E-Newsletter

CASE STUDY: Tokyo welcomes a large-scale Indonesian incentive

A well-known Indonesian insurance company incentive group of 1,150 participants visited Tokyo during May 13-17, 2015 to enjoy the traditional and modern spots of Tokyo, the Japanese capital, as well as local cuisine and shopping at world-famous districts.

As one of the highlights of the event, the Gala Dinner was held on May 15 in the Konron Ballroom of the International Convention Center "Pamir" located in the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa.

Gorgeously appareled Indonesian participants were welcomed at the ballroom entrance by beautiful Japanese Kimono Girls, the entertainers from Asakusa, a traditional district in Tokyo. The participants were greatly impressed by the furisode* kimonos specially prepared as a treat. These pink-colored kimonos richly patterned with seasonal flowers are only worn in May during the Sanja Matsuri**.

The Gala Dinner began with the national anthem sang in unison. When the party was reaching the climax after the awards ceremony of the top performers of the year, the Ryoma String Quartet featuring a female singer, Mikiko-san, appeared on the stage. Being composed by traditional Japanese instruments and violin, the band played several numbers, specially arranged Indonesian melodies and songs. When the nationally famous "Coffee rumba" began, the participants joined the band to sing and dance to the music on the stage and the floor. They fully enjoyed the final night in Tokyo to their heart's content.

As TCVB's special offer, financial support was provided including airfare, accommodation fee, ground transportation for Tokyo study tours held in 2014 and arrangement for the cultural entertainment programs at the Gala Dinner such as Kimono Girls and Ryoma String Quartet.

Business Events Team did the very best to work as a point of contact for the local community in Tokyo by introducing the venues and suppliers as well as giving recommendation on the gifts to the participants. The big success of this Gala Dinner has proven that Tokyo has a great potential. _____________________
*Furisode is the most formal long kimono usually worn only by single women.
**Sanja Matsuri (literally Three Shrine Festival), or Sanja Festival, is one of the three great Shinto festivals held in Tokyo.

UIC HIGHSPEED World Congress opens in Tokyo today!

The world's most important meeting for high-speed rail, the 9th UIC World Congress on High Speed Rail, is taking place from July 7 to 10, 2015 at the Tokyo International Forum for the first time in Japan.

Under the theme of "Celebrate the Past, Design the Future", the congress is coordinated by UIC, International Union of Railways, and JR East, East Japan Railway Company in collaboration with all parties involved in high-speed rail in Japan. More than 1,000 participants from all over the world are expected to join this Congress held once in several years, to exchange views on the development and achievements of high-speed rail worldwide. Furthermore, an exhibition showcasing high-speed rail products and services is also being held during the Congress.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government supports this Congress by sponsoring Japanese cultural programs and city tours for the overseas participants.

One-of-a-kind lifestyle experiences in the heart of Tokyo

A year has passed since Andaz Tokyo made its debut in Japan as one of the best venues to hold unique events, right in the center of Tokyo. On June 11 2015, Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills celebrated its first anniversary. "A year ago, it was all about delivering to our guests the philosophy behind Andaz", commented General Manager Arnaud de Saint-Exupéry, "Today, it is our guests who are defining the brand - each experience is driven by their personal style and preferences, creating a strong emotional connection with the brand, team and location."

For Andaz Tokyo, a collaboration of two designers - renowned designer Toni Chi from New York and Tokyo-based Shinichiro Ogata - has been critical to the hotel's approach of merging local culture with design. Both designers completed the hotel's interior design in harmonizing unique and detailed perspectives of Japanese style. Reflecting Japan's cultural emphasis on beauty and purity of form, they used natural unique materials such as washi paper, walnut wood and granite throughout the spaces. Traditional fittings, such as shoji paper screens, have been transformed into modern partitions that create harmonious spatial sequences without physical barriers.

In celebration of the hotel's first anniversary, Andaz Tokyo hosted a one-day only Andaz Summer Festival. In line with the personal style concept, a variety of live music performances including jazz, classical music, and Latin music were played on the rooftop.

Looking to the future, de Saint-Exupéry has an optimistic idea. He commented "In accordance with the favorable expansion of Japan's in-bound tourism, Andaz Tokyo is well positioned to provide one-of-a-kind lifestyle experiences for all its guests and visitors in the heart of Tokyo".

For more information, please visit http://www.andaztokyo.com

Tokyo ranked 6th in the world on UIA International Meetings Statistics Report

According to the latest Union of International Associations (UIA) Statistics on international meetings held around the world in 2014, Tokyo ranked 6th in the category of meetings held by international organizations and other international meetings. In Asia, Tokyo ranked 3rd place following Singapore and Seoul, while retaining position in UIA's top ten cities for the fifth consecutive year.

Reference: Union of International Associations - International Meetings Statistics report - 56th edition.

Tokyo - the most liveable city in Monocle magazine's 2015 Quality of Live Survey.

Rising from the 2nd place in 2014 and 4th in 2013, Tokyo was named the most liveable city, followed by Vienna, Berlin, Melbourne and Sydney, in the 2015 Quality of Live Survey in the Monocle magazine.

In addition to the criteria surveyed traditionally, such as safety, international connectivity, public transport, tolerance and environmental issues, Monocle has added 22 new metrics, including several that look at housing and the cost of living, from the price of a three-bedroom house to the cost of a coffee, glass of wine and decent lunch. Furthermore, access to nature, urban design, business conditions, pro-active policy development and medical care has been more emphasized.

Summarizing this year's survey results, Monocle magazine stated, "Tokyo claims the hotly debated crown due to its defining paradox of heart-stopping size and concurrent feeling of peace and quiet".