffet will feature adorable desserts created by expert pâtissiers and will be inspired by Moomin and his friends enjoying the summer. From red velvet cake made to look like Little My’s dress to chocolate mousse in the style of Moominpappa’s Silk Hat, fans of the series will want to snap plenty of pictures before they dig in! Tons of sweets will include popular Scandinavian ingredients like red currants, raspberries, and blueberries. The welcome plate, limited to one per person, will change monthly, with a Tropical Parfait coming in July and an Edible Jungle coming in August. Light meals will also be available to compliment the sweets. The Sweets Buffet will also include a special table plan limited to three per day, using plates and mugs included in the Moomin by Arabia 2022 Summer collection. Guests participating in this plan can order a special non-alcoholic cocktail created by the restaurant’s bartender and made with rose-colored ice inspired by Moominmamma’s love for flowers. Information
Moomin x Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji
Moomin Lunch Buffet ~Jungle Party in Moominvalley~
Running: June 1 – August 31, 2022 [Tuesday-Friday only]
Location: Le Clair Restaurant, 2F
Hours: 11:30-15:30 (2-hour seating) *Last order 30 minutes before reservation ends.
Moomin Sweets Buffet ~Moominvalley Turns Jungle Fun Summer Time~
Running: June 4 – August 28, 2022 [Weekends and Holidays only]
Location: Le Clair Restaurant, 2F
Hours: [1] 11:30-13:00 [2] 12:00-13:30 [3] 14:30-16:00 [4] 15:00-16:30Buffet Bonuses: https://www.fujibi.or.jp
Advanced Reservations begin on May 17, 14:00 for hotel email subscribers, LINE Friends only
Standard reservations begin May 19 at 10:00
Details/Reservations: https://www.keioplaza.co.jp/hachioji/event/moomin/Moomin by Arabia Product Information:
https://www.arabiajapan.jp/products/list.php?category_id=61
Sekiguchi Product Information: https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/collection/