✨ What’s new in Japan, May/June 2025 ✨ Events, Exhibitions, Theme Hotels & New Attractions

✨ What’s new in Japan, May/June 2025 ✨ Events, Exhibitions, Theme Hotels & New Attractions

Welcome back to Japan Travel News about all the new things that are opening in Japan and what’s coming up. Today we’ve got new Mount Fuji observation decks, special events and exhibitions, a free Gundam light show, what’s really going on with tiered pricing for foreigners, and lots more. Now, I’m not sure exactly when this opened, but I feel like we haven’t really heard much about it, so I had to include it in Japan news anyway. In Tokyo, you can pilot a giant Mecca robot. It is a bit confusing, but it seems like there’s one tour where everyone gets to see the robot and tour the facility and one person gets chosen at random to drive it. That’s at Move Lock Pat Labor Lab. Then there’s a separate experience down the road where you get to drive a slightly less cool looking but still pretty good robot. That one’s at robot base Tokyo. The prices are surprisingly reasonable. You’d think it would cost a lot more than £15.71. It does seem like you’re just moving the robot’s arms, not actually going around plundering Tokyo like Godzilla. But still, isn’t that a dream come true for giant robot fans? Now, could this be the most kawaii airport in the world? Japan now has a Hello Kitty airport. It’s a airport in Kyushu, which has always had a fun side. It’s where those viral pictures of the conveyor belt sushi on the baggage carousel come from. It is home to Harmony Land, a San Mo theme park. It’s the less well-known cousin of Sanrio Puroland near Tokyo. So that’s why they’ve themed the airport there. It’s only themed until October during a Saka Expo, but they have officially renamed it as it Hello Kitty Airport. There are super cute displays around the airport. You get Sanrio luggage tags. And of course, there’s a shop with all the cute stuff. Sadly, I don’t think many foreign tourists would use this airport, but if you are going to Kyushu, there’s a playlist on my channel of things to do there, including the Beu Hells in Oitta, which I loved. Next, Evangelion fans should head to Hammeratsu or Hamster Matsu, like in my drawing. It’s the location for some scenes in the anime. So, they’re doing a collab until the end of February 2026. There’s a 6 m tall statue at city hall, a stamp rally, a special edition rail pass, and there’ll be more announced as the project draws on. It’s called the Shin Hamatsu project. Next, Kashihala in Nada is transforming itself into the Street Fighter city because it’s where Capcom’s founder is from. Over the past couple of years, they’ve been adding Street Fighter themed stuff around town. Now you can see statues around Street Fighter on the station signs, manhole covers, murals and flags. Now a few people have asked me about this recently. There have been lots of stories about foreign tourists being charged more for tickets to attractions and tourism changes from the government. Now you know I always try and give you the real story, especially when there’s a lot of clickbait going around. So here’s what’s actually happening. First is departure tax, which you pay when you leave Japan. It’s bundled together with all the taxes when you book your flights, so you probably don’t even know you’re paying it. At the moment, it’s a,000 yen, and the government is discussing increasing it to 5,000 yen to cover the costs of all the infrastructure needed for the increasing levels of tourists, but at the moment, it’s just something they’re discussing and nothing’s been decided yet. Then there’s accommodation tax, which we talked about in the last episode of Japan News. And then there’s the issue of different prices for locals and foreigners at tourist attractions. This year, some ski resorts in Nisso will be charging foreign tourists 6,500 yen for a ski lift pass, and local residents get a reduced rate of 5,000 yen. Jungaria or Jungaria, the new theme park in Okinawa that we mentioned before in Japan News, will be charging foreign tourists 1,870 yen more for tickets. And Himi Castle is just discussing tiered pricing for next year, but their reduced rate will be for residents of Himi City, not the whole of Japan. Currently, the price is 1,000 yen for adults and 300 yen for under 18s. The prices they’re discussing for people who don’t live in Himi City are between 2,000 and 3,000 yen for adults, and under 18s would be free. It seems like most of the stories are just about places discussing or considering tiered pricing. There’s not much that’s definite at the moment. Now, I’m not sure what to think about this. It does seem a bit unwelcoming to charge visitors more, and it kind of goes against the Japanese spirit of amortashi and being welcoming, and it doesn’t seem very fair to charge different people different amounts for the same experience. On the whole, Japan really isn’t a place to rip people off. So, I don’t think it’s money grabbing. I think it’s more about the weak yen. If you’re from the USA or Western Europe, you’ll find that things in Japan are generally cheaper anyway. So, when you hear about these price rises, I don’t think you need to worry about things being crazy expensive. But, of course, that does depend on the cost of living in your country. Also, if Himi Castle was in England, I’m pretty sure tickets would cost a lot more than £3,000 yen or £1560, which is the highest they’re considering. For example, Windsor Castle is more than double that at £35 and Warick Castle is £39. So, I don’t know. If they do introduce tiered pricing, there’s not much we can do about it. If you want to go to Himi Castle, you have to pay the ticket price. But if you want to make yourself feel better about it, instead of saying they’re charging more for foreign tourists, you can see it as a discount for locals. Let me know what you think in the comments. Onto something more cheerful and more colorful. If anyone’s in Japan this month, Harajuku Fashion Walk is on Saturday, 17th May at 2:30 p.m. And there’ll be a Harajuku fashion picnic on the 8th of June. Details are on Instagram, Harajuku Fashion Day. In the past, you used to see more people dressed up in Harajuku. Sadly, these days, that’s not the case. So, the fashion walks a great opportunity to see a whole group of people dressed up in their colorful finest, just like in the ‘9s. And I’m sure you know this, but if you do go along to the fashion walk and you want to take photos, just ask permission first. They’ll probably be really flattered, but obviously it’s rude to take someone’s photo without asking. Next, if you like the anime Jiujitsu Kaisen, you might want to head to Aaka this summer. Starting from the 23rd May, there’ll be a special quiz that you can only take if you’re on the Shinkansen. It uses your phone’s location to make sure you’re on the Tokaido Shinkansen line. And if you’re traveling fast enough, you can access the quiz. If you complete it, you get a special key ring. There’s also a stamp rally. It is just a digital stamp rally on your phone, which I don’t think is quite as fun as a physical stamp rally with rubber stamps, but it does have voices from the characters. There’s also special merch, snacks, and photo spots. Next up is themed hotels and cafes. I’m going to zoom through these. First, there’s the Sakura Miku Room at Hiroaki Plaza Hotel up in Almori Prefecture until the 31st of May. Pokemon rooms are back at the Grand Hayat Tokyo with a beach resort theme from 20th of June to the 31st of August. There’s a Pingu themed room in Nagono at Shiraakaba Resort. There’s also a Pingu event in Yokohama at the Landmark Tower observation deck that’s near Tokyo. It’s called Chill Out with Pingu with plushies and places to chill on fluffy clouds and a special layered stamp to collect. There are also super cute Pingu themed dishes at cafe fanbase nearby for a limited time. There’s a full list of pop-up theme cafes on my website cakes withfaces.co.uk in the blog section. That’s also where you can get my book, my designs, and my Japan trip planning deck to help you plan your itinerary. Every single order supports my channel and helps me keep making these videos. Next is exhibition news. First, there’s a magical girls anime exhibition at Yokohama Doll Museum. Yokohama is really quick to get to from Tokyo, so you can easily go for a day trip or even just an afternoon. That’s on until the 29th of June. It’s about 60 years of magical girls in Japanese animation who transform from regular girls with magical powers. So, you can see how they’ve changed over the years and influenced pop culture. There’s an exhibition called Ukio in play at Tokyo National Museum Hyok Kan in Ueno Park until the 15th of June. Now the word Ukio means floating world but it also means of the current age and you can really see how those historic woodlock prints really captured the world of the Edeto period. So, this exhibition has woodlock prints by contemporary artists and work by contemporary artists inspired by the historic prints, which sounds really interesting. Next, there’s a Studio Giblly exhibition in Nagono until the 29th of June. That one’s closed on Wednesdays. It is always worth checking which days things are closed in Japan because they can sometimes be unexpected. It focuses on Toshio Suzuki, a producer, and the books and films that he used as inspiration, unlocking the secrets of the world of Studio Gibli. There’s also a giant Yubaba, No Face, and Toto. There’s also a Gibli 3D sculpture exhibition in Tokyo from the 27th of May to the 23rd of September. That one has 3D scenes from the Gibli films, including the bridge going over to the bath house in Spirited Away and a life-sized sea plane from Porco Roso. That one’s at warehouse Tada in Shinagawa. In conjunction with the exhibition, there’s also a stamp rally around the Tokyo Metro. There’s stamps at four stations, Nakano, Sakawa Station, Casai, Yushima, and Yurakaw. That’s on until the 1st of June. If you’re one of the first 7,000 people to complete the rally, you get a sticker. But the stamps are really cute to collect. Anyway, if you’re interested in collecting souvenir stamps, there’s a video on my channel all about where to find them. The Gintama anime exhibition that was in Osaka is now touring. It’ll be in Okyama until the 18th of May. And the Pokémon Crafts exhibition, which has been on Japan news many times, has now moved to Nagoya until the 15th of June. Then it’s in Almori from the 28th of June until the 31st of August. And then Nagasaki from the 12th of September to the 7th of December. There’s a Godzilla art show at the Mori Art Center Gallery in Rapangi in Tokyo until the 29th of June. It has artwork looking at different depictions of Godzilla over the years. It says the exhibition space was destroyed by Godzilla, allowing visitors to experience Godzilla’s presence not only through the artwork but also through the entire venue. Sounds interesting. Next, Goshuin are the special stamps with calligraphy that you can collect from temples and shrines. They’re different from the regular souvenir stamps because they have religious significance, but it’s fine for tourists to collect them if you want to. Just collect them in a different book from your regular stamps. This gshuin from Asagaya Shinmeu shrine in Tokyo is extra special because it has the Shinkhansen on it and it’s embroidered which is unusual. It’s a collaboration with Japan Railways JR Central and because it’s so special if you want one you have to make a reservation via Smart EX which is the official Shinkansen ticket website. It is limited edition but this shrine might be one to keep an eye on because earlier this year they also had a Dr. Yellow Gshuin. I love that one. It’s 1,700 yen. I spotted this on Goshuin Adventures on Instagram, who you should follow if you want to know about special and seasonal Goshuin. Next, there’s a new observation deck on the Hakone ropeway in the Mount Fuji area. The ropeway goes up from Lake Ashi over Aakuani, so you can look down right into the volcanic steam vents. I love this sort of thing in Japan. It’s so otherworldly. I really like the Befu hills in Kyushu that I mentioned earlier and the Unzen Hells and there’s also Nabori Betsu up in Hokkaido. The new observation decks in the middle of the ropeway at Aaku Dani station which is where you can get the black onzen eggs that are cooked in hot spring water that are said to make you live longer. The new deck’s called Earth Valley. There are several sections including part with a glass floor and one that goes around in a circle with a perforated metal floor. So you can feel the wind all around you and of course views of Mount Fuji. There’s also been an extension to an observation deck in IU. It’s worth remembering that if you want to see Mount Fuji, you don’t have to go to Hakane or Kawaguchi Co and the Five Lakes area. You can also see Mount Fuji from parts of Shizuoka, which is more likely to be less crowded. And of course, you’re never guaranteed a Fuji view from anywhere. Quite often it is completely hidden by clouds. So, don’t set your heart on it. The new observation decks at IU Panorama Park, which has a ropeway going up to it. As well as Fuji, you get views of Suga Bay, which you can go across on a ferry and get views from the water. The extension is called the Sky Garden. It goes in a loop, and there’s also a walk through the forest. This one looks more natural. The observation deck also has water features with Mount Fuji reflected on the surface of the water, and there are foot baths you can use. You can go there on a day trip from Tokyo. Next, the Sky Tree has a collab with Detective Conan until the 14th of July. There’s special decorations, a movie projected around the tops of the windows in the evening, a stamp rally, special items in the cafe, the Sky Tree mascots dressed up as Conan, and the Sky Tree itself is also cosplaying with special lighting. There’s a new Gundam light show on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, which is a free observation deck. And every night there’s a free projection mapping show on the outside of the building. There’s quite a few different shows including Godzilla and Pac-Man. And now there’s a Gundam one. It’s called Tokyo Night and Light. You can check the schedule on their official website. At the moment, Godzilla and Gundam seem to be at the weekends, but that may change. Shibuya Sky also has a special event, Shibuya Sky Flower View, with displays of flowers in the indoor observation deck. There are tulips, dandelions, scented roses, and if you miss cherry blossom season, there’s also a Sakura display. That’s on until the end of May. Next is train news. When you go on the Shinkansen to Hawkaido, it’s only a bullet train line up until Hakodate and then you change to a regular express train. They are building an extension to make it a Shinkansen line all the way to Sappo, but it’s just been delayed. It was due to open in 2030, but it’s now been delayed until 2039. They say it’s because of labor construction staff shortages and geological problems that are proving trickier than expected. The new extension is going to be 80% tunnels. So, I guess the bright side of the current express train is while it may be a bit slower, you get to enjoy all those snowy views. Also, in Sappo, contactless cards are now accepted on the metro. It says foreign cards are accepted and it seems like you don’t need to do anything to register. You just tap in and out at the ticket gates. I think we’ll be seeing more of this in Japan, but I do kind of hope I see cards don’t completely die out. The one in Hokkaido Kaka is so cute with this flying squirrel. I wish I’d got one when I was there. Next is some news you might have seen around that I think is a bit misleading from the title. Starting from the 1st of July, they’re triing using the luggage areas on the Shinkansen without reservations. However, it only applies to the oversized baggage compartment, which is the luggage rack, usually near the bathrooms, that isn’t in every carriage. It doesn’t refer to the oversized luggage area, which is the space behind the last row of seats in every carriage. You still need a reservation to use that the same as always. You can do that when you book your ticket or make your seat reservation. It doesn’t cost any extra. There’s full details about that in my Japan guide book on page 77. And I also have a video about traveling with luggage. The trial only applies to the Tokaido and Sanos Shinkansen, which runs from Tokyo through Osakar Kyoto to Fukuroka. There’s a special Ioka IC card just for Asaka Expo with their mascot, the Aoka Platypus together with Myaku Myaku, the monstrous mascot of their expo. You can only get it inside Aaka Expo at the Westgate store. If you’re a fan of the Aoka Platypus, JR West’s Instagram has lots of pictures of them enjoying Western Japan. I’m loving their energy. There’s a new Suka Penguin shop in Yokohama. Suka Penguin merch is so cute. Like the others, it’s called Pensa. The other stores are in Uweno, Shinjuku, and Omia, which is where the railway museum is. And there’s a new shop with Japanese train merch in Shinagawa station. It’s called Blue Bullet. You can find it in the Shinkansen section. Next, there are new robot security guards in Osaka at two stations, Shin Osaka, which is the Shinkansen station, and JR Namba station. They go around autonomously doing patrols, sentry duty, and playing recorded announcements. I think it’s going to be a real test for the robots because both those stations are so busy. So, they’re going to have a hard job going around avoiding all the people rushing around. The Asaka Metro’s also become more futuristic with facial recognition at the ticket gates. It’s at 130 stations, which is almost all of them. We had this last time with the Kes Skyliner train from Narita Airport. You have to use an app to buy your tickets and register your face. So, I’m not sure how accessible it’ll be for foreigners. Next, Dotsy yellow will be on display at the SC Maglev and Railway Park in Nagoya from the 14th of June. Dotsy yellow is a special shinen that’s used to check the tracks and this one retired earlier this year. There’ll be a special unveiling ceremony to welcome them to the museum and tours of the cab. The railway museum in Nagoya is excellent. There’s a video about it on my channel. As well as Dr. Yellow, there’s displays about the new Mag Lev line. And you can spot me and Phil in the diarama. We’re right by the model of the museum. Send me a photo if you see us. Finally, if you like blueberries, this is the place for you. There’s a new place in Kyoto called Wakasa and Co. that’s part shop, part experience. It’s got five floors all about blueberries. There’s a blueberry cafe, a blueberry bar, which looks quite classy. You can pick blueberries by VR, a shrine with blueberry good luck charms and Emma to write your wishes on, films, places for kids to play, and these blueberry characters. Basically, everything blueberries. So, that’s it for Japan news this time. We’ve had a magical girl exhibition, a Pingu hotel room, and a foot bath with views of Mount Fuji. Tell me what you’re most excited about in the comments, and I’ll see you next week with more Japan videos on Thursday. Bye-bye. Heat. Heat. [Applause]

Japan Travel News is all about new attractions opening in Japan, special events and what’s coming up this spring/summer!

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As always, there’s so much new stuff in Japan. Did you know you can pilot a mecha style robot in Tokyo? There’s now a Hello Kitty airport, and there are serveral Japanese cities doing collaborations with animes. I’ll discuss the new tiered pricing systems for foreign tourists that are under discussion (eg at Himeji Castle) and give you my take on it! As always, there’s a round-up of what exhibitions are coming up, including Studio Ghibli, Pokemon, ukiyo-e and Godzilla, plus a special shinkansen goshuin to collect. There are two new observation decks to get a fantastic view of Mount Fuji, and in train news there are updates about the Hokkaido shinkansen and the Sapporo Metro, luggage areas on the bullet train, robots in Osaka and lots more. Plus, at the end, a new shop in Kyoto for anyone who likes blueberries!

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00:00 Pilot a giant robot
01:06 Hello Kitty Airport
01:58 Evangelion x Hamamatsu
02:22 Street Fighter city
02:42 Tiered pricing & tourism changes
05:46 Harajuku fashion walk
06:30 Jujutsu Kaisen in Osaka
07:08 Themed hotels & cafes
08:09 Exhibition news
11:07 Shinkansen goshuin
12:04 New Mount Fuji observation decks
13:49 SkyTree x Detective Conan
14:08 Gundam light show
14:37 Shibuya Sky Flower View
14:54 Train news
18:56 For blueberry fans

#japan #japantravel #tokyo #tokyotravel