TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 8, 2025--
In an effort to revitalize nighttime tourism, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been showcasing projection mapping art year-round at one of its iconic landmarks, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1. Using light and sound, this initiative has transformed the building into a dynamic canvas for artistic expression. Since its inception, approximately 430,000 visitors* have enjoyed this spectacular display.
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Following the success of the first installment featuring "Godzilla," which premiered this spring, the second chapter, TOKYO GODZILLAs, debuted on Saturday, November 30. On its opening night, the original Godzilla appeared in Citizen’s Plaza to mark the occasion with a countdown to the first screening. The event drew large crowds, including domestic and international tourists as well as enthusiastic Godzilla fans, generating significant excitement befitting such a beloved cultural icon.
The projection mapping show, titled TOKYO Night & Light, first launched in February this year and has already attracted approximately 430,000 visitors*. It is rapidly becoming a must-see attraction in Tokyo’s tourism landscape. With its exceptional artistic quality, cutting-edge technology, and world-class content, TOKYO Night & Light has established itself as a vibrant new destination in Tokyo’s nighttime tourism scene. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience the city in an entirely new light.
*as of November 30, 2024
About TOKYO GODZILLAs
*For the time being, the show will be screened during the hours mentioned above. Please visit our website for the detailed schedule.
https://tokyoprojectionmappingproject.jp/en/
Synopsis
Experience the 70-year evolution of the King of Monsters, Godzilla. From the original Godzilla to Godzilla-1.0, the legendary monsters wreak havoc on the streets of Tokyo. Their awe-inspiring forms are projected onto a massive screen at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, captivating audiences with timeless intensity. Don’t miss the grand finale, where Godzillas from different eras assemble in a breathtaking spectacle!
Highlight
Celebrating 70 Years of Godzilla with Iconic Appearances
Marking the 70th anniversary of Godzilla's birth, this production features a roster of legendary forms:
A total of seven Godzillas take the stage, showcasing the creature’s extraordinary 70-year history.
A Fusion of Practical Effects and Cutting-Edge CGI
The production blends traditional special effects with modern CGI. The first half follows the previous work's approach, using Godzilla suits combined with CGI, while the second half features fully CGI-generated scenes of Godzilla rampaging through Tokyo. This fusion of realism and technological advancement delivers an unforgettable visual masterpiece.
A Revolutionary Collaboration with Shirogumi
Directed by Nakagawa, who helmed the previous installment, this project also features Shirogumi, known for their work on Shin Godzilla and Godzilla-1.0. Together, they have crafted an unparalleled cinematic experience, showcasing the power and terror of Godzilla in stunning detail. Prepare to be awestruck by this groundbreaking depiction of the King of Monsters.
Connection Between Godzilla and Shinjuku
Celebrating its 70th anniversary last year, Godzilla -1.0 became a global hit, cementing Godzilla’s status as one of Japan’s most iconic international phenomena. Shinjuku and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building are significant landmarks in Godzilla’s storied history.
In The Return of Godzilla (1984), the Shinjuku area set the stage for a fierce showdown as the Super X aircraft engaged Godzilla in battle. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) also featured the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in a memorable scene. In 2015, a 12-meter-tall Godzilla head was installed in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district, and Godzilla was officially appointed as Shinjuku’s tourism ambassador.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ certification
Largest architectural projection-mapped display (permanent)
13,904.956 ㎡
TOKYO GODZILLAs ©️TOHO CO., LTD. (Photo: Business Wire)
TOKYO GODZILLAs ©️TOHO CO., LTD. (Photo: Business Wire)
TOKYO GODZILLAs ©️TOHO CO., LTD. (Photo: Business Wire)
Strong winds that sent wildfires ripping through the mountains and foothills around Los Angeles on Wednesday fed a spectacle of smoke, flames and flight.
The blaze left an apocolympic wake of destruction. A burned out car sat on a street, with so much smoke in the surrounding sky that the sun barely shown through. An outside swimming pool was surrounded by palm trees, singed and blacked by fire, yet still standing. A statue of a human, without a head, lay on a street surrounded by the debris of burned houses. And the world famous Hollywood sign, a reference point for Angelinos that is a symbol of the movie industry’s glitz, was hard to spot amid so much grey smoke.
Beginning Tuesday night, vivid orange flames lit the sky in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where firefighters dragged hoses to meet blazes flaring up in brush dried out by persistent drought. Others fought to protect structures from the fires.
The fast-moving fires forced thousand of residents to evacuate. Authorities moved to get the most vulnerable out first, such as people in a senior center. One woman was brought out in a wheelchair, wrapped in a blanket. Another woman, also in a wheelchair, wore a mask, her eyes conveying fear.
Firefighters raced to try to beat the flames back from homes. One firefighter lugged a hose in front of a house engulfed in flames while another, standing on a roof of a smoldering home, sprayed water downward. In the sky, a helicoper dropped water in an area where hills intersperced with homes and flames. Meanwhile, a woman stood outside of her garage, hand on her head, as a firetruck sprayed water on a neighboring house.
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A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire around a burned structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A resident sprays their property with a garden hose as the Eaton Fire engulfs structures across the street, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fire crews battle the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fire crews battle the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A resident is evacuated from a senior living facility as the Eaton Fire approaches Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Residents are evacuated from a senior living facility as the Eaton Fire approaches Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A resident is evacuated from a senior living facility as the Eaton Fire approaches Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Eaton Fire burns a bus stop Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Eaton Fire burns a vehicle Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
People watch as the Eaton Fire engulfs a structure Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A statue and other structures are burned as the Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Megan Mantia, left, and her boyfriend Thomas, return to Mantia's fire-damaged home after the Eaton Fire swept through, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fire-damaged vehicles are lined up at a dealership after the Eaton Fire swept through Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A man walks past a fire-ravaged business after the Eaton Fire swept through Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Residents of a senior center are evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Residents of a senior center are evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Residents of a senior center are evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Eaton Fire destroys a structure Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Bike riders make their way along the coast as large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades, from Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A lone beachgoer walks along the coast as a large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades, from Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Tim Murphy and his son Sean arm wrestle on the beach during sunset under a blackened sky from a wildfire in the Pacific Palisades, during the sunset in Santa Monica, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A surfer takes off on a wave in Santa Monica, Calif., during sunset under a blackened sky from the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A person flees from an advancing wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Jerome Krausse pushes his mother-in-law in a shopping cart as they evacuate from their home in the Pacific Palisades after a wildfire swept through their neighborhood in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
People flee from the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Water is dropped on the advancing Palisades Fire by helicopter in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter tries to contain the Palisades Fire from a rooftop in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A person tries to hose down embers from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Will Adams watches as flames from the Palisades Fire close in on his property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter jumps over a fence while fighting the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A resident stands in front of a garage as fire crews fight the Palisades Fire nearby in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire burns trees and homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A vehicle burns as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Two people ride by on motorcycles as the Palisades Fire destroys an area in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is dropped on the advancing Palisades Fire by helicopter in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Will Adams uses a garden hose to keep flames from damaging his home as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A residence burns as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Flames rise as the Palisades Fire advances on homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Will Adams watches as flames from the Palisades Fire close in on his property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A lone beachgoer walks along the coast as a large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades, from Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A lone sunbather sits and watches a large plume of smoke from a wildfire rise over the Pacific Palisades, in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Bike riders make their way along the coast as large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades, from Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A person flees from an advancing wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Jerome Krausse pushes his mother-in-law in a shopping cart as they evacuate from their home in the Pacific Palisades after a wildfire swept through their neighborhood in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
People flee from the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter protects a structure from the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Firefighters stage in front of the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Firefighters battle the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
