Boosting the Nighttime Economy with the Launch of the Tokyo Night Entertainment Sunrise Bus Tours

　JTB Global Marketing & Travel launches the "Tokyo Sparkling Edamame Night," a Tokyo night entertainment bus tour on Tuesday, September 10th, and begins operating on Tuesday, October 1st, under the Sunrise Tours^*1 package tour brand geared for international visitors.

  Introducing a night bus tour going around Tokyo after sundown. Pursuing entertainment, this new nighttime content offers night views from a 2-story open-deck bus and includes a live performance by a shamisen player on board.
 

■ Project Background

Top travel destinations abroad, such as London and New York, have a growing nighttime economy which is already expanding in economic scale. On the other hand, in Japan's inbound tourism market, there are challenges in revitalizing nighttime tourism, such as insufficiency of nighttime content despite the high demand, and the difficulty when international travelers search for spots on their own only to discover the lack of language support.

With these in mind, knowing international travelers only have a limited time in Japan and having the desire to provide an opportunity for travelers to fully enjoy both daytime and nighttime, Sunrise Tours in April of this year launched a cross-departmental project team to work on nighttime content, researching the significance of the nighttime economy and examples of its development overseas, and have been planning nighttime content.

■ Tour Highlights

1. Improving the Value of Nighttime Tourism in Tokyo for the Inbound Market

　On this tour, customers can enjoy Tokyo's unique nightscapes such as the downtown's glimmering neon lights and the illuminated Tokyo Tower from the open deck on the 2nd floor of a double-decker bus. By offering a special nighttime content experienced with all the senses, we aim to increase the value of nighttime tourism in Tokyo for the inbound market.

As the bus crosses the Rainbow Bridge, customers can experience the thrilling and exhilarating sensation of cruising over the ocean while feeling the night breeze.

2. A Project that Pursues Entertainment

On board the bus, a DJ will be playing a selection of anime songs and pop songs arranged in Japanese style, giving customers an intro of Japan's music culture and amping up the atmosphere. Partway through the tour, a musician will join the customers on board to present a live shamisen performance. We are committed to offering a highly entertaining bus tour!

3. Experience Japan's Nightlife in a Bar Alley

After alighting from the bus, customers will be guided to the Yurakucho Sanchoku Yokocho, a bar alley with 11 establishments offering unique specialty sake and ingredients. Experience being immersed in a Japanese bar alley where the atmosphere of the Showa period (1926-1989) lingers in the air. This tour allows customers to visit local spots that can be difficult to find and visit on their own. In addition, to ensure that customers can enjoy the actual bar experience even more and pique their interest, an introduction to Japanese bar culture such as what drinking parties are like in Japan and details on standard menu items will be given on board  prior to arrival.
 

■Tour Content

Name　　　Tokyo Sparkling Edamame Night　

　　　　　　~ Nightscape Show by Open-deck Bus and Izakaya Eats ~
Course　　  [Bus Tour with Enjoyable Nightscape & Performance Show]　

                         18:30 Depart from Kajibashi Parking Lot  →  Ginza/Toyosu Area/Harumi-dori Ave.  →　
                         Tokyo Teleport Station (performer arrives)  →  Rainbow Bridge (Shuto Expressway)  →　
                         Tokyo Tower (on-board performance)  →  19:50 Alight at Yurakucho

                        [Bar Experience]　

　                       20:00 Dinner at Yurakucho Sanchoku Yokocho

Tour Dates　Tuesdays from Oct. 1 to Dec. 17, 2024

■Future Outlook

As a leading company in Japan-bound tourism now and in the future, JTBGMT will continue to promote new initiatives to provide solutions to market challenges. Starting with this initiative in Tokyo, nighttime content is planned to be expanded to other regions. We will continue to work on creating ideal settings for more interaction and excitement by meeting the diverse needs of international travelers and providing opportunities for people from all over the world to truly enjoy their limited time in Japan.
 

◆What is SUNRISE TOURS?

Japan's first package tour brand for international visitors, Sunrise Tours has welcomed more than 8 million visitors from around the world since 1964.
 

◆SUNRISE TOURS Information
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≫ Tour Information for Travel Agents

*1. “SUNRISE TOURS” is a registered trademark of JTB.