To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Yamanashi Sannichi Newspaper & Sannichi YBS Group, teamLab will hold a special illuminated art event on the shore of Lake Yamanaka in Yamanashi Prefecture from October 28 until November 13, 2022. Guests will be able to enjoy the Sunset Shore Autumn Leaves Festival at the same time, and at the same venue.

Autonomous Resonating Life – teamLab ©teamLab

Sketch Aquarium – teamLab ©teamLab

The works on display will be Autonomous Resonating Life and the Sketch Aquarium. In Autonomous Resonating Life, guests will wander along the shore, passing by massive colorful and glowing ovoids being pushed and pulled by the wind. When there is no wind, and when no one is touching the ovoids, they will begin to slowly blink.

The Sketch Aquarium invites visitors to color a drawing of a sea creature. Once finished, these creations will come to life in a giant virtual aquarium, swimming together with other creations. Visitors can touch the fish to see them swim away, or can touch a virtual food bag to feed them!

Yamanashi’s Fuji Motosuko Resort is home to the yearly Fuji Shibazakura Festival, one of the most popular spring flower events in Jaapn. From July 16 until October 10, 2022, guests will also be able to enjoy the Rainbow Flower Festival, with over 80,000 blooms decorating the land around Mount Fuji. 

From Left: Coneflowers, Common Zinnia, Begonia, Ageratum

From Left: Scarlet Sage (Sirius), Scarlet Sage (Bonfire), Scarlet Sage (Deep Blue), Coleus

The theme for the inaugural event is ‘Seven Colors of Mount Fuji.’ Visitors will be able to take incredible pictures, with a variety of blooms springing from the Earth in seven beautiful colors. Whether you love begonias or zinnias, you won’t want to miss this one. 

The venue will also feature photo spots that will be perfect for social media, from a rainbow circle bench to the ‘Yellow Door of Happiness.’ A campaign will also be held to choose the best photos of the event posted to Instagram.

Koppe-pan (with Yamanashi Peach Butter and Whipped Cream) / Lava Fried Tofu / Bellflower Mochi Ice Cream / Jewel Soda

A unique food menu featuring everything from lava-shaped fried tofu to fluffy bread with local peach butter will appear at the event.

*Sample image.

Pictures aren’t the only thing you’ll leave with–a selection of souvenirs will be on sale, including ‘Stick Jelly’ made with five types of local fruit puree. These will only be available at the event, so come have a wonderful time visiting Mount Fuji this summer!

The globally popular slice-of-life series Laid-Back Camp is currently serialized in COMIC FUZ.

Set in Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures, Laid-Back Camp is a relaxing series following a group of high school girls going camping and enjoying their daily lives. The original comic has sold over 7 million copies, and the series has helped people around the world destress. In 2018, the first anime series premiered, inspiring a spin-off Room Camp in 2020 and a second season in 2021. An animated film will arrive in theaters on July 1, 2022.

The series has announced a collaboration with Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, which are both depicted in the work, as well as JR Central. The ‘Laid-Back Camp Dramatic Puzzle Solving Game: Two Treasure Maps and a Trip Down Memory Lane’ event will run from July 1 until August 31, 2022. The Rin Route will begin in Kofu and the Nadeshiko Route will start in Shizuoka. Participants will receive a small gift for completing each route.

In conjunction with the event, JR Central will sell special Laid-Back Camp one-day round-trip tickets, and a collaboration train will be decorated with illustrations from the series.

The poster for the event shows new illustrations of Rin and Nadeshiko made by Green House, the illustrators behind Bikkuriman. These illustrations will also appear on a variety of original goods!

When Japan opens again, how would you like to journey through these beautiful areas?

©あfろ・芳文社／野外活動委員会

The Nakamura Keith Haring Collection in Yamanashi Prefecture will be holding a celebratory exhibition in honor of the location’s 15th anniversary from May 14, 2022 until May 7, 2023.

In April 2007, the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection opened in Kobuchisawa, located at the foot of Mt. Yatsugatake. The only museum in the world dedicated entirely to New York-based artist Keith Haring, Kazuo Nakamura collected the works and acts as the director of the museum. Over 300 works of art are on display along with 500 other pieces, from photographs and videos to merchandise. The new exhibition features approximately 150 works.

Three Lithographs (People Ladder), 1985

Icons (Radiant Baby), 1990

Untitled, 1984

Untitled, 1988

Untitled (Subway Drawing), 1981-1983

The ‘Chaos and Hope’ exhibition was originally held during the museum’s first year of operation and looks back at Haring’s first experiences in New York City in 1978. The artist was present at the dawn of the hip-hop movement and was struck by the clash between typical white art and underground minority artists. In only five years, Haring rose to stardom. Sadly, while traveling the world, he contracted AIDS, passing away at the age of 31. Behind the bright and cheerful artwork he left behind, he hid his inner suffering and desire for hope and freedom.

All Keith Haring Artwork ©Keith Haring Foundation
Courtesy of Nakamura Keith Haring Collection.

Peter Rabbit’s English Garden, one of the largest English-style gardens in the Tokyo metropolitan area, will open at Fuji Motosuko Resort on April 16, 2022.

Known for the Fuji Shibazakura Festival, an annual springtime cherry blossom event, Peter Rabbit’s Garden is opening at the resort at the perfect time. The garden will include over 300 varieties of plants, trees, and flowers, and visitors can enjoy a photogenic stroll with popular characters. An on-site cafe will offer a lineup of original items inspired by Beatrix Potter’s classic books, including a colorful afternoon tea set and ‘Flowery Latte’ with petals scattered on top. ‘Mr. McGregor’s Vegetable Garden Salad’ is also a light dish perfect for spring.

Cafe Menu

Take Out Menu

Cafe

Original Merchandise

Photo Spot

Shop & Gallery

Original Sticker

Guests can also enjoy a gallery highlighting moments from the Peter Rabbit picture books, from The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin to The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, both translated by novelist and poet Mieko Kawakami. The shop will offer original merchandise only available at Fuji Motosuko Resort, including keychains, sweets, and coffee cups. There’s something for adults and children alike, so fans of Peter Rabbit won’t want to miss it!

To commemorate the opening of the garden, a bus decorated with Peter Rabbit and friends will be in operation from April 4 until April 16. This passenger bus will bring visitors from Shinjuku, Yokohama, Shizuoka, and other locations, and those riding will get a special sticker as a bonus.

Come enjoy some time outdoors with Peter this spring!

BEATRIX POTTER(TM) & (C) Frederick Warne & Co.,2022

The Nippon Genki Project will be held again this year and it will be available to watch on the event’s official website and on YouTube. The event was created by the late Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto as a way to get people energised and motivated to realise their dreams.

Past Nippon Genki Project events

Nippon Genki Project 2015 Super Energy!! at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

Nippon Genki Project 2016 Super Energy!! at Yoyogi National Stadium

Nippon Genki Project 2017 Super Energy!! at Roppongi Hills Arena

Nippon Genki Project 2018 Super Energy!! at Roppongi Hills Arena

Nippon Genki Project 2019 Super Energy!! at Roppongi Hills Arena

Nippon Genki Project 2020 Super Energy!! Online

The theme of this year’s event is ‘World Heritage Runway.’ The event will be recorded in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, at the foot of the World Heritage Site of Mt. Fuji. The footage will be released as a fashion film on August 21. Designers from across Japan have created a variety of looks for the event, and pieces by fashion schools, fashion universities both in Japan and overseas, and more will also be showcased.

Fuji-Q Highland began its ‘NARUTO x BORUTO Fuji Hidden Leaf Village’ event on Wednesday which is set to run throughout summer until August 29. The event is taking place to celebrate the birthday of the popular character Sasuke Uchiha from the Naruto franchise.

During the event, a keyword rally will take place, and a special menu will be served up.

Keyword Rally

Guests must play and ride six Naruto-themed attractions at the park where they will be able to collect keywords related to the Uchiha family. Those who manage to answer all the questions correctly will receive one of two free exclusive pins. The Sasuke & Itachi design will be available from June 9 to July 22 and the Uchiha Family design from July 23 to August 29. Check out the designs below, both of which are must-grabs for fans of Sasuke and the Uchihas.

Pin Design 1: Sasuke & Itachi (Uchiha Brothers) | Available: June 9, 2021 – July 22, 2021　

Pin Design 2: Sasuke & Sakura & Sarada (Uchiha Family) | Available: July 23, 2021 – August 29, 2021

Special Menu

Guests will also be able to enjoy a special menu line-up including a ramen dish served at Ichiraku, the ramen bar at Fuji-Q Highland which is themed on the same eatery of the same name in Naruto, and two cakes at Fuji-Q Highland’s official hotel resort and spa.

Uchiha Brother’s Spicy Ramen | ¥1,500 (Tax Included)

Uchiha Brother’s Print Cake

Uchiha Family’s Print Cake

ⓒ岸本斉史 スコット／集英社・テレビ東京・ぴえろ

The Nakamura Keith Haring Museum in Yamanashi is set to welcome the Keith Haring: 360° exhibition which will explore the diverse works of American pop artist Keith Haring. The exhibition will run from May 15, 2021 to May 8, 2022.

Keith Haring was an American pop artist whose work began in the 1980’s when he would create spontaneous drawings in the subways of New York City. Haring participated not only in solo exhibitions, but national and international shows too, such as documenta 7 in 1982 and Venice Biennale in 1984. His later works took on more political and societal themes such as drugs, racism, sexuality, and AIDS. Haring died of AIDS-related complications in 1990 at the young age of 31.

Photo by ©︎Makoto Murata

Untitled (Figure Balancing on Dog), 1989

Untitled (KH.200), 1982, The Museum of Art, Kochi

My Town, Peace I–IV, 1987, Tama City Cultural Foundation

Nakamura Keith Haring Collection

One of the most noteworthy appearances at the exhibition is Haring’s Figure Balancing on Dog (1989), a rare sculpture made of raw aluminium. As the title suggests, the piece features a person riding atop a dog, which may be a depiction of balance. It brings to mind the relationship between humans and animals and the anxiety towards a strange society that cannot be measured. Other works will also Untitled (KH.200) (1982), My Town which was drawn by 500 children from Tama, Tokyo, My Town, Peace I–IV (1987), and a series of six drawings entitled Bad Boys (1986) which Haring produced in Amsterdam.

For the first time ever, visitors will be able to see photos taken by Japanese art journalist Makoto Murata who interviewed Haring when visiting New York from December 1982 to January the following year.

The exhibition will look at Keith Haring, his diverse work, and deep messages of society from all angles – a 360° view.

Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Yatsugatake is calling for the rain this summer with the announcement of its Yatsugatake Fure Fure Sky event. The event will see over 1,000 fure fure bozu strung up—small handmade dolls to pray for the rain—along the 150-meter main street Green Pepper Avenue. The dolls act as the opposite of the more well known teru teru bozu dolls which are used to prevent rainy days.

Rain is something that’s always on the mind of travellers who hope for a dry trip when they reach their destination. This event however takes advantage of the rainy days to turn it into something to be enjoyed.

Yatsugatake Fure Fure Sky: 3 Things to Enjoy

The grand spectacle of the rain and over 1,000 dolls

Colourful fure fure bozu will line Green Pepper Avenue which serve as gorgeous decorations. There are eight colours to be spotted which represent the Yatsu in Yatsugatake meaning “eight” in Japanese.

Enjoy the sight and sound of the rainfall in the Rainy Domes

Sit inside your very own dome along Green Pepper Avenue and enjoy the sounds of the tapping rain. This is an experience that is best enjoyed when it rains, meaning praying for the rain is a must. It’s a chance to enjoy the rain without getting wet while sipping on wine and tucking into some light food.

Times: 11:00-16:00
Price: Free

Location: Green Pepper Avenue

Snap some photos in the rain wearing a Fure Fure Poncho

Inside the activity centre, visitors can rent their very own Fure Fure Poncho. This means they can head out in the rain and enjoy the sounds of the rain hitting their poncho, which is available in three different colours and all sizes for the family.

Times: 9:00-18:00

Price: Free

Location: Activity centre

Notes: Exclusive to Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Yatsugatake guests

Fujimoto Lake Biwa Resort is set to welcome the new Peter Rabbit™ English Garden in Spring 2022 which will be themed entirely around English writer Beatrix Potter’s fictional animal character Peter Rabbit.

The garden will open as the biggest English-style garden in Japan. Fujimoto Lake Biwa Resort is located right beside Mount Fuji and is known for the Fuji Shibazakura Festival, an annual springtime cherry blossom event. This means the garden will be opening during the perfect season at the site. It will bring to life a magical recreation of the Lake District where the Peter Rabbit stories are set. There will be lots of photo opportunities, a menu themed on the characters, a museum, a shop selling original merchandise, and more. British garden designer Mark Chapman is helping to create this English-style garden.

Not only can visitors enjoy the spring and summer flowers when the garden opens, but the gorgeous hues of autumn too, and all with Mount Fuji in the background.

Strawberry lovers, listen up. If you’re looking to indulge in strawberry-flavoured desserts all day long, then this fruity festival will have your mouth watering. The Gaspard and Lisa themed town at Fuji-Q Highland in Yamanashi is now holding its annual Strawberry Festa event which is running until May 5.

There are so many tasty treats to enjoy at this year’s event, from cakes and pastries, desserts and drinks—all made with plump and fresh strawberries—that you can enjoy eating while walking around the themed town. One must-try is the Strawberry Pavlova which is made with a meringue that’s crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle and is adorned with fresh cream and, of course, strawberries. It’s a hearty serving but is actually a light and refreshing eat.

Strawberry Afternoon Tea Set at Les Rêves Salon de thé

Strawberry Festa exclusive face masks

Guests at the park who spend over ¥3,000 in a single transaction at any shop in the town will receive a free original face mask.

Hotel guest rooms

Meet Gaspard and Lisa in-person

Les Rêves Salon de thé

Strawberry Crepe recipe showcase

For those unable to travel due to restrictions, the town has also posted an online video showing how you can makes a strawberry crepe at home.

Chocolate bananas at LA BANANE

A variety of new shops have also opened at Fuji-Q Highland, including Strawberry Fetish which is Japan’s first shop specialising in strawberry hard candy, as well as LA BANANE where you can enjoy chocolate bananas and other treats.

Colourful bagels at BONBON BAGLE

Gaspard and Lisa Town original merchandise

FUJISAN SHOKUPAN is a sandwich bread shop located in Fujikawaguchiko―a resort town in the northern foothills of Mount Fuji―in Yamanashi Prefecture. The shop is now offering online half price deliveries in Japan on four types of its popular breads until January 2021.

FUJISAN SHOKUPAN’s website offer a range of products all of which are shipped across Japan in cooling packaging to keep everything fresh.

FUJISAN SHOKUPAN | ¥800 (Before Tax)

Perhaps the most famous item on their menu is that which goes by the same name as the shop itself. FUJI SHOKUPAN is a light blue and white sandwich bread which captures the form and appearance of Mount Fuji. Each sweet loaf is made with natural spring water from Fuji as well as Kyoho grape juice from Yamanashi before being baked with the utmost care.

If you get the chance to visit the area around Mount Fuji, or plan on climbing the mountain itself, be sure to mark the occasion by picking up a slice of FUJISAN SHOKUPAN.