With Tokyo’s state of emergency extended for yet another month, many of you will no doubt be hunkering down indoors till March 7 and beyond. If circumstance plants you in the Tokyo Station area, however, there are some interesting – and social distancing-friendly – events and experiences worth checking out. Meanwhile, as has become the tradition over the preceding year, many of the usual offerings have shifted their attention online.
Here’s what’s new around Tokyo Station for February 2021:
New Virus-free “Wellness” Rooms at the Courtyard by Marriot Tokyo Station
At the Courtyard by Marriot Tokyo Station, state-of-the-art hotel rooms have been introduced under the collective name “Pure Wellness”. Ten of the luxury hotel’s 150 guest rooms have new wellness installations designed to remove 94% to 100% of dirty particles and irritants – including viruses, molds, and pollen – from circulating air, walls, carpets and surfaces.
From February 1 the hotel is offering a Wellness Stay at Courtyard Package, which includes a stay in one of the 10 selected rooms, alongside breakfast and a selection of elegant herbal teas. Rates start from 18,150 yen per room and can be booked online.
Tokyo’s Music Aid Run 2021
With city-wide interest in running and jogging skyrocketing in 2020 as a result of Covid-19-imposed constraints, the Tokyo Music Aid Run 2021 – taking place between 5 am and 9 pm on March 7 – is set to attract huge numbers of socially-distanced competitors. Better yet, anyone can join and from any location in the capital; all you need is the free smartphone app linked to the events which come in 3km, 5km, 10km, and 21.097km formats.
30 cloud-based “Music Aid Stations” will be peppered across Tokyo – like refueling stations in a marathon – which you can find via the SoundMap on the event application Runtrip. Runners visiting these stations will be provided with AI-curated music mixes in coordination with their location information. A couple of these stations are in the immediate Tokyo Station area – at Edo Castle Sakuradamon and by the Nihonbashi Kirin Statues.
There is a 1,000-yen participation fee for each event, with a towel and prizes included in the cost. Applications are accepted until February 28.
Valentine’s Season Chocolate Spree
February is here, which means so is the chocolatey deluge which floods Tokyo’s bakeries and depachika floors in shopping centers as Valentine’s Day draws closer. Though you won’t have to go much further than your local convenience store to sense that love – or at least a lust for chocolate – is in the air, the sweets selections around Tokyo Station this year are particularly decadent.
A range of desserts are available at Tokyo Gift Palette on the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station, with a seasonal focus on strawberries and cream. With advanced reservations, La Boutique de Joel Robuchon in Marunouchi is offering truffle bonbons with champagne or chocolate fondant – along with Valentine’s gift sets online.
You can indulge at the “Sweets Collection” x “Anko Expo” in the Mitsukoshi Main Building in Nihonbashi (selected treats available on the website). Or you could check out the Amour du Chocolat festival at Nihonbashi Takashimaya, where some of the chocolate gift sets double up as wedding proposals. The Marunouchi Valentine Market 2021 is also running at Marucube on the 1st floor of the Marunouchi Building from February 5. All of the above offerings run through February 14.
The Unveiling of Virtual Marunouchi
On the western side of Tokyo Station, one can find Marucube, a glass-walled event space built with Japan’s increasingly digital future in mind. Marucube’s Virtual Marunouchi project aims to provide a digital platform for users to experience the area remotely while the government’s requests to forego non-essential travel continue. Users can explore the space from anywhere in the world and can create individual avatars through which they can express emotions or offer comments and applause.
The opening event, replete with a game show and a singing comedian, is set for February 21 from 1 to 9 pm. To participate, create a free account with social networking and virtual world app Cluster.
Grab a Playful Picco Stool – Winner of the Chicago Good Design Award 2020
The jaunty range of Picco stools by Itoki, a design company focusing on work, style and sustainability, are now on show just a stone’s throw from Tokyo Station. Winner of a Chicago Good Design Award 2020 and applauded for high levels of comfort and versatility, the range of stools were exhibited at the Good Design showcase in Marunouchi until February 6. They are also available for purchase online.
Bodyology Underwear for Women in Nihonbashi
Silky Style, a Japanese women’s clothing and “bodyology” brand, have released their bespoke “On de miu” beauty shorts underwear line. Built with comfort and style in mind and designed around the therapeutic principles of traditional Chinese medicine, the beauty shorts have a range of unique properties, including warming the uterus and supporting lymphatic and blood flow circulation. They are on sale from February 3 to February 16 at futo, a minimalist gift item specialist on the 1st floor of the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store. (Online purchases also available.)
All-New Danskin Clothing Range by Goldwin
Dear Danskin, a clothing collection combining the activewear brand Danskin with the “unbalanced beauty” displayed in ballet dancer-cum fashionista Chika Kisada’s Rekisami line, is now available across several central Tokyo neighborhoods.
Launched in 2016 as the Danskin Capsule Collection, this collaborative project has been relaunched as “Dear Danskin” for Autumn/Winter 2020/21 and will continue throughout spring and summer. You can find the list of Tokyo stores selling Danskin goods on their website, where you can also make purchases.
Know of anything exciting coming up around Tokyo Station soon? Anything to add to the list? Send us tips at [email protected]
Here’s what else is new:
