From November 30, 2022 until January 22, 2023, the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo will hold the ‘Treasures from the Chishakuin Temple in Kyoto’ exhibition.  

National Treasure. Maple Tree. Hasegawa Tohaku. (Four of Six Sides) Momoyama Period / 16th Century.

Chishakuin Temple. [On display during the entire exhibition.]

Chishakuin Temple is located in Higashiyama, Kyoto, and is the headquarters of the Chisan School of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. This originated with Kobo Daishi (774-835), and the sect now has 3,000 temples around Japan. Founded during the Muromachi period (1095-1143) the temple was originally built in Wakayama Prefecture in memory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s son Sutemaru, but the builds were brought to Kyoto in 1598 on the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu.  

Kobo Daishi Scroll

Muromachi Period, First Year of Bun'an Era (1444)

[On Display from November 30 until December 26, 2022]

Kyoto Prefecture Designated Tangible Cultural Property -  Kogyo Daishi Scroll

Kamakura Period / 13th Century

[On Display from November 30 until December 26, 2022]

National Treasure. Cherry Blossoms. Hasegawa Tohaku. (Four of Five Sides) Momoyama Period / 16th Century.

[On display during the entire exhibition.]

  The temple is best known today for its panel paintings and gardens, the latter of which was inspired by tea master Sen-no-Rikyu. Half of the original paintings remain, with some having been lost to fire and some simply being degraded over time.　

National Treasure. Diamond Sutra (Partial) - Zhang Jizhi

Southern Song Dynasty, First Year of Houyuu (1253)

[On display during the entire exhibition]

Important Cultural Property. Mahamayuri Scroll.

Kamakura Period / 14th Century

[On Display from December 28, 2022 until January 22, 2023]

Important Cultural Property. Green Maple and Waterfall. Song Dynasty / 13th Century

[On Display from November 30 until December 26, 2022]

Ladies at Tea. Insho Domoto. 4 sides. Showa 33 (1958)

[On display during the entire exhibition]

  This exhibition will mark the first time that many of the paintings are shown simultaneously outside of the temple, including Cherry Blossoms, Maple Tree, and Pine Tree with Autumn Plants. Visitors can also enjoy National Treasures and items from the temple’s treasure trove of Buddhist Art. Would you like to come and browse these incredible pieces?

Suntory’s popular Iyemon Tokucha tea was released with a revamped design on April 5, 2022. To celebrate the return of many people’s favorite drink, the company has teamed up with popular game character Kirby for an adorable new YouTube video available on the Suntory channel!   The video highlights the health benefits of Suntory’s Green Tea Lemon Tokucha through the eyes of Kirby, who has retained his adorable shape even after sucking in tons of objects for the past 30 years. The video starts with a scene from an early Kirby title in which Kirby swallows Waddledy. The story follows Waddledy and his Suntory Tokucha as they venture deep into Kirby’s stomach. How does his journey end? You’ll have to watch to find out…   This story is a play created by Waddle Dee to entertain King Dedede, the King of Dream Land. The King is desperate to learn the secrets of the Tokucha, and the other characters are surprised and happy to see everyone’s favorite penguin taking an interest in his health!   Kirby and the Secret of Your Stomach

  Enjoy the video and try to find some tasty Tokucha in a store near you!   © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory, Inc. KB22-P4135

The pandemic has changed our lives forever. People have spent the last two years missing travel as they spend more and more time at home, and while many are ready to travel again, it can be difficult to know if it's the right time to return to normalcy. To make the situation a little easier, many local tourism associations in Japan are posting images on Instagram to inspire people to give traveling another try. These three Instagram accounts are our personal favorites, and once Japan opens to tourists again, you won’t want to miss visiting these areas!   [Official Kumamoto Tourism Association] Motto, motto, Kumamoto!

 

Instagramでこのプロフィールを見る

 

もっと、もーっと！くまもっと。【熊本県観光公式】(@kumamotto.official) • Instagram写真と動画

  Discover the charms of Kumamoto on this local Instagram account featuring photos from four unique local photographers. Many will know the area as the home of the character Kumamon. The images capture the daily lives of Kumamoto residents and include local food and gorgeous scenery. The postings also include the location of the photo and comments from the photographers, making things feel more personal.    [Official Hokkaido Tourism Association] GoodDay Hokkaido

 

Instagramでこのプロフィールを見る

 

GoodDay北海道(@goodday_hokkaido) • Instagram写真と動画

  Hokkaido is an area rich in gourmet seafood and dairy, but its spectacular landscapes are reason enough to visit. GoodDay Hokkaido shows off both the common and uncommon elements of Hokkaido life, often introducing little-known areas. Each photo is vividly colored, and followers can see different seasons at every time of day as they scroll through the feed. See the best images from Japan’s northernmost island each and every day on your smartphone!   [Ome / Okutama] Umetama

 

Instagramでこのプロフィールを見る

 

うめたま｜OME&OKUTAMA TOKYO(@umetama.official) • Instagram写真と動画

  Umetama is an account that introduces places of interest in Ome and Okutama, two of Tokyo’s most scenic towns. Each can be reached in about an hour by train from Shinjuku Station. Visitors can enjoy a gorgeous day trip from the Tokyo center, with the area featuring plenty of campsites and hiking trails. There are tons of stargazing spots, and visitors are often surprised that such incredible nature is so close to Japan’s hectic capital. Those with kids will find plenty to do here, so start taking notes while you scroll through the Umetama page!   More and more young people are finding the appeal of Ome and Okutama, and the area has become the perfect relaxation spot for those seeking refuge from their busy lives. In addition, the craft beer bar Ome Beer, located near Ome Station, sells local alcohol, including Okutama’s popular craft beer ‘Vertere.’ See the lesser-known side of Tokyo on this picturesque account.    Remember how wonderful it is to travel? Hopefully, Japan opens for tourism again soon, and you can visit all of these gorgeous locales.

Creative company NAKED is bringing their popular DANDELION PROJECT to Kumamoto Castle from November 19 until December 5, 2021, just in time to celebrate the Autumn Festival Castle Lighting event! The DANDELION PROJECT is inspired by the idea of world peace and hopes to help transcend barriers and connect people in an increasingly divided world. This networked initiative wants to bring this change about by planting (or installing) dandelion-inspired art around the world, while it invites people visiting these dandelion exhibits to send their prayers for peace as a digital flower in real-time.    To celebrate the recent restoration of Kumamoto Castle’s tower, the DANDELION PROJECT will ask visitors to give their prays for peace and safety as they enjoy the autumn lights. After the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, the castle has slowly recovered, and this is the final step. Currently, DANDELION installations are popping up around Japan and internationally, with locations in Tokyo Tower, Saga Prefectural Exhibition Hall, and plenty of other places.   NAKED’s popular attractions--the NAKED Distanced Lanterns and NAKED Flower Cleansing--will also be available to participate in during the event. Each is perfect for social distancing, and each will get a special Kumamoto Castle version. Interactive projection mapping will cause flowers to bloom beneath visitors’ feet as they explore. After the event period, the works will be moved to Josaien, where they can be enjoyed until January 15, 2022. 

In an effort to help support of the restoration efforts in Kumamoto after the 2016 earthquake devastated the prefecture, the Nohara family from the popular manga and anime series Crayon Shin-chan have been appointed official Kumamoto Restoration Supporters. This begins with a PR campaign to help promote tourism in Kumamoto's city of Aso. To celebrate, Shin-chan himself visited the Kumamoto Prefectural Government on July 15. Shin-chan's mother, Misae, was born and raised in Aso, Kumamoto, while himself and his father Hiroshi were both born in Akira Prefecture. Shin-chan considers Aso his second home, and all of this the reason behind the family's appointment as supporters. The manga series has raised money for Kumamoto numerous times in the past, including for the Crayon Shin-chan 25th Anniversary Exhibition which saw money raised for charity products donated towards relief efforts of the earthquake disaster. This year, the series joins hands with the prefecture once more.   The 2021 summer campaign is being carried with the slogan "I'm fine! ASO." The Nohara family will serve as PR characters to spread the word about Aso. This will include a digital stamp rally that will have people travelling around the prefecture on their smartphones. The app will be released in August, followed by campaign posters, pamphlets, and other promotional material rolling out.When Shin-chan visited the local government office for his appointment as a supporter, he played the Nintendo Switch game Crayon Shin-chan: Ora to Hakase no Natsuyasumi - Owaranai Nanokakan no Tabi with officials, which also released on the same day. In the game you can visit lots of spots around Kumamoto such as Kumamoto Station, Kusasenri Observatory, Tsujun Bridge, Aso Station, and more. ©臼井儀人／双葉社・シンエイ・テレビ朝日・ADK ©2010熊本くまモン    ⒸNeos Corporation Nintendo Switchのロゴ・Nintendo Switchは任天堂の商標です。

The Pasco Kumamoto Prefecture Project is a collaboration between the Japanese pastry company Pasco and Kumamoto Prefecture which has appointed Kumamon, the mascot of Kumamoto, as its head to promote local foods.   The project was started as a reconstruction and restoration effort to help support Kumamoto after the devastating earthquake that struck in 2016 and the 2018 Japan floods. For every select product sold, 0.5 yen is donated to the relief effort to aid victims of the disasters.The Pasco Kumamoto Prefecture Project is set to run until end end of September this year. It released two items on April 1 as part of the project. It is now releasing two new products: the "Strawberry Jam & Milk Whipped Cream" pastry and "Pancake Omelette Custard & Milk Whipped Cream." The milk, strawberries, and eggs used for these confections are all sourced from KumamotoThe pastry recipe creates whipped cream from milk and layers it with a strawberry jam made from yuubeni, a popular brand of strawberry grown in Kumamoto, before baking. The pancake omelette is a combination of Jersey milk, eggs, and custard cream to create a fluffy dessert.  

Pasco carefully selects ingredients as part of Kumamon's promotional products

The ingredients used in the recipes for these food products are all carefully selected to go deliciously well with Pasco's bread. This includes milk, eggs, and yuubeni strawberries. Pasco plans to used Kumamoto-grown rice for a new product in August. 

Scan the code on the packaging and meet Kumamon!

A special Kumamon AR service has also been created as part of the project. If you scan the code on the packaging of these products using a smart device, you can take a photo together with Kumamon as pictured above. He has the same design as on the packets.