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Experience the history and culture of Japan.
"Japan 2010 Big Event" is a special event that allows tourists from abroad to get in touch with much of the history and culture of Japan. By joining this event, you will surely become better versed in things Japanese.
The Heijokyo 1,300th Anniversary Festival
Project overview and main events:
As a festivity commemorating a milestone event—the 1,300th anniversary of Japan's ancient capital of Heijokyo—various attractive and elegant events will be held in Nara Prefecture and other areas. The main site at Heijokyu Ruins will see a replica of daigokuden seiden (the central site for politics and rituals during the Heijokyo era) on display, along with events and a parade intended to re-create the culture and customs from those days. One attraction will have guardsmen dressed in period outfits manning Suzakumon, the main gate to Heijokyu palace. Other events will include special opening of temples and shrines to the public, festivities involving flowers and greenery, walking events for strolling along ancient roads, and many other events allowing you to experience the history, culture, and nature in Nara Prefecture and other areas.
Period：
January 1 to December 31, 2010 Heijokyu ruins: April 24 to November 7, 2010
Venue：
Main site: Heijokyu Ruins
Other sites: Various places in Nara Prefecture and other parts of the Kansai region
Setouchi International Art Festival 2010
Project overview and main events：
Islands in the Seto Inland Sea that offer beautiful scenery and nature will set the stage for holding an upcoming international festival of modern art. The Seto Inland Sea has been traversed by ships going and coming since olden times as a major trade route. This sea has thus been the passage for receiving various forms of culture and lifestyles that have been inherited up to the present day as traditional customs, while linking with the indigenous culture of the individual islands. The beautiful nature, indigenous culture and history of islands in the Seto Inland Sea have been crystallized in the form of art through a collaboration involving modern artists, architects and island residents. Come to Naojima, internationally known as a sacred place for modern art, and visit the other personality-rich islands in the Seto Inland Sea to get in touch with the world of new arts that stimulate the five senses.
Period：
July 19, to October 31, 2010
Venue：
Seven islands in the Seto Inland Sea (Naoshima, Teshima, Megijima, Ogijima, Shodoshima, Oshima, Inujima) + Takamatsu
Shinshu Destination Campaign
Project overview and main events：
Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture) is a very attractive sightseeing area dotted with major sightseeing spots like Zenkoji Temple, Karuizawa and Matsumoto Castle (a national treasure), in addition to many ski resorts and hot springs. This is where our large-scale tourism campaign called the Shinshu Destination Campaign (“Shinshu DC”) and sponsored by railway companies, municipal governments and tourism-related companies will be held from October to December 2010.
With the catch-phrase “Walk Unknown Trails in Shinshu,” Shinshu DC offers visitors “healthy, eco-friendly walking tours” that allow them to enjoy Shinshu’s beautiful scenery, as well as heart-warming encounters with locals. Shinshu DC offers not only fully fledged walking tours such as trekking, but also “slow walking tours” where participants can enjoy walking leisurely through towns and visiting spa facilities.
You will never fail to find tour destinations in Shinshu that suit your travel style, as we offer the following diverse kinds of tour packages: 1) an “eating tour” including a tour of Shinshu’s eateries and restaurants, and visits to Japanese wine and bean past cellars; 2) a “historical and cultural tour” that includes a visit to Zenkoji Temple’s Seven Deities of Good Fortune, strolling around Matsushiro Castle, and walking along the old salt road (Chikuni Highway); 3) a “communing with nature tour” that includes a guided tour to Japan’s North Alps by Hakuba Meister and therapeutic walks in Akasawa Natural Recreational Forest; 4) a “fall foliage and color tour” that includes a visit to Kamikochi and a boat tour along the Tenryu River; and 5) a “hot springs tour” that allows you to enjoy Shinshu’s abundant hot springs. Moreover, a new type of hybrid resort train is expected to begin service in the fall of 2010, making your train journey in Shinshu even more fun and attractive.
Shinshu—where Japanese culture and old traditions remain very much alive, along with Japan’s natural beauty—welcomes and awaits your visit.
Period：
October to December 2010
Area：
Six Areas of Shinshu
About the destination to an external site
