Warner Bros. has revealed plans to develop a Harry Potter studio tour attraction in Japanese capital Tokyo. To be located on the grounds of the Toshimaen Amusement Park in the city's Nerima ward, the attraction will become the second Harry Potter studio site, following the opening of the inaugural Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, UK. Since its launch in 2012, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of

Arii Irie Architects have created a 69sq m (743sq ft) gym in Tokyo, Japan, with a transparent PVC partition that creates two distinct areas, without giving the sense of having reduced the already limited space. Cell Tokyo is so-called for its focus on conditioning from the cellular level, with the gym offering nutritional counselling, hydrogen gas inhalation and blood sampling equipment in addition to conventional physical training. Like a cell

Claesson Koivisto Rune Architects have converted a former 1920s bank building in Tokyo into what they describe as a "micro-complex of creative eateries, bars, gathering spots, and Swedish-minimalism-meets-Japanese-heritage design." Located in the Nihonbashi Kabutocho area of the city, K5 Tokyo is a hotel with a restaurant, a wine bar, a coffee shop, a cocktail bar and a beer hall. Its redevelopment took only 14 months from conception through planning and

Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects' (ATTA) design for the GYRE.FOOD restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, places diners in a forest-like environment of soil and lush greenery to encourage thought about the planet, the climate and where food comes from. GYRE.FOOD is located in a 1,000sq m (10,800sq ft) top-floor space of the MVRDV -designed GYRE complex, which opened in 2007 and comprises five stacked and spiralled boxes. The GYRE name is taken

Designer Jean-Michel Gathy has created a 3D origami-inspired feature wall for Four Seasons ' spa sanctuary in its upcoming hotel in Japan – called Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi. Dominating the spa lobby, the flowing paper structure appears to billow and sweep outwards and has been designed to calm guests as they enter the spa. Gathy’s work is inspired by Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake’s flowing fabrics, as captured

The new National Stadium in Tokyo, built for the 2020 Olympic Games, has been officially inaugurated. The venue, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies at Tokyo 2020, held the final of the Emperor's Cup – seen as the country's flagship football match – on 1 January 2020. Completely rebuilt for the 2020 Games, the 68,000-seat capacity stadium is a symbol of great pride in Japan, as it was

Construction of Japan's New National Stadium, which was designed by Kengo Kuma and will be the centrepiece of next year's Olympic Games, has been completed. The stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, as well as sporting events for their duration. Covering an area of 72,400sq m (780,000sq ft), it has a capacity of around 60,000, with the potential for that to be increased to around

Construction work has been competed on the Ariake Gymnastics Centre, one of the main venues of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 12,000-capacity arena will host artistic, rhythmic and trampoline gymnastics events during the Games, as well as being used for boccia during the Paralympic Games. Created by a design team including architects Nikken Sekkei, the venue will look to showcase "true Japanese craftsmanship" and "embody Japan's woodworking

Work has begun on Heatherwick Studio’s latest project in Asia – a landscaped, giant "pergola" in central Tokyo. The mixed-use project will form the heart of Tokyo’s Toranomon-Azabudai district and will sit next to Japan's tallest skyscraper. Heatherwick has been tasked with creating a public realm and a number of low-rise blocks for a development which also includes a 6,000sq m central landscaped square, offices, residential space, retail units, a

Airbnb has offered an exclusive meet and greet with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, which will include a visit to his under-construction Tokyo Olympic stadium. Five guests were given the opportunity to book the rare experience on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, with the places quickly snapped up. The lucky few will begin their special ‘Airbnb Experience’ with a tour of Kuma’s studio in Tokyo’s Aoyama neighbourhood. The architect will

The iconic Hotel Okura Tokyo, which was demolished in 2015, is set to be rebuilt and will reopen in September 2019 as the Okura Tokyo. The hotel, which featured in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel and subsequent movie – starring Sean Connery – You Only Live Twice, has been redesigned by Yoshio Taniguchi – the son of the original Okura architect of the same name – to be more earthquake-proof.

Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan are coming to Disney's Tokyo theme park, after the operator announced a multi-billion dollar agreement with the Oriental Land Company for the largest expansion in the history of DisneySea. Expected to open in 2022, the development, which has been budgeted at ¥250bn (US$2.26bn, €1.95bn, £1.7bn), will see an eighth port comprising three themed areas opened, as well as a new luxury hotel. The port, says

Japanese multimedia art collective teamLab will open a unique Digital Art Museum on Thursday (21 June), permanently showcasing all of their dynamic interactive installations for the first time. The studio have partnered with the Mori Building Company to build the 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) attraction, called ‘Borderless’, which will exhibit more than 50 interactive artworks across five zones. There are no divisions between the pieces, which extend beyond their rooms,

A new cultural destination in London, celebrating Japan and funded by its government, has announced its public opening date. Called Japan House London, the new attraction will offer visitors authentic Japanese encounters when it opens on 22 June, with the best in the nation's art, design, gastronomy, innovation and technology. Almost every aspect of the new space has been derived “from source” in Japan. Japanese interior designer – Wonderwall principal

The Tokyo Organising Committee for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOPG), has finalised its plans for the venues for the Games. In a statement, TOCOPG said it had added the "final pieces to the facility puzzle" by agreeing deals for the seven venues needed to host the Olympic football competition. The deal will see Sapporo Dome, Miyagi Stadium, Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, Saitama Stadium, Tokyo Stadium and the International Stadium

Japanese architecture giants Nikken Sekkei have partnered with construction firm Sumitomo Forest to create the world’s tallest wooden skyscraper, which they hope will inspire the transformation of “cities into forests” around the globe. Located in central Tokyo, the timber tower, tentatively called the W350, is set to be completed by 2041 to celebrate Sumitomo Forest’s 350th anniversary – a milestone that has informed its anticipated height of 350m (1,148ft). The

The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) has announced it will prioritise the care and conservation of the only three museums designed by the legendary Le Corbusier. As part of its Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative, the CGI will host two workshops in India, where two of the three museums are located – the Sanskar Kendra Museum in Ahmedabad and the Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh. The third, the National Museum

The first permanent venue built for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo has opened to the public. The Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, located close to Kengo Kuma’s forthcoming national Stadium, will host badminton, modern pentathlon fencing and wheelchair basketball and has a seating capacity of more than 10,000. Constructed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the arena includes a swimming pool, gym, multi-use sports area and two fitness studios

Tokyo Disney could undergo its biggest expansion in over two decades, as operator Oriental Land is reportedly in discussions over a ¥300bn (US$2.68bn, €2.25bn, £1.98bbn) mega-development for the resort. According to multiple news sources in Japan, the plans are not part of the previous ¥250bn (US$2.22bn, €1.88bn, £1.65bn), 10-year expansion plan for Tokyo Disney, which includes new attractions based on Beauty and the Beast and Big Hero 6, as well

A brightly lit, rainbow-coloured greenhouse has popped up in downtown Tokyo, Japan, inviting guests to step inside and interact with the sights and sounds created by its vegetable inhabitants. Japanese creative studio Party, which is headed up by Naoko Ito, created the Digital Vegetables installation to run over a three-week period until 5 November. Inside the greenhouse, which is covered in LED lights, visitors are invited to “Touch Design. Bathe

Sports and leisure architects Populous have announced the opening of a new office in Tokyo as the firm continues its global expansion. The decision to establish an office in Japan expands Populous’ global footprint to 15 branches worldwide, including six in the Asia-Pacific region. The organisation now has more than 500 employees around the globe. “Japan offers a wealth of opportunity with its strong culture, burgeoning sports scene and as

Yayoi Kusama – the Japanese artist famed for her use of repetitive patterns and bold colours – has announced the opening of her own art museum, in Tokyo, Japan. The five-storey museum building, designed by architecture firm Kume Sekkei, has already been erected in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, but the purpose of the structure had been kept under wraps. Two of the storeys will be devoted to exhibiting Kusama’s

Art and lighting collective teamLab have designed a multi-sensory interactive experience for diners at one of Tokyo's most exclusive new beef restaurants. Sagaya, located in Ginza district, welcomes just eight customers per day to try its 12-course meals and “indulge themselves in a multi-sensory experience of taste, smell, and the scenic beauty of Japan.” The immersive space combines with ceramic art and real-time projections onto the tables and walls of

David Rockwell has designed Starwood’s first Luxury Collection hotel in Tokyo – an “ethereal dream-like environment” that has now opened in the historic heart of the Japanese capital. The designer’s vision for The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho was inspired by “the sprawling sky and kaleidoscopic colours of the surrounding city,” which the hotel overlooks from its position across the top seven floors of the new 36-storey Tokyo Garden Terrace tower

Situated in Tokyo’s business district, the latest offering from hotel and resort operator Hoshinoya Resorts, Hoshinoya Tokyo, features a spa and top floor natural hot spring. Designed by Azuma Architect & Associates and created by large-scale construction specialists Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei, the 17-storey, 84 room hotel is the city’s first luxury ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), offering traditional Japanese culture combined with high-level hospitality. Each floor of the hotel replicates a

The life and art of the famous Japanese painter and printmaker Katsushika Hokusai is celebrated in a new Tokyo museum, design by SANAA’s Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kazuyo Sejima. The Sumida Hokusai Museum, located in the ward of the same name, is the sculptural home for over 18,000 works created by Hokusai and his apprentices over 200 years ago, including the artist’s most famous work – ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa'.

Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will reject the chance to host volleyball in an existing facility and build a new venue despite it adding to the spiralling cost of the Games. The development of the Ariake Arena was part of the original plans put forward to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but the rising cost of hosting the event resulted in the organisers considering a facility in nearby Yokohama.