Rip-off bars are taking advantage of Japan's tourism boom
With the number of foreign tourists to Japan increasing by the year, authorities are warning visitors to steer clear of so-called rip-off bars. Such establishments have been a problem for a number of years but police are no closer to being able to shut them ...
Renovated Okura Tokyo unveiled to the press ahead of public opening
Renowned for melding East and West, old and new with its architecture and design, The Okura Tokyo opened its doors to the press for the first time Friday after three years of renovations, ahead of its public opening on Sept. 12. "We hope that we ...
Mori unveils ¥580 billion project to bring record-breaking skyscraper and urban greenery to Tokyo
The developer behind Tokyo's landmark Roppongi Hills is betting on another upscale project that has been more than 30 years in the making and will require a ¥580 billion investment. Mori Building Co. unveiled Thursday the details of an urban redevelopment project that will feature ...
Designer Thomas Heatherwick injects green relief into Tokyo's concrete jungle with new Mori project
Construction of a sprawling new property development for Mori Building Co. in central Tokyo, which will house Japan's tallest skyscraper at around 330 meters when completed in 2023, finally kicked off earlier this month after three decades of negotiations with landlords. A key figure behind ...
Cosplaying eccentric Mac Akasaka of the Smile Party snags seat in Tokyo ward assembly
He clambers out from under the table, wearing a pink Hooter's tank top while sporting fluffy angel wings and a halo, before bowing deeply toward the camera and taking a seat. "People of Tokyo — have you been smiling lately!?" he says suddenly, breaking into ...
What would you pay to live in Minato Ward?
It was in 2001 when my friend, Chikako Sakamoto, paid ¥9.8 million for a six-tatami-mat apartment in Tokyo's central Minato Ward. The apartment was inside a 長期滞在者用 (chōki taizaisha-yō, long term resident's) wing of an old hotel in Roppongi, with a very low ceiling ...
Minato Ward hosts first disaster seminar for foreign residents
Foreign residents gathered for a seminar in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Saturday to learn how to use disaster kits and protect themselves during emergencies, even if they can't speak Japanese. The event, which was held in English with the help of volunteers, taught about 60 ...
Populations in three Tokyo wards expected to keep swelling as capital shrinks
The populations of three wards in central Tokyo are projected to keep growing after 2025 even as the capital's overall population is expected to decline, thanks to a construction boom and convenient transport. Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato wards have seen an influx of families and ...
Embassies' ink stamp event gives Tokyo residents a window onto foreign cultures
People in Tokyo are being offered a fun way to visit foreign embassies and get a glimpse of their national cultures. More than 30 of them are taking part in a "stamp rally," in which participants visit specific locations and ink a square on ...
Minato Ward to protect few remaining views of Tokyo Tower
The area that houses the Tokyo Tower takes steps to ensure that high-rises do not obliterate the few remaining views of it.
Typhoon Etau offers first glimpse of Minato Ward's new mudslide alert
As Typhoon Etau ripped northward across the central part of Japan this week, residents, office workers and pedestrians in Tokyo's Minato Ward had a surprise when their smartphones abruptly made an unfamiliar ringtone and the screen flashed an alert. The alert, "evacuation preparation information regarding ...
Typhoon Phanfone prompts evacuation advisory in Tokyo's Minato Ward
The Minato Ward Office issues its first-ever evacuation advisory in response to a natural disaster, urging residents to seek refuge amid an elevated risk of landslides as powerful Typhoon Phanfone swept through the metropolis.
