Discover the attractions recently opened, closed, and forthcoming throughout the nation.

Cover photo: Promotional image for the Shibuya Sky rooftop observation deck at Shibuya Scramble Square tower in Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan (2020). Via Time Out Japan (color-corrected).

The modular Nakagin Capsule Tower was designed by Metabolist architect Kisho Kurokawa in 1972 as a prototype of flexibility and sustainability, Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan (2019). Photo by Franck Michel and via Flickr (cropped).

Evolution

Like nature itself, Japan is in a constant state of evolution. In a nation with frequent building code revisions to improve earthquake resilience, homes quickly depreciate in value and are replaced within thirty years of construction. In Mie Prefecture, the grand Ise Jingu — considered one of Japan’s holiest shrines — is destroyed and built anew every twenty years in a commuity ritual known as shikinen sengu (periodic renewal).

And yet the nation has seemingly undergone record-breaking changes throughout the last few years, largely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite financial assistance, amidst safety measures such as curfews, social distancing, and travel restrictions, many clubs, bars, and foreign-owned establishments simply shuttered. Meanwhile, several larger businesses and older institutions took the opportunity to begin overdue renovations.

The delayed — and widely-opposed — Tokyo 2020 Olympics prompted new development as well, sparking cries of “severe gentrification,” as 300 local households were displaced to make way for new infrastructure. Harajuku’s transport center was completely renovated for the occasion, which involved the demolition of the nation’s oldest surviving wooden station.

The metropolis also witnessed the disassembly of the dilapidated Nakagin Capsule Tower, a 20th-century landmark designed by the Metabolist architect Kisho Kurokawa. The capsules will be donated to museums around the world.

Ultimately Japan feels increasingly sanitized, both for better and for worse.

Osaka, the nation’s third-largest city, is preparing for World Expo 2025. The historic city of Kyoto — where the tourism industry employs one of every five workers — has teetered on the edge of bankruptcy, and is now home to yet even more hotels.

Outside Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, preparations are underway for the imminent opening of the highly-anticipated Ghibli Park, designed by the beloved animation studio of the same name. Three sections will open November 1st, with the remaining two sections set to open by March of 2024. The park is predicted to attract over one million visitors per year.

More details below.

Kansai Region (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara)

The city of Kyoto has seen the construction of several new hotels including the sleek Shinmonzen in Gion and the Marufukuro Hotel — converted from the old Nintendo Headquarters — both designed by internationally renowned architect Tadao Ando. Central Kyoto welcomed the ShinPuhKan shopping complex with Café Kitsuné, anchored by the Ace Hotel Kyoto designed by Kengo Kuma.

Kohaku Bar at Park Hyatt Kyoto offers delicious cocktails and stunning views of the city, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan (2022). Photo by Danny With Love.

Park Hyatt, near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kiyomizudera, also opened in the fall of 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, offering multiple bars and restaurants, as well as a phenomenal view of the city. Kyoto also welcomed Vegan Ramen UZU by the artist collective teamLab, featuring dishes with local ingredients served in a meditative dining space.

Kiyomizudera and several other temples have completed renovations within the last few years, while the popular Yuu Bathhouse, located within Kyoto Tower, has closed. The Kansai region has also welcomed the arrival of the luxury sight-seeing train Kintetsu Aoniyoshi, connecting Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka.

With World Expo 2025 set to take place in Osaka, the city has seen the most exciting development in Kansai, including the long-awaited Nakanoshima Museum of Art, the luxe W Osaka hotel, the themed Capsule Hotel Ninja & Geisha, and a permanent attraction by teamLab at the Nagai Botanical Garden.

Most exciting is the addition of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan (USJ), which is set to include a Donkey Kong expansion in 2024.

Solaniwa Onsen theme park opened early 2019 and the iconic Tsutenkaku Tower recently added a 60-meter-long, five-story-tall slide for thrill seekers. Osaka will also be home to Japan’s second official Nintendo merch store, opening early November. The curated food hall Time Out Market Osaka is anticipated to open in 2025.

Also of note, nearby Kobe Port Tower is closed until mid-2023 for seismic retrofitting and Nara Prison will reopen as a luxury hotel in the summer of 2024.

Kanto Region (Tokyo, Yokohama, Saitama)

Tokyo Metropolis and its surroundings have witnessed an incredible amount of closures within the last couple years; Over 500 businesses went bankrupt in 2020 alone, including the unlicensed Mario-inspired Street Kart.

Many nightclubs and popular tourist attractions have simply shut down in recent years. Marking the end of an era, Sega left the arcade business entirely, selling their remaining 200 or so locations to new management. Meanwhile, Swedish brand Ikea has opened small-scale urban stores in Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shinjuku.

Built in 1924, and reminiscent of a German cottage, Harajuku Station was the oldest surviving wooden station in Japan, Harajuku, Shibuya City, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan (2016). Photo by Edomura no Tokuzo and via Wikimedia (color-corrected and cropped).

The quaint, original wooden-cottage of Harajuku Station has been demolished — classified as a safety hazard — and will be replaced by a similar design with new materials. The renovated station is now larger, more accessible, and easier to navigate.

But all is not lost. In place of every departure is an exciting new attraction. Tokyo is now home to a plenty of new sites for entertainment, shopping, and dining. Full lists of closures, openings, and upcoming attractions below.

Noteworthy Closures:

AgeHa nightclub in Koto
Contact Tokyo nightclub in Shibuya
Edo-Tokyo Museum (temporarily closed for renovations until 2025/26)
Giant Sky Ferris Wheel in Odaiba
Gundam Cafés (nationwide)
Gundam Factory Yokohama theme park (set to close in March of 2023)
H&M Harajuku store location
Kawaii Monster Café in Harajuku
The Lock Up Shinjuku themed restaurant
Megaweb Toyota City Showcase car theme park
Nakagin Capsule Tower (disassembled)
NHK Studio Park
Oedo Onsen Monogatari theme park
Palette Town shopping complex in Odaiba
Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku
Sega Arcades (nationwide)
Shining Moon Tokyo museum
Shibuya Marui department store (temporarily closed for renovation until 2026)
Sky Circus observation deck in Ikebukuro (temporarily closed for renovation until spring of 2023)
Sound Museum Vision nightclub in Shibuya
Taito Station Shinjuku arcade
teamLab Borderless digital art museum (reopening in a new location in 2023)
teamLab Planets digital art museum (set to close at the end of 2023)
Tokyo Hands Ikebukuro store location
Tokyo One Piece Tower theme park
Toshimaen amusement park
Tsukumo Akihabara Ekimae electronics store
VenusFort shopping center
Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo restaurant by teamLab (set to close at the end of 2022)
Yokohama Redbrick Warehouse landmark and event venue (temporarily closed for renovation until the end of 2022)

Noteworthy Openings:

Art Aquarium Museum in Ginza
Asakusa Yokocho Food Hall
Bandai Namco Cross Store in Yokohama
The Blue Room gourmet restaurant at Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon hotel
Beauty & the Beast and Baymax expansions at Tokyo Disneyland
Coredo Muromachi Terrace shopping complex in Chuo
Cross Shinjuku Vision 3-D billboard
Dawn Avatar Robot Café in Nihonbashi
Galaxy Harajuku flagship store
Gucci Osteria restaurant by Massimo Bottura in Ginza
Gundam Factory Yokohama theme park (set to close in March of 2023)
Hana Biyori greenhouse at Yomiuriland in Kawasaki
Harry Potter Café and shop pop-ups in Akasaka (unannounced end date)
Kadokawa Culture Museum and library in Saitama
Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera gourmet conveyor-belt restaurant
Koganeyu Sento contemporary public bath
Krispy Kreme donuts flagship at Tokyo International Forum
Kura Sushi flagship conveyor-belt restaurant in Sumida
Marunouchi Terrace shopping complex in Chiyoda
Miyashita Park shopping complex with rooftop garden in Shibuya
Moomin Valley Park in Saitama
Muji 500 concept store in Mitaka Station
Nanzuka Underground contemporary art gallery in Shibuya
Q Plaza Ikebukuro entertainment facility
Red Tokyo Tower eSports and VR park
Sailor Moon Museum exhibition at the Roppongi Museum (closing end of 2022)
Seibuen Amusement Park in Saitama (reopened after major renovations)
Sézanne Michelin-starred French restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo
Shibuya Fukuras shopping complex including Stranger Things pop-up café at Pronto (closing end of 2022)
Shibuya Parco shopping complex including Nintendo Store
Shibuya Scramble Square tower with Shibuya Sky rooftop observation deck
Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai Shinjuku Higashiguchi Yokocho food hall
Small Worlds Tokyo miniature theme park
Starbucks Kokyo Gaien outside the Imperial Palace with exclusive wasanbon (Japanese raw sugar) almond milk frappuccino
Toy Story Hotel at Tokyo Disney Resort
UWS Aquarium Ga-Kyo in Odaiba
WITH HARAJUKU shopping complex including Ikea and Eataly

Upcoming Attractions:

A District tower in Minato City, Japan’s tallest building (2023)
Animate Ikebukuro flagship store expansion (2023)
Harajuku Quest shopping center (2025)
Harry Potter Studio Tour walking park (2023)
Netflix Store Tokyo (initially planned for 2022 — no further updates)
Shibuya Marui department store (2026)
teamLab Borderless digital art museum (2023)
Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs expansion including Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan (2023)
Tokyo EDITION, Ginza hotel with rooftop bar (end of 2022)
Tokyu Kabukicho Tower entertainment complex (2023)
Yoyogi Park expansion (2024)

The renovated Hisaya Odori Park reopened in September of 2020, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (2022). Photo by Danny With Love.

Other

While the city of Nagoya has never been considered much of a tourist destination it has seen much development within the past few years, including the shopping area of Hisaya Odori Park and ongoing renovations at Nagoya Castle.

Yayoi Kusama’s iconic Naoshima pumpkin has finally been replaced after it was swept away by a typhoon last year. The famed art island also added two new galleries along with architect Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Glass Tea House Mondrian.

As for southwestern Japan, the iconic Itskushima (Miyajima) floating torii (shrine gate) is currently under renovation until the end of 2022. The city of Fukuoka has welcomed Gundam Park, a new seaside glamping facility called Inn the Park, and a permanent forest attraction by teamLab.

My own home of Fukui City is eagerly preparing for the Hokuriku Shinkansen (bullet train) extension — scheduled to open spring of 2024 — which will connect the prefecture to Tokyo without stopover.

Here’s to new adventures!