PAC-MAN eats TOKYO (Photo: Business Wire)

To create new tourist assets and liven up night-time tourism in Tokyo, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is using year-round projection mapping with light and sound to screen various art onto the canvas of the famous landmark Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1. To date, approximately 350,000 people have come to see it.

A new work, “PAC-MAN eats TOKYO” began screening on September 28, featuring the world-famous Pac-Man which will celebrate its 45th anniversary next year.

On the first day of screening, Pac-Man himself made an appearance at the Tokyo Metropolitan Plaza in a photo session attended by many people. Locals as well as foreign tourists visited this popular event which demonstrated the excitement of popular content.

The “TOKYO Night & Light” projection mapping show at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building began screening in February this year and has grown into a new tourist attraction attracting as many as 10,000 visitors per day on busy days. Please come to see “the new tourist spot coloring the Tokyo night” which was created with high artistic quality, world-leading technology, and famous content.

*See the website for detailed schedule: https://tokyoprojectionmappingproject.jp/

Artwork summary and highlights

A game board appears on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and Pac-Man dynamically moves all over the board gobbling up everything in sight. The music for this collaboration was created by track maker Sasuke Haraguchi who has a strong affinity for the futuristic feel of Pac-Man's game music. Please enjoy this collaboration between Pac-Man and Tokyo which can only be seen at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

Revitalizing nighttime tourism promotion

According to the 2023 Global Power City Index (Institute for Urban Strategies, The Mori Memorial Foundation), Tokyo is ranked #3 overall after London and New York, but ranked #30 for nightlife. Therefore, it is important to revitalize nighttime tourism.

The scale of the nighttime economy for nighttime sightseeing in London and New York is estimated to be over 2 trillion yen. This kind of effect can also be expected in Tokyo. The revitalization of nighttime sightseeing may hold great potential for improving Tokyo's international competitiveness.

In this context, “projection mapping,” which is created using high artistic skills and world-leading technology, is attracting attention as a new nighttime tourist resource for Tokyo, and by extension, Japan.

The “TOKYO Night & Light” projection mapping on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building began on February 25, 2024, and has been enjoyed by about 350,000 people including overseas visitors (as of September 2024).

The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241007433604/en/