From July 12 to 15, MF Tokyo 2023, a comprehensive exhibition for the metal forming industry, was held in-person for the first time in 4 years at the Tokyo Big Sight. The event was comprised of 3 specialized areas: Press Machines, Sheet Metal Machines, and Forming Machines.

The exhibition hall was full of massive metal pressing and forming machines displaying their applications. Rhythmic pressing sounds were accompanied by the occasional cacophony of clangs from aluminum and scrap metal conveyors. Crowds formed around live demonstrations of metal bending and laser cutting.

Santoku Corporation offers solutions for industrial fastening technology. At their booth, the company was exhibiting their rivets and other hardware. Ryohei Suzuki of the fastener department granted visitors the opportunity to test out drilling rivets into a metal sheet to demonstrate the competitive speed of their products.

Conic Co., Ltd. showcased their punching tools and metal strippers. Tool Sales Representative Suraj Fernando, originally from Sri Lanka, explained how these machines can be used to customize and bend metal for a variety of manufacturing applications, including corners on smartphones. Each punch has its own QR code which can be scanned to immediately obtain a plethora of data on the tool and its function. Punching tools are expendable and must be replaced regularly, so Conic’s sales department has implemented same-day delivery for their customers. Orders for punches received in the morning are manufactured and can arrive at factories by the evening.

Authentec Co., Ltd. produces machines used in metal manufacturing, such as those for deburring, cleaning, and sheet leveling. Since the company was unable to exhibit previously due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sales Engineer Kazunori Manada was excited to connect directly with customers this year in order to better understand their needs and demonstrate the appeal of Authentec’s latest products.

Shieh Yih Machinery Industry Co., Ltd. (SEYI), a regular at MF Tokyo, exhibited with an emphasis on their thermal motor this year. SEYI Sales Manager Yen Huang detailed the benefits of thermal motors over electrical motors, explaining how thermal power is more eco-friendly and energy efficient. She also showcased their motor’s pendulum motion, which has advantages in production speed and adjustability.

MF Tokyo is expected to continue meeting in-person in the future.

Osaka Metro Co., Ltd. plans to introduce facial recognition ticket gates at all Osaka Metro stations by the end of 2024 in preparation for the 2025 Japan World Exposition in Osaka, Kansai.

The ticket gates will be developed by Takamisawa Cybernetics (President: Kazuo Takamisawa) and Panasonic Connect (CEO: Yasu Higuchi).

Users can register their face in advance through Osaka Metro’s eMetro app and link their metro ticket to their personal information in order to smoothly pass through ticket gates without needing credit cards or other payment methods.

In addition, a QR code-based digital ticket service as well as Visa touch payment are currently undergoing experimentation and are planned to be launched starting in 2024.

As a result, while the Expo is being held, transportation IC cards, QR code-based digital tickets, Visa touch payment, and facial recognition ticket gates combined are expected to be able to answer to the various needs of visitors from all over Japan and the world.

Warner Bros. Japan LLC celebrated the grand opening of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – Making of Harry Potter on June 6, 2023, at the former site of Toshimaen Amusement Park in Nerima Prefecture, Tokyo.

At Studio Tour Tokyo, guests can learn about behind-the-scenes film production, encounter magical animals, and see gorgeous costumes on breathtaking movie sets, including the iconic Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Diagon Alley, and the Forbidden Forest.

In addition, visitors can also take part in various experiences such as broom riding, drinking Butterbeer, becoming a moving portrait in the Hogwarts corridors, joining the crowd at a Quidditch match, and shopping for exclusive Studio Tour Tokyo merchandise.

The attraction is the first of its kind in Asia and the largest indoor Harry Potter facility in the world. Touring the entire studio is estimated to take approximately 4 hours.

Tickets can be purchased on Studio Tour Tokyo’s official website.

On the 15^th of March, an event was held on Platform 9 and 3/4 with actress Mana Ashida, a well-known Harry Potter fan, and TV personality Harry Sugiyama, acting as special navigators, in preparation for the grand opening.

The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) announced that Osaka has been selected to host the 2024 IGLTA World Congress, an international conference on LGBTQ+ tourism. This will be the first time for the event to be held in Asia.

The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association was founded in 1983 to promote tourism that welcomes LGBTQ+ people. It consists of hotel, airline, cruise, and travel companies, as well as tourism bureaus and universities from around the world.

Osaka Prefecture was an early adopter of the IGLTA partnership system, as well as the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, which also joined the IGLTA to support LGBTQ+ tourism.

Business Events Sydney (BESydney), a MICE (Meeting, Incentive Travel, Convention, Exhibition) promoter in Sydney, a major hub in Australia, has announced a new program to support MICE in the city from April 2023 to March 2024, with grants of $50AUD per person as a measure to attract more MICE events from Japan.

The “BESydney Asia Grant” will be awarded to groups of 100 to 400 people planning to hold a corporate meeting, incentive travel, or conference in Sydney for a period of at least four days and three nights from April 2023 to March 2024, offering a grant of $50AUD per person (for groups of 401 or more, the amount will be determined based on the size of the group after individual consultation). Applications opened on February 8, and are being reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of BESydney, stated, “Not only is the number of direct flights from Japan to Sydney recovering, it is even surpassing pre-pandemic levels. By supporting our valued clients, meeting organizers and planners, we hope to re-energize the incentive travel and corporate market from Japan to Sydney, allowing people to experience the vibrancy and energy of the city and actively introduce new products and attractions, including event venues.”

Australia has seen the birth of various new event-related facilities and programs in recent years, including at the Sydney Opera House, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. In addition, South by Southwest (SXSW), a festival that originated in Austin, Texas in the United States, will be held for the first time in Australia in October of this year, and has been attracting much attention.

From February 15 to 17, The 95^th Tokyo International Gift Show Spring 2023, Japan’s largest international trade fair for personal gifts and household goods, was held at the Tokyo Big Sight.

Concurrent exhibitions were: Tokyo International Gift Show Spring 2023: The 13th LIFE x DESIGN, The 33rd Gourmet & Dining Style Show Spring 2023, and TOKYO International Gift Show LIVING & DESIGN 2023. The show was held in East Exhibition Halls 1-7, and a free shuttle service was available from the Rinkai Line Kokusai-Tenjijo Station.

This year`s theme was, “Omni-Channel, Revitalizing the Japanese Economy PART II”. The event was organized by Business Guide-Sha, Inc.

2,774 companies exhibited, including 302 overseas companies from 15 countries. This was a 40% increase from the September exhibition last fall.

A total of 229,968 attendees visited the fair, including 552 from abroad. (Preliminary figures, including concurrent exhibitions)

The venue consisted of 7 categories and 3 shows, and domestic and international distributors who visited the event were able to proactively gather information and connect with new suppliers.

7 Categories

• Character / License / Entertainment
• Stylish Goods World
• Lifestyle Goods Village
• Beauty and Health Village
• Personal Gifts / My Room / My Goods
• Home Fashion Village
• GLOBAL International Pavilion

3 Shows

• Renovating to Design Your Home to Fit Your Way of Living Trade Fair (LIFE x DESIGN)
• Total Interior International Trade Fair (LIVING & DESIGN)
• Quality and Lifestyle Oriented Food Starring Regional Premium Foods Trade Fair (Gourmet & Dining Style Show)

Japan’s largest entertainment showcase, Tokyo Game Show 2023, was announced in an online conference by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) on February 28. Applications for exhibitors were opened on the same day.

CESA, along with Nikkei Business Publications and Dentsu Inc, will be holding the Tokyo Game Show from September 21 to 24, 2023, at the Makuhari Messe. Business Day will take place on the 21^st and 22^nd, and the event will be open to the public on the 23^rd and 24^th. In addition, Tokyo Game Show VR 2023 (TGSVR2023), held in virtual space, will be extended an extra week after the in-person event and is scheduled to be open until October 1.

Estimated to be largest hybrid event in history, the in-person event will encompass Makuhari Messe Halls 1-11, the International Conference Hall, and every event hall for the first time in 4 years. Over 2,000 booths and 200,000 attendees are expected. TGSVR2023 will allow participation via smartphone. The official broadcast will be simulcast on various platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, and Nico Nico Video. Real-time English and Chinese live streams will also be broadcast. In addition, Steam will set up a special website to support purchasing and free trial versions of games presented at the showcase.

New installations this year include the Gaming Hardware Corner, which exhibits gaming PCs and peripherals while taking into account the diversification of ways to enjoy games and the expansion of the extent of game creation, and the Gaming Lifestyle Corner, which showcases gaming furniture and gaming rooms. The previous “Game School Corner” will be renamed as the “Game Academy Corner”. It will be made easier for a wide variety of educational institutions that teach and produce gaming personnel, including high schools, technical colleges, trade schools, universities, graduate schools, and research facilities to become exhibitors.

Furthermore, the organizer’s corner, named Creator Lounge, will be newly installed as well. Here influencers can live stream or edit videos, in addition to creator management companies being offered exhibition space. The cosplay area will also return, and a stage for live appearances by prominent streamers and cosplayers will be prepared.

The Family and Kids Area will return after 4 years. A programming area for learning the fun of creating games with the themes of “Learn” and “Play,” a job experience area to learn about working in the game industry, and a game area with various titles for parents and children to play together, will all be set up.

Other events include the announcement and award ceremony for each category of the Japan Game Awards, Sense of Wonder Night, in which eight groups selected from among 80 free indie game exhibitors will give presentations, and the TGS Forum, which will occur during the 2 Business Days.

The Business Meeting area has been expanded to accommodate the many requests for face-to-face international business meetings during Business Days. All business meetings can be held in a hybrid environment of both in-person and online. The international party is planned to be brought back as a place to promote international exchange as well. Support for coming to Japan regardless of border control measures will be provided.

The regulation that required the use of a barrier sheet to separate the temporary visitor control area from the general aisles when the area in front of the stage became congested, has been abolished. In addition, the guidelines for exhibiting and displaying other companies’ products and services have been partially changed.

The deadline for exhibitor applications is May 26. Tickets for visitors are scheduled to go on sale in early July for the general public and late July for businesses. In addition to a significant relaxation of the ticket limit, admission for children elementary school age and younger will also be permitted this year.

Haruhiro Tsujimoto, CESA Director and Chairman of the Event Committee, stated, “Last year, 140,000 people visited the real event for the first time in three years. We have implemented a hybrid event with online distribution programs and VR projects that can be attended and enjoyed from afar and at any time. The Tokyo Game Show has evolved into an exhibition like no other.” The theme of this year’s show, “Games Move, the World Changes,” was meant to “convey the message that games, as one of Japan’s key industries, are making a stronger impact on the world,” explained Tsujimoto.