On January 23, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the planned site (6-3-5 Minatomachi, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture) for the APA Hotel Matsuyama Ekimae (tentative name), which will open in summer 2026. The Matsuyama Ekimae location is the first directly managed hotel in Shikoku and the sixth hotel following Takamatsu Airport, Marugame Ekimae Odori, Takamatsu…
Taiheiyo Ferry Launches “Smart Boarding,” in which smartphone screens serve as boarding passes and room keys. If you don’t have a vehicle, you can go to the boarding gate without any procedures.
Taiheiyo Ferry will introduce “Smart Boarding” on January 26, which simplifies boarding procedures with mobile QR boarding passes and allows passengers to unlock private rooms and women-only rooms using their boarding pass QR. The service is scheduled to begin on January 26 for Kiso, February 24 for Kitakami, and March 13 for Ishikari. The introduction…
Kobe Municipal Subway Sannomiya Station Grand Opening on February 3. Bakery/onigiri/sweets specialty store in front of ticket gates
The Kobe City Transportation Bureau will hold a grand opening of Sannomiya Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line on February 3 at 11:00 (after the ceremony). The renewal work has been underway since August 2023, and the Director of the Kobe City Transportation Bureau and others are scheduled to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony…
Hyatt Regency Waikiki launches new “Junior Suite” room category
The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa (2424 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu) has announced the creation of a new category of guest rooms, the Junior Suite. Junior Suites, a total of 80 rooms with spectacular views of Diamond Head, the Pacific Ocean, and vibrant Waikiki, will be available for reservations beginning March 3, with rates…
Pizza Planet, DINOCO and CDA! Phone and AirPods cases with company name logos of Disney & Pixar films
iFace, a mobile accessory brand by Hamee, will release a new collection on January 24th designed with corporate logos from Disney & Pixar movies. Each lineup includes smartphone and AirPods cases and card wallets. Prices range from 3,300 yen to 5,280 yen. The newest additions include Pizza Planet, a pizza restaurant familiar to “Toy Story”…
JR East Japan Railway Company View “Atami Station 100th Anniversary” Group Special Train Tour. Overnight/day trip plan to enjoy Atami Marine Fireworks Festival as well.
JR East View Tourism & Sales has released a special group train tour to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Atami Station. The tour will be held on March 25. The company offers two plans, an overnight stay plan and a day trip plan, both planned by Atami Station employees, and both include…
Experienced the “AI Suitcase” guidance robot for the visually impaired. New model to be operational at Osaka-Kansai Expo.
About the impetus for development and the demonstration experiment Mr. Asakawa is a visually impaired person (totally blind), and he started research and development of AI suitcases around 2017 after he felt “if suitcases could move automatically to guide me on my way” when he was on a business trip. In cooperation with the Next…
Tokyu Corporation to Revise Timetable on March 15. Implemented mainly on the Toyoko Line, with some direct trains to other companies’ stations changing destinations.
Tokyu Corporation will implement a timetable revision on March 15. On all lines except the Denentoshi Line, Kodomonokuni Line, and Oimachi Line, the timetables will be changed according to usage conditions. On the Toyoko Line, Meguro Line, and Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line, destinations will be changed for up trains directly connected to Tokyo Metro and Toei…
JICA Clean City Initiative (JCCI) International Seminar 2025 ｜ News
summary Conference Title: JICA Clean Cities Initiative (JCCI) International Seminar 2025 Seminar Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025, 10:00-17:30 (Japan time) Online exhibition (special website): January 27 – February 7, 2025 Organized by: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Co-organized by: Ministry of the Environment, Japan; Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center, Japan…
Gunma Flower Park will open in the fall of 2025 under a new name. Significantly renewed as a facility where visitors can play with flowers throughout the year, including hands-on production.
Gunma Flower Park (2471-7 Kashiwagura-cho, Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture) will change its name to “Gunma Flower Park+” and reopen in the fall of 2025. Prior to this, the designated manager, Gunma Flower Park JV, released a teaser website. The new facility will be transformed into a hands-on park where visitors can not only appreciate flowers, but…