From Delicious Sweets To Lady Gaga's Shoes, There's A Lot At Japan Week 2015

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Japan Week returns to Grand Central Terminal's historic Vanderbilt Hall for its fourth edition on Feb 18-20, 2015, and this year's event features over a dozen exhibits on unique Japanese destinations, personalities, fashion, and food to encourage travel to Japan. Japan Week is organized by the Japan Tourism Agency and Japan National Tourism Organization, and its sponsors include Delta Air Lines, Seiko, NHK WORLD, JR-EAST, and more than 15 additional companies from both New York and Japan. 

Travel and Cultural Highlights:

• The VISIT JAPAN Pavilion has everything a New Yorker needs to begin their adventure.  JAPAN NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION offers guides to castles, hot springs, and destinations throughout Japan - with a special focus on the remote Hokuriku region.  Attendees can meet with JNTO tourism experts, take home free brochures, and complete a survey to enter to win a free trip to Japan. Visitors can pose for a photo in samurai armor or with DORAEMON, one of Japan's most popular characters, and travel agencies AMNET, HIS, and IACE will provide discounted tourism packages and advice.
• DELTA AIR LINES offers non-stop daily service between NYC and Tokyo on their Boeing 777 fleet, and they'll display their Flat Bed Business Elite seat at Japan Week. Attendees can play Sky Search at the Delta Booth for a chance at a Delta Vacation Package with two roundtrip tickets to Japan and three nights at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo.
• Visitors can watch films showcasing JR-EAST's rail destinations and see a model of a new Hokuriku Shinkansen train. Children can try on miniature Station Master uniforms.
• Television network NHK WORLD displays an elaborate KABUKI COSTUME and heel-less shoes made for Lady Gaga by designer NORITAKA TATEHANA.

Food Highlights:

• Japan Week presents a DEPACHIKA in NYC.  Depachika are elaborate food markets found in Japanese department stores, and MITSUWA MARKETPLACE headlines Japan Week's with over 20 sweets and local specialties from nine regions across Japan. They'll be joined by MINAMOTO KITCHOAN, with more Japanese desserts, and BEARD PAPA, making Japanese creme puffs to order.
• SUN NOODLE will sell a special dish of mazemen made in their celebrated NYC Ramen Lab. SHIROHATO presents two classic Japanese street foods - takoyaki octopus balls and roasted sweet potatoes - in their KUKURU and LA POPPO booths, with a master coming all the way from Japan to make takoyaki fresh at Japan Week.
• SHARP will introduce their "Ochapresso" tea machine, and ITO EN will offer bottles of bottled green tea and green tea ice cream.
• Japan Week's SAKE BAR, curated by the Japan Sake and Sochu Makers Association, will feature sake from 19 breweries across Japan.

Shopping Highlights:

• Attendees can visit with SEIKO to try on a sampling of their sophisticated family of Japanese watches and receive advice on finding the right timepiece from Seiko staff.
• KAMAKURA SHIRTS, a menswear company from Kamakura with fans around the world, will offer their shirts and accessories and present a Fashion Show starring their most loyal New York customers.
• MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON provides a piece of "Cool Japan." Attendees can buy gifts including sushi earrings and socks and guides to destinations like Shibuya and Harajuku.

Stage Highlights:

• Japan Week presents a wealth of cultural programs with artists from all over Japan.  The TAKAFUJI DANCE COMPANY performs their KAGA SHISHI lion dance, tea master SOUHEKI MORI introduces the tea ceremony, and attendees will learn to make two traditional crafts, KYO KOMA and KUTANI BOWLS.  Luxury wedding kimono from WATABE WEDDING will be modeled by a different New York couple each day. 
• Chefs SHIGETOSHI NAKAMURA (Ramen Lab) and IVAN ORKIN (Ivan Ramen) discuss making ramen in Tokyo and Japanese ramen styles still unknown in NYC.
• Children will fall in love with Japan when DORAEMON and DOMO, two of Japan's most adored characters, take the stage.
• Models ALISA UENO and MARIE will speak about modern Japanese fashion and style, and cartoonist ABBY DENSON will show her illustrated COOL JAPAN GUIDE.
• The PURE PASSION Party will encourage attendees to come in all-red or all-white, the colors of the Japanese flag, for a sake toast and chance to win free tickets to Japan.

For Japan Week's full exhibitor list, stage schedule, and travel deals, please visit www.japanweek.us, and for all the latest updates, follow Japan Week on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JapanWeekNY) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/JapanWeekNY).

ABOUT JAPAN WEEK: 
Founded in 2012, Japan Week is a promotional event encouraging travel to Japan. It is a cooperative effort between the Japan Tourism Agency, Japan National Tourism Organization, diverse businesses in both New York City and Japan, and local Japanese governments. It is supported by the Consulate General of Japan in New York. Japan Week is free and open to the public and encourages New Yorkers to explore Japanese tourism through a wealth of materials on destinations across Japan and displays of traditional Japanese art, food, and fashion. For more on Japan Week, please visit www.japanweek.us. More information about travel to Japan can be found at www.japantravelinfo.com.

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SOURCE Japan Week

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