An Opportunityfor Overseas Visitors to Experience Japanese Culture Such as Traditional Pleasure Boats and Rickshaws
OMOTENASHI NIHONBASHI
Event to Be Held From October 9, 2012 (Tuesday) to October 14, 2012 (Sunday) in Nihonbashi District

September 11, 2012
NihonbashiOmotenashiEventCommittee
Meikyo Nihonbashi Hozonkai, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

The NihonbashiOmotenashiEvent Committee will hold OMOTENASHI NIHONBASHI, a participation-oriented event for overseas visitors, in the Nihonbashi district from October 9 (Tuesday) to October 14 (Sunday). The NihonbashiOmotenashiEvent Committee consists of various bodies from the Nihonbashi district, such as Meikyo Nihonbashi Hozonkai, Nihombashi Ryouri Inshoku Gyo Kumiai, and Hisamatsu Ryouri Inshoku Gyo Kumiai.

OMOTENASHI NIHONBASHI will be held to mark the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group (October 9-14), which will be hosted in Tokyo for the first time in 48 years. The event will welcome visitors to experience various aspects of Japanese culture, including traditional yakata-buneboat cruises, rickshaw town cruises, and a kimono experience and exhibition.

Furthermore, the Nihonbashi district will take this opportunity to implement measures to improve hospitality for tourists from abroad. These include preparing tourist maps of the Nihonbashi area in English, and translating the menus and merchandise of approximately 250 business establishments, including long-standing restaurants and shops, into English.

From October 9 to 23, a period that includes the event, various events will be held to celebrate Nihonbashi and all it hasto offer in the autumn. Events will include TOKYO KIMONO WEEK 2012, a kimono-themed program featuring a group photo session of people wearing kimono (October 21) on Nihonbashi Bridge, and the Special Kimono Campaign (to be held during event period). Another highlight on October 21 will beNihonbashi Kyobashi Festival O-edo Kakki Parade, which is a parade of some 3,000 participants bringing together traditional entertainment and arts from regions across Japan.

Main OMOTENASHI NIHONBASHI Events

• Nihonbashi Autumn Decoration & Rickshaw Town Cruise (October 9-14)
  The Flower Plazanext toNihonbashiBridge, animportant cultural property of Japan that celebrated its 100th anniversary of construction last year, will be decoratedin the style of a traditional Japanese garden. Rickshaw town cruiseswill also be offered free of charge. These cruiseswill take visitors around the Nihonbashi area, which is said to be the birthplace of the rickshaw*.
  * The rickshaw issaid to have originated in 1870 at the foot of Nihonbashi bridge (the current Flower Plaza).
• Kimono Exhibition and Kimono Experience(October 11-13)
  A kimono-themed exhibition featuring kabuki costumes, which are a hallmark of Japanese culture, will be held, along with a kimono fitting experience.
• Nihonbashi OMOTENASHI Yakata-buneBoat (October 11-12)
  Night cruises on traditional yakata-buneboats will beheld. The cruises will depart from the NihonbashiBoarding Dock,which opened last year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the construction of Nihonbashi Bridge, and follow the Sumida River to the Tokyo Bay, where they will circle the waterfront. Participants will enjoy spectacular night viewswith Japanese sake and bento-type dinner packed with delicious traditional Japanese foods, Geisha ladies will offer a full evening of entertainment with traditional party games.
• EDO ART EXPO “An Evening of Traditional Arts and Entertainment” (October 9)
  Part 1 of the program, the audience will see performances of various traditional Japanese arts such as classical Japanese dance and koto music. In Part 2, certain scenes from Hiroshige’sukiyo-e artwork One Hundred Famous Views of Edo will be staged by models sought from the general public, including non-Japanese.

Welcome to Nihonbashi Autumn Decoration

Kimono fittingexperience

Night cruise on traditional yakata-buneboat

About NihonbashiOmotenashiExecutiveCommittee
Nihonbashi Omotenashi Executive Committee was formed in February 2012 for the purpose of improving hospitality for tourists visiting Nihonbashi from abroad. The Committee primarily consists of Meikyo Nihonbashi Hozonkai, Nihombashi Ryouri Inshoku Gyo Kumiai, Hisamatsu Ryouri Inshoku Gyo Kumiai and local companies.

AboutMeikyo Nihonbashi Hozonkai
Nihonbashi Bridge is Japan’s most famous bridge and the origin of the country’s Five Routes, which were the five major roads linking Edo (present-day Tokyo) with other parts of Japan. In 1963, the scenic beauty of the bridge was impaired when it was covered by the newly built Metropolitan Expressway. Meikyo Nihonbashi Hozonkai (The Famed Nihonbashi Bridge Preservation Society) was launched in 1968 with the view to reviving the Nihonbashi Bridge areaand leaving it in the best possible condition for future generations. Today, Meikyo Nihonbashi Hozonkai conducts publicity activities to promote the Nihonbashi area through various events, such as the “Cleanup of the famed Nihonbashi Bridge.”

Mitsui Fudosan is working on the Nihonbashi Revitalization Plan, a collaborative public, private and community initiative based on the concept of “Proceeding to Create While Retaining and Reviving.” This initiative aims to revitalize the Nihonbashi area while creating new attractions within the town. As part of these efforts, Mitsui Fudosan has become a co-organizer of the OMOTENASHI NIHONBASHI event, and will participate in the event as well as in theNihonbashiOmotenashiEvent Committee and the MeikyoNihonbashiHozonkai.

OMOTENASHI NIHONBASHI Event Details(PDF:710KB)

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