Unlock The Real Japan #9

THE REAL JAPAN

Asia

GETTING BETTER

How Japan is ushering in the future of healthcare

4 SIGNATURE MOVES

Shin-Ichi Fukuoka’s grand plans for Expo 2025

6 A BETTER TOMORROW

Previewing the Expo 2025 Healthcare Pavilion

8 SMALL WONDERS

Meet Kazunori Kataoka: nano-biotech pioneer

9

11

12

14

The

16

New

18

How

Welcome to issue nine of Unlock the Real Japan , a special collaboration between Nikkei Inc. and Time Out Tokyo created to help business leaders gain new insight into one of the most exciting countries on Earth. In Unlock you’ll fi nd Nikkei Asia ’s renowned insight into the business world combined with Time Out Tokyo ’s knowledge of contemporary life in Japan, ensuring that visiting executives can experience all sides of life in the country.

This issue looks at the future of healthcare. With a graying population, Japan has an extra imperative to ensure its people stay healthier for longer, and from nano-biotech breakthroughs (p8), to countering Western bias in cancer treatments (p9) our scientists are attempting to do just that. Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will offer a platform for new technology, and we’ve previewed its health plans (p6) and one of its signature pavilions (p4). Of course, the point of staying healthy is to celebrate life—and so we’ve rounded up Tokyo’s newest openings (p14) to help you to enjoy the best of the city.

We hope you enjoy the issue.

Planned, produced and distributed by Nikkei Inc. Global Business

Edited by Matthew Lee (Time Out Tokyo)

Rob Orchard (Time Out Tokyo)

Marcus Webb (Time Out Tokyo)

Designed by James Ladbury

Coordinated by Ili Saarinen (Time Out Tokyo/ORIGINAL Inc.)

Directed by Akiko Toya (Time Out Tokyo/ORIGINAL Inc.)

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Abiologist and professor at Tokyo’s Aoyama Gakuin University, Shin-Ichi Fukuoka will be creating one of the eight “signature pavilions” that make up a key part of Japan’s exhibition at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. Entitled “Dynamic Equilibrium of Life,” the contribution of Fukuoka, who is also the author of several bestselling science books, is among the most eagerly anticipated elements of the Expo, which is set to showcase Japanese solutions to global issues of health, life, and science. We caught up with the man of the hour to dig deeper into his concepts for the pavilion.

“Life” is the key theme of the Expo, and you have been asked to explore this from a “Quest of Life” perspective in your pavilion. How do you plan to do that?

The pavilion’s structure draws on organic imagery, as if a single thin cell membrane had softly landed on the ground. The exhibition begins with the question of where we come from [as humans], and then invites visitors to experience the harmony of life and the reasons why life is so precious. Visitors of all ages will be able to leave the pavilion with a new perspective on what life is all about.

What inspired you to create the exhibition?

The 1970 Osaka Expo. I was 10 years old and living in Tokyo at the time, and my parents took me to see the Expo twice. One of the most impressive pieces I saw there was Taro Okamoto’s “Tower of the Sun.”

The tower that still stands on the site of Expo ’70?

Yes. Taro Okamoto created it as an antithesis to the theme of the Expo, “Progress and Harmony for Mankind.” There’s no human being at the top of the Tree of Life, the sculpture inside the tower that represents the evolution of life. Its critical message is more like, “Humanity hasn’t evolved, nor has it become more harmonious. Humans, drop your arrogance!” Now that 50 years have passed since the 1970 Expo, has humanity evolved? Have we become harmonious?

Taking Taro Okamoto’s message to heart, I’ve sought to re-explore life and our views on it. That’s the starting point of “Dynamic Equilibrium of Life.”

SIGNATURE moves

l Shin-Ichi Fukuoka

Shin-Ichi Fukuoka shares the plans for his signature pavilion at Expo 2025 with Io Kawauchi

You agree with Okamoto’s sentiment, that we humans shouldn’t think too much of ourselves?

Right. Looking at the history of evolution, homo sapiens is the newest species on Earth, but the one that burdens its environment the most, depredating it and behaving extremely selfishly—the deadliest and most harmful “invasive species” on the planet. But when you look at the history of life, all species have taken the greatest evolutionary leaps by behaving altruistically.

What do you mean?

1

If plants only photosynthesized enough for their own [survival] needs, there would have been no room for animals to evolve. Plants behaving altruistically and photosynthesizing to an “excessive” degree—enough to produce leaves, fruits, and grains—allow creatures that eat these to emerge, which in turn produces predators that eat those creatures. Ecosystems are built through the continuous connection of altruistic paths. Life shares a single environment and maintains a dynamic equilibrium through such reciprocity.

Could you explain the concept of dynamic equilibrium in a little more detail?

Dynamic equilibrium is my definition of life itself. The most important aspect of this is that all life is working hard to destroy itself. Looking at the cellular level, newly formed proteins are destroyed quickly; there’s only one way to make a protein, but there are so many ways to break it. Life is more about breaking than making.

How so?

Life defies the law of entropy increase. This is the second law of thermodynamics, the general principle of the universe that all things with form eventually turn formless and all orderly things become disorderly. To put it simply, a wellorganized desk can get messy quickly if you aren’t careful, and even a structure like a pyramid will decay over a long time.

And life is defying this law?

Yes. It is resisting by daring to break and remake itself, before order-destroying, ever-increasing entropy gets to it. That’s what I mean with dynamic equilibrium. More than 100 years ago, when neither the second law of thermodynamics nor

the process by which cells decompose were known, the French philosopher Henri Bergson wrote that “life makes an effort to climb the downhill slope of matter.” I believe that all forms of life are, in a sense, making a valiant effort to climb up a slope that inanimate objects would be forced to roll down.

So dynamic equilibrium is the very state of being alive?

Right. That’s true both on the cellular and the individual level, and Earth’s entire ecosystem, with its interconnected lifeforms, can be viewed as a large dynamic equilibrium. The importance of biodiversity, which has received increased attention in recent years, is in that the more knots we have in the altruistic net connecting all organisms, the more robust the dynamic equilibrium of the planet becomes. My take on life is an antithesis of the modern understanding of it, and is in line with the message that Taro Okamoto sought to convey in 1970.

What is the “modern” understanding of life?

The view represented by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins’s idea of the “selfish gene.” This way of thinking posits that the ultimate goal of genetic evolution is self-propagation, and individual organisms are merely vehicles for genes. At the root of the “selfish gene” idea is the modern mechanistic view that life is a precision machine composed of molecules—a combination of tiny parts and components that together function like clockwork. That leads to

the impression that we can simply replace these parts when they break, the idea of manipulating life that underlies modern medicine and especially fields such as genetic engineering and regenerative medicine. This way of thinking is extremely selfish, and wrong.

How did you come to that conclusion?

For the first half of my scientific career, I was a molecular biologist, extracting DNA from cells, cutting and stretching it, and analyzing life mechanistically. However, when all human DNA had been analyzed and identified and the Human Genome Project was declared complete in 2003, what the discovery meant to me was that listing all the “parts” did not reveal anything about the meaning of life. What was revealed, instead, was that mechanistic theory had reached a dead end.

What do you think is the significance of showcasing this thinking in Japan, at the Osaka Expo, at this time?

The Western view of life, based on modern science, has been the originator and propagator of mechanistic theory in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In contrast, dynamic equilibrium thinking dovetails well with Eastern philosophy, which posits that life exists in everything. Asking the question “What is life?” anew at the Expo, in Japan, and by showing people that life isn’t selfish but altruistic, can be an opportunity to rethink human behavior and shift toward the altruistic view suggested by dynamic equilibrium thinking.

A BETTER tomorrow

Unlock previews the Expo 2025 Healthcare Pavilion, which aims to present a futuristic vision for health and wellness

Expo 2025 looks set to be the most wholesome world’s fair yet. Taking place from April to October next year on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka, this edition of the global exhibition will focus on life, health, and wellness under the theme “Designing future society for our lives.”

Aiming to bring the concept to, well, life is the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion, which will host one of the most extensive exhibitions at the site. Run by the Osaka prefectural and city governments together with local universities, companies, and organizations, the pavilion is expected to present a vision of healthcare and quality of life in the near future while showcasing Osaka as a sustainable city with world-class expertise in the medical and life sciences.

Here’s a preview of the experiential journey through which visitors to the pavilion will get a sense—and maybe a taste, too—of a healthier future.

Enter the future

Once you enter the pavilion, you’ll find yourself in the two-story structure’s central atrium. You may hear the sound of water flowing through the transparent roof above you, see sunlight streaming in, and even feel a gust of wind; the building has been designed to highlight the elements rather than separate you from them. Passing through the atrium, you’ll arrive at the Gate to the Future, an area filled with pods that scan visitors to provide them with a personal health record (PHR). Obtaining one here is key, as it’ll serve

as the foundation for the rest of your experience.

Meet a new you

After getting your personal health record, you’ll board a futuristic elevator-style “lift ride” to the second floor. Here you’ll come face to face with your “future self”— an avatar generated based on the data gathered by the PHR pod. In line with the pavilion’s concept, “Reborn,” this likeness symbolizes new aspects of yourself that might emerge as you experience the exhibition.

Enjoy personalized perks

In the next few exhibition sections, your PHR will be used to suggest practical solutions to various health-related issues. You may be presented with a menu of “future food” uniquely tailored to your health profile, or get to learn about medical innovations that might one day help you live better. You’ll also get to experience a city of the future through your digital self.

Gaze at local stars

Back at the atrium, you’ll meet the people and companies building Osaka’s future. This section will highlight cutting-edge technology and solutions developed by local SMEs and startups in the run-up to the Expo.

Finish off with a taste of Osaka

Your journey will end on a delicious note, as the pavilion’s last section is dedicated to the past, present, and future of Osaka’s renowned food culture. The culinary capital of Japan for centuries and a worldfamous street food wonderland, this is a city with an incredible appetite that offers mouthwatering options for every palate. Once you’ve had your fill of local flavors, don’t forget to check out the open-air area next to the pavilion, where you’ll be able to watch extended-reality theater and other futuristic forms of entertainment.

The Osaka Healthcare Pavilion will be located near the entrance to the Expo 2025 site, adjacent to Yumeshima metro station. Sections of its exhibition will also be made available for virtual viewing during the Expo period

l An artist’s impression of the Expo 2025 Healthcare Pavilion

SMALL wonders

Kazue Yokoi meets Kazunori Kataoka, a nano-biotech pioneer aiming to revolutionize medical treatment

In the 1966 sci-fi cult film Fantastic Voyage, a medical crew shrunk to microscopic size boards a minuscule submarine, journeying into the body of a comatose scientist in an effort to save his life. While miniature heroes and tiny submarines are unlikely to leave the realm of fiction for the foreseeable future, it’s not entirely unlike the futuristicsounding nanotechnology being developed by Kazunori Kataoka, director of the Innovation Center of Nanomedicine at the Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, located across the Tama River from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

Kataoka’s work on incredibly small capsules capable of delivering drugs into the body with pinpoint precision may, in the next few decades, change the way we think about medical care and supercharge the diagnosis and treatment of diseases including cancer and dementia.

Tiny miracles

The 73-year-old Kataoka has spent decades specializing in nano-capsules, infinitesimally small “machines” inserted into the human body that can cure diseases before their host even notices. These capsules are around the same size as a virus, or to put it another way, if the human body were as large as the Earth, one of Kataoka’s creations would be roughly as big as a single soccer ball.

A key step toward achieving the space age-esque vision of nano-medicine, and one presently engaging Kataoka’s institute, is perfecting the nano-capsule as a drug delivery system. This would solve many

l Kazunori Kataoka, director of the Innovation Center of Nanomedicine

of the problems currently affecting fields such as conventional cancer treatment, in which the powerful drugs available still often fail to cure patients due to them “missing” their target of cancer cells, getting lost within the body or attacking healthy cells and causing side effects.

Nano-capsules, also known as polymeric micelles, are string-like artificial molecules composed of a core, into which a drug can be inserted, and a shell that forms when the capsule comes into contact with water, supporting and stabilizing the core. Flexibility is one

of their key characteristics: the capsule can take almost any shape, allowing it to transport a wide variety of drugs, including ones in the form of comparatively large molecules such as DNA.

The capsules have various builtin features that make them adept at pinpointing their target within the body. For example, their 50-nanometer size allows them to find and enter the distinctive 100-nanometer holes that open up in blood vessels around cancer tissue when it spreads, but they can’t pass through the much smaller cavities in healthy tissue. In addition, the capsules are equipped with “sensors” that react to the acidic environment around tumors, so that they can release their drugs only when coming into contact with acidic tissue, minimizing the damage done to healthy parts of the body. Finally, the tiny travelers can be fitted with a “navigator” that senses cancer tissue and plots a direct path to it.

But all those features are useless if the capsule is discovered and destroyed by the immune system before it can complete its journey. To prevent that from happening, the micelles are made of compounds such as polyethylene glycol and polyamino acids that don’t elicit an immune response. “You can think of them as stealth fighters,” says Kataoka.

Big ambitions

Although nano-capsules’ cancer-fighting abilities often grab the biggest headlines, the machines may soon play a vital part in everything from the treatment of neurological diseases to vaccination and the removal of aged cells. Kataoka holds that such cells—the result of DNA damage caused by UV rays or other external factors—could be eliminated through the same process as that applied in nano-based cancer treatment.

And those applications are only the beginning: Kataoka’s ultimate aim is to develop a comprehensive system of nanomedicine combining detection, diagnosis, and treatment, which he thinks could be achieved around 2045. “That would allow you to protect the health of anyone, at any time, in any place,” he envisions. With research into nano-biotech taking strides in Kawasaki as well as around the world, words that once sounded like the stuff of science fiction are well on their way to becoming reality.

Cancer is responsible for around one in six deaths worldwide—but different types of the disease are more common in some regions than others. Since a small number of mainly Western pharmaceutical companies wield outsize influence on drug development, the need for treatments for ailments that disproportionately affect people in Asia has long remained unaddressed.

One of the region’s premier institutions in cancer research and treatment, Japan’s National Cancer Center (NCC) is looking across borders to fight types of cancer that occur predominantly in Asian populations. It’s teamed up with the Thai Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Medical Services (DMS) to

launch its first decentralized clinical trial of a new cancer drug.

As one of the leading specialist institutions in its field in Asia, the NCC conducts a wide variety of drug trials. However, participation in these was until recently limited to patients receiving treatment at the center’s own hospital in Tokyo. One way to tackle this problem is telemedicine, the use of which expanded dramatically in Japan during the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing the center to set up a framework of decentralized clinical trials together with other hospitals. Under the system, patients across Japan willing to take part could do so without the need to travel to the capital.

The next step is to expand telemedicine-based trials across borders.

GOING to trial

There’s long been a lack of treatments for types of cancer more common in Asia. But a pioneering new partnership between Japan and Thailand aims to develop the treatments needed. Kazue Yokoi has the details

“To develop a drug that can be approved for clinical use internationally, you need to conduct trials in multiple countries,” explains Dr. Kenichi Nakamura, director of the NCC’s Department of International Clinical Development. Involving several countries can also speed up the process of securing sufficient numbers of participants for a trial, as the potential patient pool is much larger than in a domestic case. International trials, however, are costly, monitoring of the process is often complicated, and differences in the quality of medical treatment from one country to the other can present problems.

According to Nakamura, telemedicine-based, decentralized trials have the potential to solve these issues, since they allow trial data to be shared directly online—removing the need for on-site monitoring in the partner country—and for Japanese and partner country doctors to work together on the diagnosis and treatment of trial participants. “The online element allows us to conduct international trials safely and efficiently, which means we can provide patients with results quicker than before,” says Nakamura.

ATLAS of the future

l Dr. Kenichi Nakamura

The joint effort by the NCC and Thailand’s DMS is conducted under the umbrella of the Asian Clinical Trials Network for Cancers (ATLAS) project, a Japan-led undertaking that seeks to build a pan-Asian research and trials network to fight cancers that are comparatively common in Asian patients. “These include stomach, head and neck, biliary tract, and cervical cancers,” says Nakamura. “As several of these diseases are less frequent outside of Asia, they aren’t considered high priority by Western pharma companies. That’s why Asian countries have to work together to conduct clinical trials and push for drug development.”

Besides new drugs, the ATLAS project also works on developing diagnostics and medical devices, involving 13 institutions across Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Nakamura hopes that the Japan–Thailand initiative can serve as a model for the project as a whole and attract the attention of global pharmaceutical firms. “By achieving a breakthrough with a network for clinical trials in Asia,” he says, “we hope to highlight the attractiveness of the Asian medical market globally.”

KISA TOYOSHIMA

Suffering a stroke or other brain injury is often a lifechanging event that can end a person’s professional career or, especially at an advanced age, mean that the patient spends the rest of their days in bed. In rapidly graying Japan, the number of people rendered immobile and dependent on around-the-clock care as the result of brain trauma—already notably high in comparison to other developed countries—is growing at an alarming rate.

But with proper treatment and the right rehabilitation program, making a virtually full recovery from a brain injury is possible, even later in life. In Japan, one of the most influential proponents of that inspiring message is Dr. Masaharu Sakoh, director of Tokyo’s Nerima Ken’ikukai Hospital and a leading authority on brain rehab. Sakoh advocates a regimen of “aggressive rehabilitation,” which is based on starting rehab as soon as possible after the injury and minimizing bed rest to improve the patient’s cardiopulmonary function and rebuild their physical and cognitive abilities. The aim is to quickly recover the ability to stand up and walk— the key to an active life—and then work on mobility, stamina, and communication in order to allow the patient to return to life outside the hospital.

Brain power

Sakoh, who worked as a neurosurgeon for nearly two decades, decided to specialize in rehabilitation after three years spent teaching at Aarhus University in Denmark. There he studied the brain’s remarkable ability to heal itself and how neuroscience can be employed to design more effective forms of rehab. “I saw so many brain injury patients struggle after being released from hospital,” he says. “I thought it was important to figure out how to help those people who don’t recover [sufficiently] only with surgery and treatment, how to get them moving again.”

ROADS TO recovery

Akiko Toya meets Dr. Masaharu Sakoh, whose “aggressive” approach to rehabilitation is helping stroke victims live longer and fuller lives after leaving hospital

l Dr. Masaharu Sakoh

neighborhoods. Sakoh’s ideas have been adopted by several municipalities, with his suggestions reflected in the layout of areas such as Futako-Tamagawa in southern Tokyo and the “Healthy Road” in Hatsudai, which features well-lit,

accessible pavements lined by health and welfare facilities.

“My work in community design is based on encouraging people with diminished physical or mental capacities to get out into the world and enjoy themselves,” says Sakoh. “It’s an extension of rehabilitation; a way to increase the social impact of what I do.” But challenges still remain on this front, especially when it comes to getting the rest of society on board. Japan’s long-term care insurance system pays for day care and services for the elderly and people with disabilities, with about 60,000 facilities nationwide offering such services. “But none of those espouse aggressive rehabilitation yet,” says Sakoh. “I’d be happy to share my expertise to change that, so that patients can continue to receive the care they need after being discharged.”

KISA TOYOSHIMA

While many neurosurgeons pass the scalpel to younger colleagues and pivot to rehabilitation later in their careers, Sakoh decided to switch tracks before even hitting his prime. In addition to helping stroke victims return to an active, independent life, he lobbies urban planners to take the elderly and those with health complications better into account when designing streets and

Countries like Japan have the resources to make it possible for people to remain happy and productive longer

Sakoh’s wish may come true sooner rather than later, as his ideas are gaining prominence both in super-aging Japan and overseas. A nationwide mayors’ forum recently invited him to give a keynote lecture, and he will also be speaking at the international Ageing Asia Innovation Forum in Singapore this May. “There’s great interest in the field of rehabilitation and in how to prolong people’s active lives,” Sakoh says. “Countries like Japan have the resources to make it possible for people to remain happy and productive longer, and our elderly have the desire and ability to do so.” And the doctor himself has no plans to slow down with age. “I intend to keep working until I hit 103,” he says with a laugh.

Remote and hybrid work took a giant leap forward during the Covid-19 pandemic, but many companies around the world are now ramping up efforts to have their people return to the office. That’s particularly true in Japan, where long hours spent on company premises have traditionally been the norm. But while some firms are struggling to balance the expectations of management and the wishes of employees now used to clocking in from home, others are taking a proactive approach to exploring new styles of work.

One company going all in with a permanent arrangement for hybrid work is the medical tech manufacturer Olympus, which recently caused a bit of a stir in Japan’s business world by announcing the relocation of its global head office from central Tokyo to the western suburb of Hachioji. The move, officially set to take effect in April, is described as an extension of the firm’s ambition to reinvent itself and the way its employees work.

Open for business

That new course was laid out in a transformation plan announced in 2019, on the company’s 100th anniversary, when Olympus moved to sell off its wellknown camera and scientific instruments businesses to focus exclusively on medical technology such as endoscopes. The plan also called for the company to become “truly global” by adopting new governance standards, as well as integrated, worldwide finance and talent management structures, to match its market-leading position.

Then the pandemic hit, and the company had yet another transformation on its hands—one it decided to make a central element of the new Olympus. “We started examining what style of work might best serve our [new] goals,” says Yoshio Tashiro, corporate officer and the point man of the company’s work style reform efforts. “We realized that we need a more efficient and productive way of working…and decided to push for an office tailored to and supportive of [hybrid work].”

In an effort to diversify working styles and locations, Olympus chose to set up its new global headquarters in Hachioji, where the company has operated a key R&D plant since 1963. That facility is now being reshaped into an office founded on openness and flexibility,

OUT OF office

Ili Saarinen hears global medical tech company Olympus’s plans for a smart, digital-powered style of hybrid work

where engineers and researchers share all equipment, working in standardized labs that can easily be customized for specific tasks and returned to their original state in minutes. Employees from across the company interact in open lounges rather than behind closed conference-room doors. Most importantly, they are able to make their own decisions on when to come to the office and why. All this is intended to let employees focus on their core tasks, facilitate communication across departments and teams, and increase productivity and creativity. “We hope to make new ideas flourish while allowing for the happiness of each individual,” says Tashiro.

Support systems

Digital tools are another cornerstone of this next-generation office. “Our IT taskforce has sought to improve user satisfaction with smart office solutions,” says Toru Yamaki, Olympus’s IT infrastructure manager. Chief among these is Smart Office Navigator, a system provided by Uchida Yoko Co. Ltd. that combines features including meetingroom reservation, real-time congestion maps, and information on the availability of facilities and equipment.

More interestingly from a management perspective, “[Smart Office Navigator] can also be used to integrate and analyze data gained by monitoring people’s behavior in the office,” say Uchida Yoko’s Tatsuro Nagasawa and Futaba Harui. “The purpose of using [such] data is to understand how employees collaborate with each other,” Tashiro explains. “Personal information is scrambled, but we can see patterns like where and to what extent people from different departments are working together, which could be analyzed to facilitate innovation,” says Yoshiatsu Murata, executive officer at Uchida Yoko.

At the end of the day, Olympus’s reconceptualization of the workplace comes back to a simple goal—one that perhaps should inform any attempt to write new rules for work. “The main thing is to have [our people] enjoy what they do, including at the office,” says Tashiro. “Being [in the business of health], ensuring employee wellbeing is essential for us as a company.”

l Yoshio Tashiro

teamLab Borderless

WHAT IS IT?

In February world-conquering art collective teamLab’s signature museum, teamLab Borderless, made a highly anticipated comeback in central Tokyo, opening in the new Azabudai Hills complex. When the former Borderless opened in June 2018, it quickly became a huge sensation—not just in Tokyo but also in the international art scene— beloved for its immersive digital art installations that seamlessly merged and interacted with other artworks across rooms as well as with the wide-eyed spectators taking in all this visual overload.

WHAT TO EXPECT

This is not a carbon copy of the former Odaiba facility. The all-new Borderless features several never-been-seen installations making their world debut. These new creations are breathtaking— and represent an evolution of the collective’s most iconic works.

Immersive Fort Tokyo

WHAT IS IT?

Taking over Odaiba’s kitschy VenusFort shopping mall—which closed in 2022—is Immersive Fort Tokyo. As its name suggests, this theme park is a hands-on affair, offering experiences inspired by London’s

UNLOCK Tokyo

Tokyo is constantly reinventing itself, meaning even the most frequent visitors to the city will always find something new to discover. Here are five newly opened or soon-to-open facilities in Tokyo that are worth getting excited about

immensely popular interactive theater shows such as those by pioneers Punchdrunk.

WHAT TO EXPECT

When it opens in early March, Immersive Fort Tokyo will have 12 attractions as well as six stores and restaurants within the sprawling 30,000-sqm facility. The attractions are all interactive

in nature, meaning that you play a key role in the development of the stories and narratives. You could be solving a homicide in “The Sherlock – Baker Street Murder Case,” evading the titular killer in the “Jack the Ripper” horror maze, or fighting gang members in the “Tokyo Revengers”-themed escape room.

Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai

WHAT IS IT?

Tokyo’s Toyosu district, home to one

teamLab Borderless

Immersive Fort Tokyo

of the world’s greatest seafood markets and an amazing digital art museum, is getting even more exciting. The new Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai aims to recreate the nostalgic townscape of Edo-period (1603–1868) Tokyo, and fill it with a host of lifestyle facilities including shops, restaurants, and a 24-hour onsen spa.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Having thrown its doors open on February 1, Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai comprises two sections. The commercial wing is home to the Toyosu Offsite Edomae Market, offering fresh seafood from the nearby Toyosu Market as well as restaurants serving classic Japanese fare including ramen, sushi, and tempura. The spa wing, meanwhile, has ten levels of wellness facilities that are open around the clock. There are a variety of baths with mineral-rich water sourced

from the Hakone-Yugawara hot springs, plus an open-air footbath garden on the roof that looks out to the scenic waterfront.

Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado

WHAT IS IT?

Taking up prime real estate in Shibuya at the intersection of Omotesando and Meiji-dori is a new shopping mall called Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado. Its edgy architecture, which resembles the geometric glass shapes of Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku across the road, is the work of Japanese architect Akihisa Hirata.

WHAT TO EXPECT

When it opens later in spring, Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado will house a food hall on its 5th and 6th floors, featuring new ventures by some of Tokyo’s most renowned chefs. In the basement you’ll find a modern sento operated by the long-established Kosugi-yu bathhouse in Koenji. But the building’s main draw will be the stunning vertical garden that stretches across its upper floors.

Toritsu Meiji Park

WHAT IS IT?

This new city-center green oasis next

to the Japan National Stadium (aka the Tokyo Olympic Stadium) is within walking distance from Kokuritsu-Kyogijo and Sendagaya stations. Toritsu Meiji Park, as it’s called, currently has four areas. The grass lawn that’s been named the Plaza of Hope is the park’s main focal point and surrounding it you’ll find the Inclusive Plaza with minimalist play equipment, and the Michi Plaza with a small stream and 13 types of cherry blossom trees. The most impressive section is the Forest of Pride, which has 508 deciduous and 214 evergreen trees planted across 7,500 square meters.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Parts of the park have already been open since October last year, and six more sections are expected to open across spring. Toritsu Meiji Park’s upcoming features include a café, restaurant, outdoor activity shop, and relaxation center.

An artist’s impression of Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado

KISA TOYOSHIMA| RUNA AKAHOSHI

Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai

Toritsu Meiji Park

CULTURE club

How should Japan go about promoting its culture to a global audience? Two experts weigh in

Shunichi

As any visitor to this country can attest, Japan boasts a remarkable, hard to rival cultural abundance spanning from ancient temples and traditions to anime—a seemingly inexhaustible resource that lends the nation global soft-power clout. But the worldwide popularity of Japanese culture is arguably more the result of interest and discovery from abroad than a consequence of the country’s at times awkward efforts (“Cool Japan,” anyone?) to advertise itself.

The perceived failure of Japan’s international PR push stands in stark contrast to the triumphs of its neighbor,

South Korea, whose recent, distinctively government-backed rise to pop-cultural world domination has caused much handwringing in Tokyo. What, then, should Japan do differently? Unlock asked two experts in the field to share their insights.

Shunichi Tokura, commissioner of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs, is a decorated composer whose cosmopolitan career has lent him a deep perspective on his native country’s image abroad. For Tokura, Japan’s greatest strengths stem from its long history and intricate culture. “[International tourists] visit because they are attracted by the [wealth of cultural] assets we have,” he says. “It’s our traditions, systems, and customs, things

that go back centuries [that fascinate visitors].” Jacob Benbunan, CEO of Saffron Brand Consultants, agrees. “The obsession for detail, the craftsmanship, the upholding of ancient traditions; these are things you won’t find anywhere else,” he says. Benbunan, whose firm led Facebook’s transformation into Meta and is noted for its work rebranding places including London, Vienna, and Riyadh’s creative district, stresses that Japan holds the keys to creating a persuasive global brand. “A brand is the promise of an experience delivered, and the experience of visiting Japan, the way it’s delivered no matter where you go, is incredible,” he says.

Down to a tea

Selling that experience in a persuasive way, however, is where things get tricky. Tokura evokes a scene from the world of tea to illustrate the unwillingness of many in Japan to engage in promotion. The host of a tea ceremony may pay a fortune for a finely crafted cup. He places the vessel in his tea room but never mentions it, expecting only knowledgeable guests to bring it up, and plays down his treasure even when it comes up in conversation. “It’s the ‘Oh, you noticed?’ approach,” Tokura laughs. “Promoting yourself is almost [seen as] something vulgar,” Benbunan agrees. “[Expecting excellence to speak for itself] is all great and elegant, but at the end of the day, you really have to tell the world to come [to Japan].”

This need to stand up and get noticed is recognized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, a body founded to safeguard the nation’s cultural heritage, in which the mindset shift needed to galvanize Japan’s publicity efforts is already underway.

“[As commissioner] I’ve given all of our divisions the mission to [think about] how they can publicize what’s going on in their respective fields,” says Tokura. The agency’s pivot to a more PR-focused attitude also entails embracing culture in all its forms, including by sponsoring Summer Sonic, one of the country’s biggest rock festivals.

In Benbunan’s view, these initiatives make for a promising start to a project that should aim to arrive at a consistent message. “You need a central, powerful idea [to promote] Japanese culture,” he says, “something to define Japan as a brand.” A tricky proposition, perhaps, but surely nothing unattainable for a country with the luxury of drawing on some of the world’s most iconic cultural imagery.

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Tokura in conversation with Jacob Benbunan

ETIQUETTE GUIDE: A HELPING

HAND

What to do, where to go and what to say should you get injured or taken ill in Japan

Guide: Ili Saarinen and Marcus Webb

DO: Be prepared

Japan’s national health insurance system doesn’t cover visitors and foreign health insurance isn’t valid, so it is highly recommended you sort out good travel insurance before making your way here as medical bills can quickly rack up. If you have a preexisting condition or other health issue, it is a good idea to fill out the JNTO’s form for “personal information concerning medical care” (available from jnto.go.jp) and carry it with you at all times while in the country.

DON’T: Forget your paperwork

People on prescription medications are allowed to bring a month’s supply for their own use into Japan, but will also need to provide a copy of the prescription and a doctor’s note to avoid any trouble at customs. For more than that, you need to apply for an import certificate (yunyu kakunin-sho) from the Ministry of Health, which can take time. Drugs containing “stimulants” (for example ADHD treatments such as Adderall) are illegal in Japan and can’t be brought in, whereas drugs with psychotropics (e.g. diazepam/valium) have a lower, stricter, import limit than regular medicines. A full list is available from ncd.mhlw.go.jp.

DO: Know your pharmacy

Common over-the-counter medicines are available at drugstores (doraggu sutoa) which are easily found in towns and cities across the country. Anything

stronger is handled by pharmacies (yakkyoku), but prescriptions issued outside of Japan aren’t accepted and pharmacists in Japan aren’t permitted to prescribe medicines themselves; that needs to be done by a doctor.

DON’T: Forget the magic numbers

The medical emergency phone number is 119; if you can’t call yourself, ask someone “kyukyusha o yonde kudasai” (“please call an ambulance”). You can also dial 110, which is a more general emergency number that connects to the police first. For mental health emergencies, there’s the TELL LifeLine: 03 5774 0992/ telljp.com

DO: Check your medical service before going

Japan’s health services are quite regimented, with different hospitals and clinics specializing in different types of care. Japan Medical Service Accreditation for International Patients (jmip.jme.or.jp) has a list of hospitals and clinics certified as being able to provide care to international patients along with their opening hours and specialisms.

DON’T: Just head to the nearest hospital

Regular hospitals and clinics aren’t open at night or on the weekends or holidays—if you need help out of hours then you should look for kyukyu byoin (emergency hospitals).

DO: Learn some useful medical phrases

While many doctors in major cities across Japan are likely to speak some English, that’s not often the case among other members of staff or in rural areas of the country. As such it might be useful to know a few key medical phrases such as:

“Guai ga warui desu”

– “I’m not feeling well”

“Netsu desu”

– “I have a fever”

“Koko ga itai desu”

– “It hurts here”

“Byoin ni ikitai desu”

– “I need to go to the hospital”

“Arerugi ga arimasu”

– “I have an allergy”