Discover insider tips, travel guides, and inspiring stories for your next adventure in Japan
The Hakone Open-Air Museum in Kanagawa unveiled its first Yayoi Kusama acquisition on April 19, 2026 — the rare granite sculpture "I Am a Pumpkin" (2013), now on permanent display in a newly redesigned outdoor garden area.
On May 9 and 10, 2026, Snow Peak Land Station HAKUBA hosts an outdoor wine and food event featuring Nagano Prefecture wines, live music, DJ performances, and live painting against the spring backdrop of the Northern Alps.
Starting May 18, 2026, a limited-edition digital travel pass goes on sale, bundling Seibu Railway all-day access, bus transfers to metsä, a Moominvalley Park day pass, and a local shopping coupon for Hanno City stores.
A pop-up celebrating Heisei-era kawaii culture, featuring the first collaboration between Hoppechan and Heisei Fancy Characters, runs at Daimaru Kobe through May 18, 2026.
Now in its 5th year, Hotel Metropolitan Morioka's WELLNESS TIME 2026 event offers five sessions of Zen meditation led by a temple abbot, followed by a traditional shojin cuisine breakfast — open to both first-timers and returning participants.
S.Weil by HOTEL NEW GRAND at Yokohama Takashimaya is introducing a refreshing new Lemon Pie dessert this early summer, featuring a tangy lemon cream layered beneath a smooth yogurt cream, available from May 1 through August 31, 2026.
Hotel New Otani Makuhari's Japanese restaurant Senbazuru is offering the limited-time "Okonomi Don Gozen (Kiwami)" from May 7 to June 30, 2026, letting diners choose any two mini donburi from a selection of ten varieties.
To celebrate the upcoming Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 5, innisfree is launching a special limited edition collection featuring beloved characters, available in limited quantities from May 1st, 2026.
For the month of June 2026, Sanyoso in Izu-Nagaoka Onsen will host a limited-time Japanese Garden Café within its nationally registered tangible cultural property main building, where visitors can enjoy locally sourced tea and sweets while gazing over the historic garden.
Izu Shaboten Animal Park is experiencing a wave of newborns this spring, with six species — including Indian crested porcupines, ring-tailed lemurs, lesser galagos, kinkajous, prairie dogs, and Egyptian fruit bats — born between February and April 2026.
Three restaurants at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo are serving seasonal menus centered on fresh herbs and early summer ingredients, running from May 1 through June 30, 2026.
Chihiro Rokuhira and Hakuri Sazanami from the manga Kagurabachi are joining MegaHouse's "Look Up" figure series, featuring seated figures that look up at approximately 110mm tall, priced at 4,620 yen each with a scheduled release in late October 2026.